(This is a guest post by Hyper Gamer, a PHB readerĀ here to share some Poptropica thoughts. Keep in mind that whatĀ he presents is only theory, not to be taken as fact. If you have a Popspiracy, see below for details on guest posting! Enjoy! āSlantedFish š )
How is everyone? Itās me Hyper Gamer. Iām here today to share a Popspiracy.
LastĀ month, the Creators posted a Daily Pop sneak peekĀ of this character, laden with gold and goodies, titled “Backpacker”:

Good news! The Backpacker NPC (non-player character) is finally released. He resides on Home Island, but it seems like not everyone has been able to see him there yet.Ā You have to complete Monkey Wrench Island in order to be able to see him, but if you’ve done that, try restarting the island as well.
What does this Backpacker guy do? The Backpacker guy tells you how to get to more adventures, which is basically the blimp. Below is a gif of me interacting with this character.
Letās start by discussing potential reasons why the Creators decided to create this guy. Yes you might think itās for tutorial purposes, but I think there is more to it than that. Take a look at the image below.
On the left is a conversation with Amelia Earhart. On the right is a conversation with Backpacker. Notice how they both have a tutorial on how to get to more adventures. Why would there be a need for two tutorials of the exact same thing?
Maybe itās supposed to be like that, but I think the Backpacker is part of an unfinished project that lies within the realm of secret projects the Creators canāt reveal. Perhaps theyĀ released the Backpacker earlier so we wouldĀ think that theyĀ were doing something. If that’s the case, Backpacker’sĀ release was made toĀ not seem like something random that was unfinished. It actually looks fine where it is.
Now letās talk about his role as a character in the Poptropica world. Going back to the sneak peek, the caption says, āTime to hit the dusty trail.ā Now where is this trail? Is it on another island? Now look at all that stuff heās carrying and the medallions heās wearing. Thereās only one explanation:Ā Heās one of us. The backpack is his inventory and the medallions he won from other islands. Now why would some great adventurer be spending his time telling us how to get to more adventures?
Letās look at his backpack. The sword could be from one of his adventures, perhaps onĀ Astro-Knights Island, the map appears to be the one from Mystery of the Map, and the green coins must be his credits, to name a few. What if the Backpacker saw Poptropica through our perspective?Ā Maybe he only sees what we see. By that I mean, he can only go to the Islands that have been released. Sine he’s completed all released islands, he is at Home Island resting. Itās called āhomeā for a reason. Now he spends his time helping all the newcomers on their adventures while relaxing on Home Island.
He has an ax and a crystal, which could be from the Poptropica Realms.Ā And here’s another thought:Ā he must be a paid member. He has membership, so he has no use for credits. Thatās why he has so many green coins (credits) in his sack. Also, only members-only items have goggles like the pairĀ heās wearing. Sure, they may look a bit different (perhaps greener for those items based on Dr. Hare) on the item cards,Ā but thatās a very small thing to worry about.
What do you guys think? Is the Backpacker part of something bigger? Is he Poptropicaās first NPC to break the fourth wall? WriteĀ back with your thoughts in the comments!
-Hyper Gamer
ā
Share your Pop conspiracies in the comments or on the PHC ā weād love to hear them. If youād like to develop it into a full guest postĀ like this one, contactĀ the PHB (minimum 500 words). Stay popping!
Great theory! I actually thought that the backpacker would be in a future island, but that was just a guess. š
You totally opened my eyes to the fact that the backpacker might actually be one of us! A fellow adventurer! But you are right, what is his goal? Maybe he could lead us to the brand new thing that Poptropica is doing later this month…
Great analysis on the Backpacker NPC! I’ve noticed that the Daily Pop Sneak Peek version was female, due to the eyelashes, while the released NPC is actually a male – was this change really necessary? š Also, if the NPC is an adventurer representing someone who has earned all island medallions due to membership. . . get dunked on by a non-member, because I earned them all without š – bwahahahaha
! . . .Well, except for Beta Carrotene’s medallion š .
Omg you is alive
Didn’t notice the gender change.
I am also someone who won all medallions, except Beta Carroteneās, without membership.
I wonder about the gender change too. I appreciate the female representation that Amelia Earhart brings, but I wonder what will happen to her character considering the Backpacker says the same thing (at least after the Monkey Wrench tutorial).
MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmm great thinking you literally read my mind.Omg when i started poptropica i thought that too it was only a guess though. We might be right i am one smart chick