A Decade of Poptropica: Party Recap and Reflections

You’ve probably heard us say this a lot this month, but it’s a big deal, so we’re saying it again: 🎉 Poptropica is 10!!!!!!!!!! 🎉

That’s a pretty long time to be popping about. In fact, many of us here at the PHB have grown up seeing its progression over the years, from our pre-teens to early adulthood. Many others in this community are themselves just 10 years old, having been born right around the time of Poptropica’s launch! Whatever the case for you, whether you’re a longtime player or just discovered the game yesterday, you’ve got to admit it’s a remarkable thing to have made it here.

This past weekend, to celebrate the big milestone, the PHB threw a party on Poptropica and our chat server, the PHC. We brought our 10th birthday monkey hats and filled Multiverse rooms with laughter, head-to-head battles, and a standard dose of lag. Despite some hiccups with the party rooms, we still had plenty of fun meeting friends and hanging out on the PHC. Check out a recap of the shenanigans in the collage above, or this video captured by TallMeloniscool which recorded a portion of the events!

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Here at the Poptropica Help Blog, we’re immensely blessed to have Poptropica be a part of our lives. This game and fandom – for all its whimsical complexities, hearty community of players, and skillful creativity – has made its indelible and unique marks on all of us who are celebrating its tenth anniversary this month.

To that end, the current PHB staff would like to share some reflections with you – our thoughts straight from the heart. You can also check out our “My Place in Poptropica” (MPIP) stories, linked below, for more about how the game has impacted our lives.

Brave Tomato:

10 years? Wow, thanks for making me feel old, Poptropica. 😛 Anyway, I could never be any more grateful to be part of such an awesome community. Over the years, I have gotten to see numerous things, news, and such come and go as Poptropica evolved, and it has been great to get to experience it all.

It helped me gain new interests, build up my confidence to pursue an animation degree while in college, gave me an opportunity to share stories and artwork, and I got to meet so many amazing people through the fandom. I know this is weird for me to say, but being part of this changed my life. Thank you, Poptropica, for not being afraid to teach us not only educational lessons, but also to smile, laugh, cry, face our fears, and most importantly, bringing us all together.

Check out her whole MPIP story here.

Happy Lobster: 

Well, 10 years does seem like a very long time – but for me, playing since 2008, it strangely doesn’t feel like a very lengthy time looking back. As I grew older, I became more and more interested in Pop, ultimately leading up to my discovery of the community, and taking part in it since the start of 2016.

Since then, I’ve met so many amazing people, all of whom share a common interest, and made new hobbies that I almost definitely wouldn’t have began if not for the community – blogging, graphics, digital art. I wouldn’t change a single bit of my time with Pop and its fandom – and I’m very pleased to see Pop’s 10 birthday.

Check out his whole MPIP story here.

Lucky Joker:

The fact that it’s been 10 years that these wide-eyed, formerly neckless characters have been around is still dawning upon me. I consider myself nothing more than privileged to have had this amazing game a part of my life for so many years. From mindlessly wandering around Poptropica in an elementary school computer lab, to secretly playing during the awkward years of middle school, and now to blogging on the biggest Poptropica fan site as an almost high school graduate, Poptropica has been with me all the way. It is with disbelief, but great joy as well, that I’m here today reminiscing on the huge impact Poptropica has had on my life, both online and off.

Looking back at the growth and evolution of this game feels so surreal. I remember earning my first medallion, purchasing my first membership, my first merchandise item… all like it was just yesterday. Because of this game, I’ve developed interests in mythology, astronomy, story writing, art, and journalism, and have also been learning to seek higher successes. This other world has truly influenced me, and for the best way possible. Anyway, I better stop before I get too emotional. Happy 10th birthday, Poptropica, and here’s to many more! ❤

Check out his whole MPIP story here.

Purple Claw:

Poptropica is more than just a game, at least for me. Poptropica is an inspirational world that inspired thousands of people to make fan art, write fan-fiction, start blogging and writing, become more familiar with coding, and more. This game was what kept me sane through my teenage years (2014-2016, thankfully I’m much better now), my hard times, and whenever I wanted to be alone.

Joining the community is probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life, and I’m really thankful for every single one of my friends. Everyone here is so nice. Being in this fandom made me realize that Poptropica is my home, and I’m really happy to see this world become 10 years old. Here’s to many more! Stay poppin’! (:

Check out his whole MPIP story here.

Silver Wolf:

Poptropica has become a huge part of my life, and I even remember the first time I played it, which was about 9 years ago (I was in elementary school!). I didn’t become part of the community, though, until 2012, and that was possibly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I only know some of my best friends because of how we met on Poptropica chat rooms or blogs, and I’m so happy to have them in my life. Even my family asks how blogging is going, and it’s become a conversation piece with others offline.

Poptropica has also always been a way to cheer myself up if I’m going through a hard time, and I’ve formed a personal connection with it over the years; it inspires me to be creative and express myself without judgment. I can’t believe it’s been so long, and I wish Poptropica a happy 10th birthday! I can’t wait to see what else the future holds. 🙂

Check out her whole MPIP story here.

Slanted Fish:

I’m greatly indebted to Poptropica for its being the source of creativity by which I do much of my writing. After all, there would be no Poptropica Help Blog without Poptropica; no Poptropica fandom nor all the fan art, blogs, friends, and conversations it’s inspired for ten years now. So thank you, Poptropica, for giving voice to so many ideas… and for giving me something to write about.

Blogging about this game over the years played a huge part in how I’ve developed my own writing voice, as well as a passion for sharing words with people that I’ll carry with me for as long as I have the ability for language. And it’s more than writing, of course: on Poptropica there are artistic worlds to admire, stories to dig deep into, and many more treasures than can be named – but suffice it to say, I’m grateful to have popped into these tropics. Keep on popping, Poptropica! 🎉

Check out her whole MPIP story here.

Slippery Raptor:

If Poptropica was a kid, it’d be 10 years old today. Funny that it would probably play Poptropica as a kid, too! It’s cool to see how time had flown by so fast. I remember myself many years ago going to a friend’s house just to play Shark Tooth Island, and nagging him about a new island’s release not long after. This game has been a big part of my life.

Only Poptropica had the magic to make me feel like putting in so much effort, time, and dedication into a game. Even in the rough and crazy times, we’ve gotten through, and I’m pretty sure we can keep going through with just a little patience. And look, Poptropica’s already 10! Long live Pop! Stay poppin’!

Check out his whole MPIP story here.

Spotted Dragon:

I still can’t believe it’s been 10 full years! I started playing Poptropica waaaay back in the early days and while I’ve taken breaks, I’ve never really stopped playing. Though I didn’t truly become part of the community until a few years after my very first medallion, I’m still amazed at how big our little fandom is. If I hadn’t started blogging, I honestly don’t know where I’d be in life right now!

I do get odd looks when people find out I still play Poptropica, but those looks almost always turn into a wholesome, nostalgic conversation. I don’t care that I’m a bit old for the game and I don’t know how long it will be before all of this starts to fade from my mind, but I’m 100% enjoying this while it lasts. I’ve made many priceless friendships and discovered absolutely incredible artists, and little things like that are what really made me stick around so long.

Check out her whole MPIP story here.

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Well, that’s enough opining from us for now. We’d love to hear your thoughts on baby Poptropica growing up into big-guy Poptropica, and we bet the Creators would too. So we encourage you to share in the comments, even if it’s a simple “congrats!”

🎈🎁 Happy 10th birthday, Poptropica. 🎁🎈

😁 Thanks for everything. 💕

❤️,
– the Poptropica Help Blog –