Author: LJ

Howdy, Poptropicanos, my name is LJ! I’ve been playing Poptropica for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been blabbing about it here on the PHB for over 8 years. Wowie, the time sure goes by fast when you’re having fun. Beyond the realm of Poptropica, some of my hobbies include drawing, taking long strolls, collecting way too many cool things I don’t have room for, creating unique characters, and letting my imagination run wild in my daydreams. In real life, I tend to be pretty extremely shy, but online, I’m usually bursting with cheerful energy. Don’t be afraid to chat me up in the comments or on the PHC. Also, follow my IG and DeviantArt if you wanna! -Gravatar icon by me! -Background by napstachill
Pop Fan Artist Spotlights

Pop Fan Artist Spotlight: BeanSkelly/DanaKellyArt

LJ

How’s it going, Poptropicans? It’s Lucky Joker here with another Pop Fan Artist Spotlight! The spotlighted artist this week is the great BeanSkelly/DanaKellyArt!

Why the two usernames? Because Bean, the artist, has two accounts: one professional (DanaKellyArt), and one personal (BeanSkelly — where you will find more Poptropica art). Here, I’ll be highlighting his Poptropica art from both. 🙂

Currently, Bean works as a freelance illustrator (and may be coming out with a new book soon!) and hopes to one day work in a studio as a layout artist. He dreams to then direct animated movies and bring back 2D animation afterwards. This guy’s going places, folks!

As for his Poptropica art, Bean draws traditionally and digitally, and does an amazing job too! Check out this collection of his stunning work (click to enlarge the images):

“Welcome to Poptropica” (DanaKellyArt)
“Raven” (BeanSkelly)
“Sleep” (BeanSkelly)
“Miranda Rover” (both)
“The Iliad” (DanaKellyArt)
“Marcus” (BeanSkelly)
“The Raptors” (BeanSkelly)
“Atlantis__BenJonas au” (BeanSkelly)
“The Raven King and the Red Death Queen” (BeanSkelly)
“Balloon Ride” (DanaKellyArt)

As you can see, Bean’s a pretty versatile artist. Some pieces are very realistic while others are comical—it’s quite impressive! I greatly recommend that you check out his links above and also check out his Ko-fi account. I’m sure he would appreciate the support very much.

Well that concludes this spotlight! I hope you enjoyed this look into a Poptropica fan’s artwork. If you’ve made some of your own Poptropica fan art, we’d love for you to share it on our DeviantArt group gallery, We-Love-Poptropica. Also, don’t forget to check out the other artists I’ve featured as they’re all amazing in their own way!

Thanks for reading as always and I’ll talk to you all soon… pop on!

– Lucky Joker 🍀

Poppies

You’re invited to the 2018 Poppies Awards Party!

LJ

Hope you had fun at the Poppies! Catch the recap to see the winners.

poppies 2018 party

Hello, Poptropicans! The time has almost come…

As I’m sure you know, this month is a big month for the PHB as we approach the 10th anniversary of the blog’s launch! To celebrate, we’ve been hosting our annual Poptropica community awards event, the Poppies, throughout the entire month.

With nominations over and voting now underway, the fun is just beginning because all of that has been leading to the best part of this whole operation—the party! All of your votes will help determine which of the aspirant award-seekers will be bringing gold home, and it’s about time to announce the winners! Here are the details:

  • 😎 WHO: Every Poptropican is invited! PHB staff will be there too!
  • 🎉 WHAT: Hanging out in Multiverse rooms on Poptropica, chatting and cheering on your picks for the awards on the PHC, and tuning in to a livestream on Brave Tomato’s YouTube channel co-hosted by some PHB staff, where we’ll be revealing the winners of this year’s Poppies!
  • ⏰ WHEN: July 26, 2018 (Thursday) @ 7 p.m. Eastern / 6 p.m. Central / 5 p.m. Mountain / 4 p.m. Pacific. If you live in a different timezone, you can use a time zone converter to see what the time will be where you live.
  • 🎈 WHERE: The Poptropica Help Chat (PHC), our moderated chat server on Discord. If you’ll be on the go at this time, make use of Discord’s mobile apps!
  • 🔟 WHY: To announce the winners of the 2018 Poppies, have fun, and celebrate the 10-year milestone of the PHB!

Multiverse room codes will be posted on the PHC during the party, and we’ll also announce the link to the livestream there when it starts. Until then, mark your calendar, prepare your most extravagant outfit, and get ready to cheer for the winners!

✨ We’ll see you on the blue carpet! ✨

– the Poppies Help Blog team –

Sneak Peeks

Movies, store, pet barn, and more!

LJ

How’s it going, Poptropicans? It’s Lucky Joker and today I share with you an awesome sneak peek and news from Twitter!

Firstly—with the more exciting news—Poptropica posted this sneak peek on the Creators’ Blog (a finalized version of the sketches we’ve seen this past week):

Home Island sneak peek.png

Once a final sketch is decided on, the artists start working in Photoshop to create a version with color and to start to figure out all the details of the design. 🎨

They also place it “in-scene” meaning that it’s in the game frame window. This allows them to see how all the elements fit in the game.

Once the art is done, it’s shared with the developers, who code the final design into the game. This process can take weeks to months from start to finish. It all depends how complex it is. Can any of you guess how long it usually takes to make a Poptropica island?

Disappointingly though, it looks like the update will be for Poptropica Original (Home Island specifically) rather than Worlds, which has been pretty stagnant.

Also, over on Twitter, @OfficialPoptropica let us know that they’ve added the archives back to the sidebar on the Creators’ Blog and thanked us for being part of the Pop community, which was nice. Looks like they read SD’s Pop Petitions post! 😉

Anyway, I’m actually really excited for this storefront update! I’m just hoping it’s not a mere advertisement center like the current movie theater. I think it’d be really cool to see some Poptropica shorts starring our favorite characters, or trailers for updates/new islands.

What are some ideas you have? I’d like to hear them and I’m sure it’d be insightful for the Creators—so leave them down in the comments section below!

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, as always! Pop on!

– Lucky Joker 🍀

Pop Fan Artist Spotlights

Pop Fan Artist Spotlight: SmileyFaceOrg

LJ

Hello, everyone! It’s time for another Pop Fan Artist Spotlight! Today, I’ll be highlighting the works of SmileyFaceOrg (who’s so talented that it should be illegal)!

SmileyFace has been drawing digitally for about 4 years now using Photoshop, and as you’ll see, has just about mastered her craft. Check out this collection of her amazing work (click the images to enlarge them):

“Count Bram portrait with hands”
“Art Trade-Friendly Hopper”
“Art Trade-Forest”
“Art Request-Dust Bunnies”
“Art Request-Cool Palette”
“Art Request-sirens and lights”
“Art Request-adventure”
“Danganronpa-Poptropica Dr. Hare”
“Once again I am mortal”
“Father what are you reading”

Recently though, she’s been drawing traditionally like she used to way back when. Take a look at this comparison of one of her older pieces of art to one of her more recent ones; the improvement is remarkable (but honestly, they’re both so good):

“Comfy carrot couch”
“Art Request-Silly Pelican”

I’m in such awe and I’m sure I’m not the only one. If you’re interested in seeing more of her art, she’s on DeviantArt, so go and check her out!

I hope you enjoyed this look into a Poptropica fan’s artwork. If you’ve created some of your own Poptropica fan art, we’d love for you to share it on our DeviantArt group gallery, We-Love-Poptropica.

On the topic of fanart—don’t forget to nominate your favorite piece of 2018 (along with other categories) in The Poppies this week! And for Community Creations this month, our theme is “Blogs & Fans.”

Thanks for reading as always! Feel free to check out the other artists I’ve featured on the PHB, and I’ll talk to you all soon… pop on!

– Lucky Joker 🍀

Contests, Poppies

🏆 The Poppies 2018: Let the hype commence! 🏆

LJ

Nominations are now closed. Stay tuned for the Voting Round!

poppies 2018 noms

Roll up to the blue carpet, Poptropicans… The Poppies are upon us!

🏆 What are the Poppies? 🏆

The Poppies are an annual Poptropica community awards event, hosted by Poptropica fans for Poptropica fans. This will be our fourth year celebrating, and as always, we welcome you to participate in the festivities and tell us where you think the spotlight deserves to shine in all things Poptropica.

First, we begin with the nomination round where you get to nominate your favorite picks for certain award categories. This round starts today (Thursday, July 12) and will end next Wednesday, July 18.

Then on the following day, July 19, comes the voting round, which lasts for a week.

This will culminate into the big day on July 26, when we’ll celebrate the PHB’s 10th birthday with a party on the Poptropica Help Chat (PHC). At the event, we’ll be announcing the winners via livestream as we hang out in multiverse rooms! More details on the party will be announced as the end of the voting round approaches.

Part I: Nomination Round

Today marks the start of the nomination round. Each award category will be announced below and followed by a brief description. To keep the nominations a surprise, you’ll be putting your choices in our survey anonymously (though you could reveal your identity if you choose).

Please limit your nominations to a max of three per award. Also, you’re not required to nominate for every category, though it is encouraged!

Keep in mind that some of these categories are applicable to both Poptropica Worlds and Original Poptropica.The awards for the taking this year are:

Poptropica Gameplay Awards

Best Poptropica Worlds Island: There are only a few islands on Worlds thus far, but even out of the few, one has to be the best. Which island had the best storyline? The best scenery? The best soundtrack? Since there are only a few islands on Worlds, they are all automatically nominated.

Best Poptropica Worlds Character: “Best” is a pretty broad term, but it’s definitely not a bad thing—that gives a wider range of characters to choose from! Many new characters have been introduced in Worlds already, but whether it’s a coin-giving pirate, a crazy lady in a carrot costume, or a purple-haired emo teen, which one stands out to you the most?

Most Educational Island: One of Poptropica’s primary goals from the get-go was not only to entertain but to educate as well. Out of the 40+ islands between both games, which one do you feel you learned the most from?

Best Accessory: Whether it’s a rare handheld item from Poptropica Original or one of those color-changing gadgets from Poptropica Worlds, what’s the coolest accessory every Poptropican should have in their closet?

Most Evil Poptropica Villain: Over the years, Poptropica has seen some pretty mean-spirited characters perverting the name of justice. From the carrot-nabbing, slave-driving Dr. Hare to the Booted Bandit trying to frame you for a crime you didn’t commit, which villain takes the prize for being the absolute worst to your Poptropican?

Community Awards

Best PHB Author: We have a great team of staff writers who work diligently to put out entertaining, interactive, and informative content, and we’re all very different. The current staff includes Slanted Fish, Brave Tomato, Spotted Dragon, Lucky Joker, Fierce Flyer, and Sporty Boa—and we’re all automatically nominated!

Best PHB Series: Throughout the years, many unique and fun series have made their way onto the Poptropica Help Blog. Whether it’s still ongoing or a thing of the past, which ones have you enjoyed the most?

Best Ask Blog: Past Poppies have had category for fan sites, but this year we’re focusing it on a growing trend in the Poptropica community known as ask blogs, which are fan blogs in which Poptropicans can send in questions for the appointed “owner” of the blog—a Poptropica character—to answer. You can find many of these in the #Poptropica ask tag on Tumblr, among other places.

Best Fan Art of 2018: Many Poptropican artists have created stunning masterpieces throughout the year so far, but which of them deserves the title of “best”? Our DeviantArt group page and Community Creations posts are great places to start searching for fan art! This category looks for works that were created/published in the year 2018 only, to give the more active artists a chance at the award.

Best Poptropica Portfolio: Our amazing Poptropica community wouldn’t be complete without the works of Poptropica Creators, who’ve helped build this game into what it is. We’ve featured several Creators’ portfolios on the PHB, showcasing the stunning visual or written work integral to Poptropica—but who did it best?

Well, there you have it—10 awards for 10 years of the PHB. Can you believe it’s been a whole decade since the PHB began?

Remember, the voting round starts next Wednesday, and next week’s poll options will be based on the most popular nominations. So, be sure to keep on popping in to keep pace with the Poppies going on throughout this month! In the meantime…

✨ Place your nominations now! ✨

Have fun!