The Catbus is an original invention for the 1988 Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro (director Hayao Miyazaki). Introduced in the film's narrative world of rural, forest-adjacent Japan, it appears as part of the same imagined ensemble of supernatural beings that includes Totoro; in the plot the Catbus is encountered when the child protagonists need transportation (notably in the bus stop and travel-related sequences) and assists them. Sources emphasize that Totoro and related creatures are Miyazaki creations rather than figures drawn directly from traditional folklore.
Described in film references and encyclopedic sources as a very large, grinning, twelve-legged cat with a large bushy tail and a hollow, bus-shaped body, the Catbus has windows and seats covered with fur and an exterior of striped fur. Voice acting in versions of the film underscores its animal-like vocalizations (Japanese voice actor Naoki Tatsuta; English dubs have used Frank Welker and Carl Macek). The interior and exterior are shown as furred, with human-sized seating and bus-like windows integrated into the creature's body.
Within the film's depiction the Catbus functions as a living passenger conveyance: it can be boarded and carries the child protagonists. Sources describe it as a hybrid being rather than a mechanical vehicle. Beyond its hybrid form and role as transport, the supplied sources do not reliably document additional supernatural powers, origins, or mechanics; discussions and encyclopedic entries focus on its appearance, role in the story, and cultural reception rather than enumerating further abilities.
Castalia
Castalia (Ancient Greek Κασταλία, Kastalia) is a mythic naiad-nymph and the eponymous sacred spring of Delphi. In classical tradition she is a daughter of the river-god Achelous whose waters were consecrated to the Muses and were associated with poetic inspiration and ritual cleansing of the Delphic sanctuary.
Castor and Pollux (the Dioscuri)
A pair of mythic twin brothers of Greek and Roman tradition (the Dioscuri/Gemini) who occupy a liminal heroic/divine status. They function as patrons and protectors of sailors, travellers, horsemen and athletes, and are ultimately placed among the stars as the constellation Gemini.
Cat Grant
Catherine Jane "Cat" Grant is a fictional human character from DC Comics and its screen adaptations, portrayed as a prominent media professional — gossip columnist, on-air personality, manager and executive — whose journalism and public presence affect superheroes' public reputations and the institutions that surround them.
Cat Sídhe
A large black fairy cat of Irish and Scottish tradition with a white spot on its chest, who could steal a corpse's soul before burial if allowed to leap over it.
Cat sìth
A feline supernatural being in Celtic folklore, especially Scottish tradition, described in some accounts as a large black cat with a white spot on its chest associated with the fairy/otherworld; alternative traditions identify it as a witch able to transform into a cat up to nine times.
Catalina Lercaro
Catalina Lercaro is the legendary specter associated with a 16th‑century member of the Genoese Lercaro family who allegedly died by suicide in the family mansion (Casa Lercaro) in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife. Tradition holds her ghost walks through the rooms of the mansion (now the Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife) and she is widely regarded in local lore as the Canary Islands' most famous ghost.
Catellus
Catellus (Welsh: Kadell map Geraint) is a legendary, pseudo‑historical king of the Britons attested in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae and in Welsh redactions (Brut y Brenhinedd). He functions as a dynastic/chronological figure used to order genealogies rather than as a supernatural being.
Catgirl (nekomimi / nekomusume)
A fictional character type in Japanese popular culture combining an otherwise human body with feline traits (most commonly cat ears and often a tail). Historically informed by Edo and Shōwa period shapeshifting cat-monster imagery, the modern catgirl functions as an aesthetic trope in manga, anime, theater, and Internet culture rather than a documented religious or folkloric spirit.
Cath Palug
A monstrous, unusually large cat from Welsh myth later adapted into continental medieval romance (Anglo‑Norman/Old French) as Chapalu/Capalu. Associated with islands, lakes, bogs, and shoreline liminal zones, it functions as a localized animal horror that confronts named heroes (Welsh Cai/Kay; continental sources often transfer the opponent to King Arthur).
Catherine of Alexandria
A Christian virgin-martyr venerated in Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican and other Western traditions. Presented in hagiography as a learned princess of Alexandria who debated pagan philosophers, suffered miraculous events during imprisonment and execution, and became the focus of a widespread cult centered on Saint Catherine's Monastery at Sinai and numerous liturgical commemorations and artistic depictions.
Catigern
Catigern is a legendary/historical early medieval British warrior-prince remembered chiefly for dying fighting the Saxons at the Battle of Epsford/Aylesford. He appears in medieval chronicles and genealogies (notably the Historia Brittonum and various Welsh pedigrees) as a son or kinsman within ruling lineages and is used in later tradition for dynastic legitimation and local topographical memory.
Catillus
Catillus is a legendary Arcadian founder-figure in Roman tradition. An Arcadian named Catillus (son of Amphiaraus) and his sons — one also named Catillus, Coras, and Tiburtus — are said to have fled Thebes, settled the Aniene plateau, driven off prior inhabitants, and founded Tibur (Tivoli); the younger Catillus and Coras later appear in Virgil's Aeneid as allies of Turnus against Aeneas.
Community Record
- [1]Catbus (Wikipedia). Wikipedia, 'Catbus' entrywiki
- [2]Catbus (Wikidata). Wikidata entry for Catbuswiki
- [3]My Neighbor Totoro (FAQ) - Nausicaa.net. Nausicaa.net 'My Neighbor Totoro (FAQ)' discussing Totoro and Miyazaki's original creationsother
- [4]What does the Cat Bus eat? (Sci-Fi.Stackexchange). Question and discussion referencing film scenes (bus stop scene) and on-screen behaviorother
- [5]Catbus (disambiguation). Wikipedia disambiguation page referencing cultural usage and legacywiki
- [6]My Neighbor Totoro (FAQ) - GhibliWiki (Nausicaa.net). GhibliWiki / Nausicaa.net FAQ entry on My Neighbor Totoroother