Yume Nikki:Mafurako

Mafurako
マフラー子 (Muffler Girl)
Location	Block World
Role	Teleporting Madotsuki throughout Block World, allowing access to new areas
Size	Standard
Effect Reaction	• Cat: Drawn towards Madotsuki • Traffic Light: Freezes and shows her full appearance • Kitchen Knife: Screams and Disappears
Notes	Transforms under the Traffic Light effect

Invisible (left) and under the Traffic Light (right)

Mafurako (also known as Hat and Scarf Girl by some fans) is an NPC who can be found in Block World.

Overview

Initially, Mafurako appears to be invisible and only the hat and scarf she wears can be seen. By using the Traffic Light effect, her true appearance is revealed to be a girl with dark brown hair covering her eyes, a blue sweater, purple pants, and black shoes.

Mafurako in the manga.

Interacting with Mafurako will teleport both her and the player to one of five locations through Block World, all normally inaccessible due to being atop the world's blocks. One of the teleport locations has a black gate that leads to the White Desert A. When interacting with her again, she will once again cause herself and the player to teleport.

Normally, the player will be teleported to a random spot away from Mafurako. When this happens, she will return to the east structure of Block World near a one-way access from Windmill World and the player will have to seek her out again. However, if Madotsuki interacts with her as a snowman, she will always return to Mafurako's side on the return trip, shortening the process of finding her and the White Desert gate.

Theories

It is possible that Mafurako represents Madotsuki's feelings of shyness. It is evident that Mafurako wants to be unseen, as even when she is visible her fringe covers her face. A fringe covering a character's eyes is also a common character design trait given to sensitive or shy characters in media. The fact that she becomes visible when the Stoplight is used may imply that she is consciously attempting to be invisible, and the Stoplight stops her from doing so.

Furthermore, Mafurako seems to seek solitude. She is the sole resident of the very spacious Block World and prefers to ditch Madotsuki in a distant location rather than teleport back together. She only seems comfortable around the inanimate snowman, with whom she can relate (they share a penchant for winter clothing) yet is also impersonal and non-threatening. Mafurako's traits could possibly be interpreted as projections of Madotsuki's own solitude and her habit of interacting with inanimate objects (such as her diary, bed, and Famicom) rather than people.

Trivia

• Interestingly, Mafurako's sprites are located in Madotsuki's sprite sheet in the game's files. She is the only NPC with this distinction other than Madotsuki's Ghost. Her graphics replaced a version of Madotsuki wearing the hat and scarf without braids found in previous versions of the same sheet.

The original sprites for a braidless Madotsuki wearing the Hat & Scarf effect.

• In versions 0.04 and 0.06, she was located in the Checkered Tile Path. Interacting with her there would teleport Madotsuki to one of the teleport spots in Block World. Strangely, Mafurako would not teleport alongside Madotsuki, meaning that the player would be forced to either wake up or use the Medamaude effect upon being teleported due to being isolated there.

• 

  Mafurako's first teleport location. This is where she is found by default when entering the world or when she doesn't teleport alongside Madotsuki.

• 

  Mafurako's second teleport location.

• 

  Mafurako's third teleport location.

• 

  Mafurako's fourth teleport location.

• 

  Mafurako's fifth teleport location. A gate to White Desert A lies here.

• 

  Mafurako's sixth teleport location.