Hey there! Purple Paw back here again, this time with… ah, yes, a closer look at our Poptropican’s insides! Um, excuse me… ahem. That wasnโt a very good introduction. Maybe I should try again.
The question of Poptropicans’ eating habitsโand how it ties into their anatomyโwas brought up recently on the PHC Discord. Itโs something I hadnโt considered much before, but thinking about it now, I wonder why I never did.
Eating is something that every living being doesโincluding Poptropicans. How do I know this? Well, the answer is simpleโwe see our avatars eating throughout the islands! I can think of a few: Wimpy Wonderland, Escape from Pelican Rock, Survival Ep. 2 (Hook, Line & Sinker) and Survival Ep. 4 (Cabin Fever).
Thereโs also a big indicator of eating on Virus Hunter Island. As clearly shown on an anatomy chart, Poptropican people have stomachs. And they wouldnโt be there if they didnโt serve a purpose! When you enter Joe Stockmanโs stomach, you can even see the chewed-up food he previously ate… yuck.
And itโs clear that Poptropicans must eat plenty of healthy food. How else would they be able to perform the jumping, climbing, swimming, running, flying, and countless otherย physical activities theyโre asked to do in every single island? Food gives energy and strength, and without it, Poptropicans wouldnโt be nearly as quick or strong. In fact, they wouldnโt be there at all without food! (That is, if they can be qualified as normal beings…)
So, youโre most likely thinking by this point, “Well, thatโs that then. The question is answered; Poptropicans eat.” But alas, thereโs a catch. Something that often leaves me stumped about Poptropican anatomy: Poptropican people donโt have necks. This is one of the most noticeable features of a Poptropican, and one that seems to defy, well, science. How is it possible that a Poptropicanโs head could float freely above their shoulders, with nothing connecting it to the rest of their body? How can food reach their stomachs without a neck to pass through?
After some sleuthing, I found an important clue on Virus Hunter Island. Anybody whoโs managed to fight their way through this tough island will remember traveling up the inside of a neck to reach Joe Stockmanโs mouth. Hm, so there isย somethingย connecting a Poptropican’s head to the rest of their body… but then how come we never see our Poptropicans’ necks? Is there something making them invisible?ย
And another question arises: would food alone be enough to give Poptropicans the energy to jump off buildings and lift boulders, among other seemingly superhuman feats? Is there something missing?
Maybe the final piece of the puzzle can be found in a theory Tall Cactus recently suggested on the PHC. Her idea is that Poptropicans are not people, but a very advanced species of plant. Plantropicans! Andโall previous indicators of Poptropicans consuming food asideโshe proposes that Poptropicans photosynthesize; meaning that light passes through their invisible plant-stem necks, resulting in plenty of energy. So instead of eating food to keep active, Poptropicans are constantly soaking up the sun, and are always gathering more energy. It’s certainly an interesting theory.ย
Though it is slightly absurd, I quite like this idea. It provides an unexpectedly fitting explanation for Poptropicans’ unseen necks as well as their strange and infrequent diets. Yes, I suppose I do think that the reason Poptropicansโ necks are invisible is because they are plants. Wondering what I mean? To fully understand this, letโs take a look at another important clue from Virus Hunter… the size of a Poptropicanโs neck.
As Dr. Lange states, when you enter Joe Stockmanโs body, youโre nano-sized. In other words, you’re very,ย veryย small. And Iโm assuming your ship isnโt much bigger. And yet, when you attempt to steer your way up the inside of the neck, your ship tells you that the passage is too narrow; it canโt fit through. Your nano-sized ship is too big. What could this mean? Poptropicansโ necks are miniscule. So small, we canโt even see them!
You may be thinking, “So how does that tie into the theory that Poptropicans are plants?”
Thatโs just it: I believe that Poptropicansโ necks are so tiny because theyโre plant stems. When I first realized how this fits, I actually googled if there was such a thing as an invisible plant stem. Disappointingly, there is not; but there is a type of plant with stems so small, theyโre described as “almost invisible.” Since their stem necks are so thin and short, nobody would ever know they were there, unless they looked closely under a magnifying glass. Tall Cactus also adds that this is why Poptropicans’ heads bob up and down: yours would too, if it was supported by just a small stem! This could also be why Poptropicans’ arms and legs are so skinny; they must be stems too, just thicker and stronger. Given all that evidence, itโs becoming less difficult to imagine Poptropicans evolved from plants…ย
So, if Poptropicans do photosynthesize, it could mean that they donโt need food; they have more energy than normal people because theyโre constantly collecting it from the sun!ย Thatย explains all the deserted eateries across the islands… but we canโt forget how many times we have seen Poptropicans eating. They must have some method of digesting human food as well as sunlight (aka plant food). But just what those methods are might be slightly too gross to write about here, so perhaps itโs best to save whatโs unspoken for another day. But feel free to share any theories youโve thought up in the comments!
Plants are just one idea, but Iโm sure there are many other interesting explanations for Poptropicansโ diets, necks (or lack thereof), and other anatomical features. (There are also probably plenty of loopholes in this theory left unmended…) Will the mystery of the Poptropican anatomy ever truly be solved? We have yet to know…
โ Purple Paw ๐