PSI-Popper Generator |
–Tutorial in Psychonauts
The PSI-Popper Generator, commonly referred to as Oatmeal, is a creature found throughout mental worlds. He allows the astral projections of psychics visiting the mental worlds to teleport between different areas of the mind, as well as back to the Collective Unconscious.
Appearance[]
Oatmeal shows an alien, yet abstract appearance of a plant of some kind. It has yellowy green skin with multiple brown or orange-like stripes all over the body; this includes its bottom leafs which the way they’re shaped and mixed with the colors, makes them look like pieces of bacon. The body composition goes from small at the bottom and slowly becoming thicker at the top: in this part Oatmeal reveals three sets of antennas, its face has two small black eyes and a proboscis that constantly leaks a greenish goo that can inflate like a balloon and produce a trumpet sound.
Gameplay[]
Psychonauts[]
Oatmeal serves as a fast-travel system in between designated areas of a mind. He is first encountered in Basic Braining, in between the whac-a-mole minigame and the minigun cannon. After passing The Point of No Return, Raz can use Oatmeal to teleport between the Collective Unconscious and all previously explored minds.
There are minds in which Oatmeal does not appear at all, due to the areas not being expansive enough to warrant fast-travel. Said minds are Sasha's Shooting Gallery, Lungfishopolis, and Waterloo World.
Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin[]
Oatmeal does not appear in Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin because Loboto's mind is not expansive enough to warrant fast-travel.
Psychonauts 2[]
Oatmeal continues to serve as a fast-travel system between designated areas of mental worlds. Oatmeal will only appear upon returning to the level, and not during the main story. To facilitate completion, a green checkmark will appear in the teleportation menu when all collectables have been found in an area.
Unlike Psychonauts, Oatmeal in Psychonauts 2 cannot be attacked with any PSI-Powers or even touch it at all. Might as well indicate that physically Oatmeal is intangible.
Trivia[]
- Using Clairvoyance on Oatmeal shows he sees Raz as a parcel awaiting delivery.
- Oatmeal is never actually named in-game, but concept art refers to it as "PSI-Popper Generator" while the game's files refer to him as "Oatmeal".
- The name "Oatmeal" comes from the 1969 film Frosty the Snowman. During a scene where the children are trying to think of a name for Frosty, one child shouts "Oatmeal". Because the Psychonauts team at Double Fine Productions couldn't think of a name for the PSI-Popper Generator, they nicknamed him "Oatmeal".[1]
- PSI-Poppers are cut items resembling balloons with various powers inside. The reason why they were cut are unknown, but the PSI-Popper Generator was originally used to give them to the player (hence the name), until it was repurposed.
- There are 3 unused textures for PSI-Popper, these being: two Black Velvetopia themed variants, one being the regular and the other a confusion based variant; and a Blueprint variant, evidentially and presumably only found at the Brain Tumbler Experiment fight against the Blueprint Brain Tank.
- Oatmeal’s design has slight similarities to the Nightmare, featuring a cone like body though in Oatmeal’s case is inverted, a type of antennas on the top of their heads and they share a similar ability of teleporting Razputin to a different location from where he is or was.