Author: HPuterpop

I'm Andrew Wiles, although on this account I'm known as HPuterpop. I've played Poptropica since 2007, the year it started. I play on the users puterpop and puterpoptropica. I'm a graphic designer, editor on the Poptropica Help Blog, and executive manager on the Poptropica Wiki. Check out my links to find out what I'm doing at the moment - I like to stay active in the community and always have a couple projects in the works. Consider subscribing to my YouTube channel and following me on Google+. I would greatly appreciate it. I'd like to stress how easy it is to contact me, so if you do need to, [email protected] is the one to contact. Thanks for reading, I'll see you soon. :) And thanks to Muzzki for my current profile pic!

(¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.-> Hi Gs, <-.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯)

EDIT: Monster Carnival Island may not be out today, but it’s confirmed to be coming out next week (probably Thursday, if we’re following Poptropica’s usual pattern for island releases)! 😀 But we still don’t have a full trailer, just a teaser…

MCI is not on the map yet, and we don’t know when it’ll be out for non-members, but keep checking back here on the PHB for the latest Poptropica news!

Quick post — check this pic out! Was I almost right about my prediction?? It’s not on the homepage yet… check back for more! 😀 The servers seem very boggy… are they uploading the island right now?

Edit: Turns out it was a false alarm. It’s been changed back to Coming Soon. Until next time. 😛

-HP

Monster Carnival Island

The Monster Carnival Files: Ringmaster Raven

February 13, 2014February 22, 2014 HPuterpop

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This file has been updated to the information from Monster Carnival Island. The red text is the updated info, the black is old.

Up until Monster Carnival is released, I’m going to post a series of “files” that go into detail about certain elements of the island as we know it. The first file will be about Ringmaster Raven; who he is, and what his goal is.

—

The Wayback Machine

The Daily Pop above, from February 2011, was the first glimpse we got of a ringmaster playing a role in the mysterious Monster Carnival. Nothing seems suspicious about him; he has a hat, a bowtie, and a staff. He seemed perfectly fine — until the Haunted Amusement Park page was posted on the Creator’s Blog.

This idea page is obviously for Monster Carnival Island — they changed the name sometime after. The page plainly reads “Ringmaster has cursed/enslaved zombie carnival workers“. It also says that the ringmaster has lost his prized possession — a bullhorn. Very strange. Remember that this was in the early days of Poptropica, and elaborate stories were not going to happen in a long time — so a simple story about a ringmaster that has lost his horn is understandable.

The bullhorn is a very specific item, and may be used to hypnotize his zombie slaves. Of course, the zombie plot will not be used on the upcoming island, since they already released Zomberry Island. Ringmaster Raven does not have a bull horn in the new island.

The teaser trailer that was released along with the initial announcement of Monster Carnival shows a raven-like man with a top hat appearing out of nowhere. Most of us assumed that he was the ringmaster. We did not know just yet that his name was Ringmaster Raven.

The first time his name was released was on a extra poster on the Island Tour of Monster Carnival. The poster says “Featuring Ringmaster Raven’s Circus of the Bizarre”.

When we look at some of the Daily Pops we had been pondering about, we now understand the reason why ravens appeared so much in them!

In the island, the ravens are not turned against him — in fact, they are monsterizing machines!

On February 8 2014, the members only item Ringmaster Costume was added to the Store. It features a costume similar to Ringmaster Raven’s, with a feathery (and sinister) design.

The other two members only cards are somewhat connected to Ringmaster Raven as well — hypno power and raven swarm! Perhaps hypnotism will be a part of the island after all! 😀 The island does feature some hypnotism. It does not feature zombies, however. 😛

~~Ringmaster Raven’s origins are unknown as of now, but this post will be updated after the island comes out, so check back when that happens to get the full story. 🙂~~

You are here for the full story of Ringmaster Raven, right? Well, here it is:

Many years ago, the Circus of Bizarre had come through the very same parts that they are in at the time in the island. It had a very strange attraction featured with it — the Bird Boy. He was a mutant; half boy and half raven. Or perhaps it was just because he had an odd nose (a nose for that matter 😛 ). When the circus left the town, they forgot Bird Boy, and he was orphaned there. The towns people hated Bird Boy because he didn’t fit in. Then, soon after Bird Boy had been in the town, an auto repair store burnt down. The supposed culprit was Bird Boy. There were other suspects, some more likely to have done it, but the townspeople wanted Bird Boy gone. So they drove him out of town.

Years later, the carnival comes back to town, this time with a new ringmaster. This carnival seems… different than before. It turns out that Ringmaster Raven is actually Bird Boy tryin to get revenge on the town by hypnotizing all of them, and turning them into monsters, like him.

At the final battle, you hypnotize him into a chicken using mirrors. The carnival now has a new attraction — the chicken man!

-HP

Mythology Island

Why Mythology Island was a Big Hit (WBH ep. 1) and more

February 12, 2014February 13, 2014 HPuterpop

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I’ve decided to start a new series to post on every once in a while; I’m calling it “Why it was a Big Hit”, or WBH for short. 😛 And yeah, I know, two posts in one day, I over drafted. 😛

For the first episode, I’m going to be reviewing Mythology Island, and (obviously) find out why it is one of the most popular islands to this day. It will be updated into SUI soon, and that’s part of the reason why I’m doing this — BTW my prediction about Mythology Island SUI coming out February 7th was totally wrong. 😛

To start out with — this island covers a lot. It roughly covers most of the mythology kids read in concise editions of a compilation of the Greek tales. That in and of itself is impressive. I personally love the way Poptropica illustrates all of the classic scenes, and there’s one thing that draws kids to this island other than the cartoony style of drawing — in this island, you get to interact with the gods, and the legendary characters you read about in Greek mythology! These characters are even more far fetched than most fairy tale characters, and that makes them all the more memorable. So to be a part of the legend? Something incredible.

The story is a fresh new spin on classic mythology — Zeus will give you immortality, but for the price of the 5 sacred items. When you finally obtain all the these items and give them to Zeus, he takes them and uses them to take over Poptropica; or at least try. There are many memorable sub characters, and a couple funny moments.

While being one of the most popular islands, I feel like it may also be an island that gives Poptropica an unworthy and bad name. Some parents tear down the game for being too hard, and making their (obviously too young) children mad that they can’t get past the challenges — such as the red eyed snake, the labyrinth, the final battle, and so on. It certainly is a hard island, but still reigns supreme. That’s because the kids with the real adventurous personality will persevere through the challenges, and this makes the island all the more real — mythology characters face deadly and horribly hard challenges in the stories.

To a degree, this tale is gruesome. Hercules gets turned into stone, and you kill a six headed Hydra. You meet the ruler of the Underworld, get attacked by crocodiles — but that’s what makes it all the more fun.

In conclusion, let’s review the points that make Mythology Island a success: In this island, you get to be a part of the legend. You get to meet an expanse of amazing characters. The story is a fresh spin on the classics, and the challenges pull you into the tough and challenging environment of ancient Greece. To top it all off, the island is gruesome as the original tales; which may seem like a bad thing, but kids love gruesome stuff. That is a fact! 😛 So all these factors make the island an all time favorite.

Tell me in the comments what I should analyze next! 😀 What do you like about Mythology Island the most? Vote in the poll below!

In other news, you may have noticed that I changed my Gravatar to a more… fitting attire in these monstrous times 😉 — take a look:

Jeff Heim Music mentioned me on his Facebook page as well! This is the first time an affiliated Creator has mentioned me! 😀

Jeff Heim does not know how much this made my day! 😛

-HP

Daily Pop Sneak Peeks, New Islands, The Missing Link

The Missing Link: Asgard

February 11, 2014May 5, 2014 HPuterpop

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Some other bloggers and I have covered many different possibilities for new islands this year. I’ve put together a list, and I think you should read it before going on;

Have you read through them? Good. I bet you recognized 3 out of 4 of those islands from our prediction posts, or from Poptropica itself. But the last one made you make a double take. Why didn’t I include Fuzzy B’s “Atmos Island” or “Twisted Twice Island”? Because there will not be an Atmos or Twisted Twice Island. It’s been under our noses for far too long.

The picture above is a Daily Pop from 2011. The title of the post is “To Valhalla” and the description reads “Could this be the setting of a new Island?”

In Norse mythology, Valhalla (from Old NorseValhöll “hall of the slain”) is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin… Before the hall stands the golden tree Glasir, and the hall’s ceiling is thatched with golden shields. Various creatures live around Valhalla, such as the stag Eikþyrnir and the goat Heiðrún, both described as standing atop Valhalla and consuming the foliage of the tree Læraðr. Read More

Ok, so you think because of a Daily Pop 3 years ago that Asgard island is going to be a thing now? Wait a minute, people — there’s more to the story.

You may know about Asgard to an extent. According to Norse mythology, Asgard is one of the nine worlds of the gods. If you don’t care, let me remind you that Thor himself comes from this mythology! It is ruled by Odin, and it is floating. Yes, floating above the earth. It is made up of castles in the sky.

Need I say more? The next Poptropica island after Monster Carnival very well may be Asgard Island (or something similar). All I know is that the island is going to be based on Norse mythology. Below are some Daily Pops (and non-Pop Norse mythology pictures) that are probably connected to Asgard Island. And remember that this is just a theory (although still a pretty plausible one 😛 ):

220px-Thor_wades_while_the_æsir_ride_by_Frølich

So what do you think? Tell me in the comments! 😀

-HP

Poptropican Portraits

Poptropican Portraits Round 7

February 9, 2014February 15, 2014 HPuterpop

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We’ve come a long way — 7 weeks of Portraits — and you guys still hold strong to the offer. It’s amazing that so many kids care so much about my art. 🙂

I hope everyone is satisfied with their portrait! 😀 If you don’t see yours in there, just tell me in the comments. I’m only taking up to 10 requests this round. The request limit may differentiate with rounds, but for those who request past 10, will be disregarded. Remember, these portraits are Gravatar friendly, and make great Gravatars! 😛 Also, for you fellow designers who would like an extra, transparent (no background or text) copy of your portrait(s), just request in the comments. 🙂

If you are a wanting to have your own Poptropican Portrait, I’d be glad to draw it for you if you follow the following criteria;

This is how the system works: you leave requests on the post that has the portraits requested last week. I will only take requests that are left on the latest portrait post.
Requests must be made by the owner of the account. I really would like if people would stop requesting portraits for their friends; if the friends really want them enough, they can come on here and request them.
I must have either a username or a link to the avatar studio included in the request. Otherwise, I will have to use a low quality photo from somewhere on the web, which makes the colors different from the actual character.
No requesting two times for the same character unless its a specialty. Sometimes, I will make another one, because I wasn’t pleased with it. Please tell me in the comments how you liked your portrait! If you are not pleased, I am very sorry.
Keep in mind that I need you to keep the outfit that you want to be drawn from the time that you request it to the time that it is published. Otherwise, I will draw something you may not have been expecting! So please keep that in mind.
I won’t accept glitch accounts anymore that are not your main account. I’ll still accept minor accounts, just not if they’re loaded with glitches. It’s difficult to draw, and most of the time it’s for advertising, which I don’t enjoy drawing…