Hello! I'm Slanted Fish, the editor-in-chief and creator of the Poptropica Help Blog (PHB). I'm a writer, Hong Kong native, and Christ follower. My Poptropica username is slantedfish 🐠 Don't forget to be awesome!
Hey Poptropicans—contest alert! 🚨 From now until December 18 at 11:59 p.m. PST, you can submit your own original Poptropica island idea for a chance to have it made into game reality!
The next Poptropica island could be from your imagination.
Fans have been hoping for another chance at the contest ever since the massive success of the first one. More recently, the question was put forth in the PHB’s Q&A with Poptropica’s CEO, who answered, “How about after this interview gets posted we start the contest?” And true to their word, here it comes now!
📝 The Pop Creators have put together a brand new submission form (poptropica.com/submissions) which allows anyone to share their island ideas — as well as fan art and letters outside of the contest’s purposes! The form is simple: you enter your username, write a message, add an optional attachment (which can be a jpg, png, gif, or pdf file), click a checkbox captcha, and with the press of the submit button, your submission is sent to Poptropica.
Share your island idea on Poptropica’s new submission form.
Fortunately, there are no geographical or age restrictions like the previous Dream Island contest, but children under 13 do need a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Your island idea should only be entered once.
As the Creators shared on the official blog, they’re looking for the following in a successful island idea: an original and exciting story, key characters, and setting (don’t copy from other brands or people!). Not only will the winning idea become a real Poptropica island, its inventor will also win a one-year Poptropica membership!
What ideas do you have for a Poptropica island? Start dreaming, maybe bounce some ideas with our PHC Discord community, and remember to submit your idea before the December 18 deadline!
And stay tuned — the winner will be announced December 28. Whatever it is, we’re excited to see, and eventually play, another fan-invented island! 😄🏝
Hey Poptropicans! Something new is coming to town…
On Instagram, the Pop Creators recently shared two sneak peeks of a Fall Festival, which is going to be a limited time event… and it’s dropping by starting tomorrow! 🎟🎡🍭
The first pic shows a “snack shack” with cotton candy, with elements of the art reminiscent of the carnival fun of Monster Carnival Island. What’s also intriguing is the caption, hinting about getting to “join your friends”… could this mean more features coming to the Friends Beta currently on Haxe?
The other sneak peek is a gif of a Poptropican holding up and squeezing a big, pink, fluffy toy bear, perhaps a prize for winning a carnival game.
Based on the surrounding grass, this extravaganza looks like it could be taking place on Home Island (which has been known to get makeovers from time to time). Or perhaps it’ll get its own little limited time island? Whatever the case, we’ll be here to join in the autumnal festivities! 🍂
Though the Fall Festival hasn’t arrived yet, perhaps a hint of it has already poked through in-game: if you head over to the Poptropica map, you’ll see an envelope sticking out of the Poptropica logo.
Clicking on it doesn’t do anything, at least not yet. But maybe it’s a sign of an oncoming mail feature, like what we saw with Paradise Island?
Have we got mail?
Also, oddly enough, the Zomberry Hero event is still on the map and playable even though it’s the second week of November! Perhaps it’ll soon be replaced by the next limited time carnival event, though…
In less exciting news, the ad attacks continue. Logging into the game the other day, PHB staffer Gentle Dolphin discovered a pop-up video ad in the bottom corner. It goes away if you either scroll down to the video player below the game screen, or zoom out to where both the game screen and video player are both viewable.
That’s not all, though: even the billboard has been infected! Take a look at this Grammarly ad embedded in Home Island:
Poptropica recently shared that they’re experimenting more with ads because of greater demand from advertisers in the current pandemic. Rather disruptive for players, tbh, but the hope is they’re temporary!
For more insights from Pop HQ, check out the recent Q&A they did with the PHB, where they shared about what 2021 holds for Poptropica, whether certain beloved old features will return, and more. Definitely worth a read! 📰 Catch you all at the carnival coming up! 🎡
We may have tweaked a few of the fan questions for clarity, but Mr. Arya’s words below are verbatim. For a few of the answers, the PHB asked for clarification, and Ms. Natalie Shahmiri, the general manager of Poptropica, stepped in to answer on his behalf, so you’ll see her responses too. Without further ado, let’s pop all of the questions!
Introduction
Emma I: How does it feel to head up such a great game that has made so many childhoods?
Abhi: It feels great. Whenever I am in a room with Poptropica fans, I hear great kudos. Having association with a recognised game that continues to excite the gaming generation is a proud feeling. But I am not alone – I have a great team supporting me in this journey – in fact our game designers, developers and product team are much more passionate about Poptropica and they push me to do better for our players.
Theo (of Dimension Bros): How are Poptropicans so strong?
Abhi: Rumor has it that they descended from dinosaurs. Some people have said birds, which kind of are dinosaurs? Or maybe it’s just sheer willpower and determination. That’s probably it.
Dino DNA: Won’t find any cloning materials here.
The Future of the Game
Magniventris: What does 2021 hold for Poptropica? Will there be brand new islands, or will the focus be entirely on porting old islands to Haxe? If it’s on porting, how many islands do you project will be converted by the end of next year?
Abhi: We’re working on a mix of both, plus some remasters of the old islands. We’re also looking at ways to allow players to access the old islands once Flash isn’t widely supported anymore.
Natalie: Our current audience plays a big part in how we approach converting islands too. For example, the remastered Mythology island is a departure from the island you grew up with. It’s linear and definitely simpler (but still not too easy for a younger kid!). We have a lot to weigh when creating new content, from special events to remastered islands, so we don’t really know yet how many islands will be converted by next year. That’s also why we’re looking at options to ensure our older fans can still play the original Poptropica islands. We know how much the Poptropica you grew up with means to you and want to make sure you can always play that version.
Emma I: Will non-members be able to access old islands anytime soon, and when can we expect that to happen?
Abhi: The original islands use some old technologies that make it harder for us to support in a live environment. Limiting it to members-only keeps our systems from being overwhelmed and allows us to focus on the long-term decisions of how to keep them available. We’ll share more by the start of 2021.
Abhi: It’s something we’ve definitely been considering. We’re working on optimizing a lot of the player features right now, like the ability to add friends by username. We’re also working on some new ideas for player dashboards, which may incorporate customizable names or use usernames instead.
Small Beginnings: This was our very first attempt at designing your friends profile page.
Bee: Will there ever be a multiplayer option for playing through Poptropica islands with friends?
Abhi: Adding multiplayer to the older islands would be a little tricky since they were designed for a single-player experience, but we’re actively testing how to do this in new ways.
Purple Paw: Will the Photo Booth, Costumizer, and old Friends profiles be brought back? Why were these features taken out in the first place?
Abhi: The photo booth and old friends’ profiles weren’t very popular and were pretty dated. That’s the tough thing when you have a popular game for over 10 years, some things just start to feel out of place, especially for a new generation of players. Whenever we make these decisions we look at the data: what are users engaging with? If something no longer resonates with players we look at how we can update it or sometimes make the tough decision to remove it from the game.
Natalie: Engagement with things like the photo booth and old friend profile was less than 10% of the players. They were definitely fun features but as gaming has evolved, we need to evolve with it. We want to reintegrate features like that, but in a way that makes sense for today’s players.
The Photo Booth allowed you to create your own pictures from Poptropica art assets.
The old friends profile prior to the 2019 update had features like island albums, battle ranking, and more.
Invisible Ring: What’s the plan for Poptropica Worlds? Will there be more islands there, or will it eventually fuse with Poptropica Original?
Abhi: We had to pause development on Poptropica Worlds so we could focus on the conversion of Poptropica from Flash to Haxe. We’re still working on a plan for Poptropica Worlds, but for now, our focus is still on Poptropica.
The Pop Creators are focusing on Poptropica Original, not Poptropica Worlds.
Maxx: Will the old islands be adapted for the Poptropica app (iOS and Google Play)? (I really enjoyed playing Cryptids and Big Nate for the nostalgia factor, and would really like to replay them on the iPad.)
Abhi: Some of the older islands won’t be available on mobile in their original form. They were built using a version of ActionScript from prior to mobile games even existing! Since they can’t be converted there aren’t a lot of options outside of working on a way for players to still access and play them after Flash is no longer actively supported.
Mess of a Being: When recreating old Flash islands for Haxe, will you consider making changes to the stories, like with the new-ish 24 Carrot Island on Poptropica Worlds?
Abhi: Yes, this is definitely in the plans. We’re also tweaking some of the islands since we know there are spots that were too hard or confusing for players. Mythology Island that comes out in November will be the first island we’ve converted that will have changes to it.
Aphrodite now gives up her precious vanity mirror without a challenge.
Fandom Fun
wow: What do you think about the Poptropica fandom community?
Abhi: We wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for our fans. We’re actually bringing back our VIP program to help elevate our super fans. Stay tuned to the Poptropica Blog for more details coming out soon.
Theo (of Dimension Bros): Do you keep up with certain Poptropica fans’ postings (blogs, Instagram artists, YouTube channels, etc)? If so, which ones?
Abhi: We definitely do and Dimension Bros is one of them! We see almost everything tagged with Poptropica and regularly share our favorites among the Pop Creators. We’re also working to share them more on our blog and social media.
by @dimension_bros (drawn by @hfevra)
by @happyclonetrooper
Incredible Fire: Can we have another Create Your Dream Island contest? This monumental contest that gave us Arabian Nights Island happened 7 years ago, and many fans today would love the chance to participate.
Abhi: Definitely! How about after this interview gets posted we start the contest?
IsaacEntertains (of Dimension Bros): Since a few fans have sharedtheirlists, we’d like to know: who does the Poptropica team declare are the top 10 hottest Poptropica characters?
Abhi: That’s like asking a parent which kid is their favorite.
Creative Process
Emma I: What does the process of making an island look like?
Abhi: We actually just did a blog post about this for the Zomberry Special Event. To start off we talk about different story ideas and iterate on that until we have a story the whole team likes. From there we start storyboards so everyone knows the sequence of events and has an idea of what each scene will look like. The developers use the storyboards to start their initial coding while the artists start to make all the art and animations. There are a lot of meetings during those steps with feedback, changes, more feedback, and even more changes. It takes months for an island to be built because of how many scenes, mini-games, NPCs, and prizes need to be made. There’s also music that needs to be composed and of course, a lot of testing.
Artists use software to create in-game animations for Poptropica.
GEAR: How long does it take to make one character, from their initial design to putting them in the game?
Abhi: Anywhere from 1-2 weeks. Characters with a lot of animations take the longest.
GEAR: Are you hiring? How do people get involved in working with Poptropica, and what kind of skills/talents do you look for?
Abhi: If someone is new to game design and development it’s best if they keep a lookout for when we post internship opportunities. We look for all types of skillsets, from artists to animators to developers. Outside of game development, we have marketing, which includes making videos and social media posts, and analysts who help go through game data to see how things in the game are performing. There are a lot of ways to get involved with Poptropica, it just depends on what part of the game industry you want to get involved with.
The Poptropica team in 2016 celebrating the game’s 9th birthday with cake at the office.
PHB: What does the Poptropica team currently look like now? How many people are on the team and doing what kinds of work?
Abhi: The Poptropica team is made up of team members all around the world. We have artists, game developers, web developers, graphic designers, testers, and more. Maintaining and growing a game like Poptropica requires a lot of people!
PHB:Fans have noticed that Poptropica’s newer (and fewer) islands lack the depth of storytelling found in many of its older islands. Why has Poptropica strayed from this original vision, and will you return to this key element which made the game unique?
Abhi: Storytelling is still core to what Poptropica is and always will be. Creating a full island story and experience can take anywhere from 3-6 months and requires the full team. Since we’re still working on converting the old islands we’ve been creating some smaller and shorter experiences so you have something to do in-between the islands being converted.
The Zomberry Hero special event was a smaller and shorter experience released in October 2020 while island conversion was in progress.
Dangerous Icicle: Why are there so many ads in the Poptropica browser? (The whole screen is littered with ads, even ads for Poptropica, and the new video ads in between scenes were not well received.)
Abhi: We added more ad units to the game browser and in-between scenes due to demand. A lot of the new units, like in-between scenes, are being tested and may not stay permanently.
Natalie: The demand for more ads came from advertisers. COVID-19 has made most businesses change how they approach advertising and that impacted how our partners work with us. While we know players aren’t crazy about the ads, advertising is part of what funds the development of Poptropica. We’re always working to find the right balance.
With the recent inclusion of video ads, it is possible to encounter a full screen of ads while playing Poptropica. Sometimes the ads are for Poptropica itself!
Tyler N: What is Jeff Kinney’s involvement with Poptropica these days?
Abhi: He isn’t actively involved at the current moment since most of our efforts have been focused on converting the game from Flash to Haxe instead of new islands. Plus, he’s pretty busy with his book series!
Tyler N: What, if any, do plans for a Poptropica movie, TV show, or animated series look like right now? (It was hinted at in the Q&A with the previous Poptropica CEO.)
Abhi: This is something that we’re always considering. It takes time to make partnerships like this happen and isn’t something we’ve ruled out.
MaryannTheConqueror: Are there any plans for more Poptropica merch, and is there a way fans (especially the nostalgic ones) could be involved in creating/suggesting ideas for that? Many have some very cool ideas!
Abhi: We have a new shop launching in November and yes, we definitely want suggestions! We’ll let you all know more on the Poptropica Blog.
MaryannTheConqueror: Are the Poptropica Creators OK with small-scale sales of fan-made merch (such as through Etsy or at conventions, or print-on-demand sites like RedBubble)?
Abhi: I love fan art and creations that are inspired by Poptropica. Using our art and logo files for merch isn’t okay though.
Abhi: It’s an interesting idea and we often talk about how we can extend the stories outside of the main game. The core of our audience is still on the younger side, similar to when you probably started playing. It’s who the game is made for, so we have to stay true to that as our core focus.
Natalie: The majority of the Poptropica players are still under 13. We have over a million kids playing every month and while the PHB fandom is big, it doesn’t encompass all of our players. Similar to when a lot of you started playing, a lot of our players today are introduced to and play Poptropica in school. They also discover us through advertisements on kid-specific websites.
Oh Baby: Young at heart is usually good enough.
Mess of a Being and Tiny Bean: What do you have to say to criticism about the ending of Monster Carnival Island, which some fans have found problematic? (This fan video highlights the issues, explaining that Ringmaster Raven’s portrayal plays into ugly stereotypes and that he is given disproportionately unfair treatment by the townsfolk.)
Abhi: I totally get it. This is definitely one of those instances where you know the intent doesn’t align with the issue and you have to ask, “How was this affected by implicit bias?” We’re actually auditing all the islands for this reason and have already revised Monster Carnival for its conversion to Haxe. I appreciate that players bring this to our attention. It’s the only way we can all collectively move forward in the right direction.
Ringmaster Raven deserved better.
PHB: What is the current vision of Poptropica in terms of how it hopes to impact the next generation?
Abhi: I want Poptropica to continue to inspire young fans around the world. Gaming has changed a lot since Poptropica was first introduced and I’m proud of the fact that kids still love our characters and stories. Seeing videos of people coming to play Poptropica after 10 years and their enthusiasm for the game is amazing. All of the fan art (and fanfiction) is inspiring and shows that Poptropica holds a place in players’ hearts.
Abhi: Poptropica always has been and always will be inclusive. It’s part of why we want players to be able to customize their characters however they want and why we removed the gender selector when setting up an account. I don’t think we have any characters where their gender identity or sexual orientation plays a role in the story, but it’s something I think we should consider for future islands. Representation matters and we’ll always work to create a place where everyone feels like they belong.
Abhi: Dr. Beev is an enigma. He does periodically show up for parties though.
Nice gnawing you too, Dr. Beev.
You made it to the end! Thanks so much to Abhi and Natalie for joining us on this Q&A and taking the time to address some fan questions and concerns. It’s assuring to hear there are big plans for Poptropica even beyond the end of Flash gaming!
What did you all think of their responses? What further questions do you have for the Poptropica team? Share your thoughts in the comments below and on the PHC Discord!
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Purple Paw, who will be exploring how animals play different roles in Poptropica. Enjoy!
Hi there! Purple Paw here with another guest post, this time highlighting (you guessed it) Poptropican wildlife.
Planet Poptropica is best-known for its wonderful Poptropican people, but we often disregard the many other species inhabiting its diverse environments. Almost every single island (even Home Island) is home to an animal of some sort, whether it’s a rendition of something existing in real life, or a fantasy creature never seen before.
Perhaps the island we most associate with animals is Twisted Thicket (and it sure has a lot!). But the truth is, they’re everywhere — not only in the wild, but living right alongside Poptropicans, too. Just like in real life.
There are different ways for animals to show themselves in the islands, whether they’re only making a short appearance, or the whole story revolves around them. Let’s take a tour of how wildlife plays a part in Poptropica!
Animals can affect the gameplay
Affecting the gameplay means that an animal makes a small (perhaps repeated) appearance in an island, while not being a prominent character or affecting the deeper plot. The Werewolf in Vampire’s Curse is one that comes to mind here. The story would still be pretty much the same without it: but if the werewolf weren’t there, the climb to Bram’s castle would have been a whole lot easier.
Animals can influence the plot
A bigger role for animals to play is actively affecting the story, meaning the story perhaps wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t show up. An example is Mission Atlantis’s hydromedusa. The hydromedusa are mostly regarded as enemies, due to the fact that they attack your ship, sending you sinking to the bottom of the ocean…
But without them, would the rest of the island ever have happened? If they hadn’t stung you, the ship wouldn’t have sunk; and the lost city of Atlantis would never have been exposed.
Animals can even create the entire island!
What this means is that the core of the story revolves entirely around animals; both gameplay and plot. Without them, the island simply wouldn’t be. As previously mentioned, perhaps the only island to fit in this category is Twisted Thicket, as it’s the only island to feature animals as (mostly) the only main characters.
We see a whole zoo of animals in this island, and for the most part, they’re out to get you — leafcutter elves, the Nokken, trolls, dryads, and more. Without them, Twisted Thicket simply wouldn’t exist; Burt Diamond would have gone ahead and bulldozed the entire forest without the animals protecting it, and your Poptropican would never have interfered.
Those are the main reasons that animals show up in Poptropica (that is, in the islands—but there are also our loving pets, of course!).
However, continuing from Twisted Thicket… what happens in that island brings up a new question. How do the Poptropican people treat the animals? It seems to vary depending on the island, and the Poptropican. In Twisted Thicket, though the battle is won in the end, animals are treated very poorly. The Lumberjerks are attempting to destroy the forest, without sympathy for the animals that inhabit it.
But I think it’s fair to say it was a mere misunderstanding that cause that. The animals never ventured out of the forest, perhaps fearing their safety being away from their natural habitat, so the townspeople never saw who they truly were. And the townspeople never ventured into the forest, perhaps for fear of being harmed by the animals. It was fear from both sides that caused this misunderstanding.
So, in some cases, it’s the situation (a misunderstanding) that causes Poptropicans to treat animals the way they do. But with different characters, it’s quite the opposite. Patches on Escape From Pelican Rock, for instance, is friendly with their pet bird. Patches treats birds very well; they feed them every day, and the birds obviously seem to like them.
Then, of course, there’s Myron Van Buren, who goes ahead and hunts animals for his trophy room, seemingly without any reason to do so, except carrying on the family legacy and, of course, just from his pure evil.
As for our own Poptropicans, they seem to have a pretty good reputation with animals. Unless they have a reason not to, most animals don’t tend to mind when you walk straight up to them, which is also the case with most other NPCs.
So, coming to a conclusion, I think it’s safe to say that the world of Poptropica coexists relatively well with its wildlife, other than the occasional squabbles (watch out for those evil Poptropicans!). We’ve even seen human-animal hybrids, including customizable cat and dog parts, among other animals! So maybe Poptropican people and animals aren’t as different as we think? But that’s a whole other rabbit hole to go down…
Anyway! Thanks for sticking with me through this rather lengthy post. There are many more animals I’ve left unmentioned… swooping robins on Counterfeit, faithful horses and key-stealing canaries on Wild West, basking lizards and stubborn camels on Arabian Nights… and many more.
These animals all share something in common: they all go unnoticed to a certain extent. The eye is usually on the Poptropican people. But let’s not forget the fascinating wildlife that makes Poptropica such a beautiful and diverse world.
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. You can find some tips and guidelines on our page on how to Write for the PHB, and share blog posts on the PHC.
📰 If you have an idea for a PHB post, send it in! ✨
Hey Poptropicans, big Pop drop this weekend: a remastered version of Mythology Island is now on Haxe for all players (not just members)!
The new version has some differences compared with the classic—we’ll get into more details below—but for now, if you need a refresher, our old Mythology Island Guide can still help you through the puzzles!
The key differences with the new Mythology are that it’s been made easier, with various challenges from the old version removed, and some dialogue altered to nudge players on what to do. Since there have been some drastic changes, the PHB plans to release a separate guide for the new MythologyIsland — so stay tuned for that!
Where is the Mythology Island we so idolized?
For the curious, here are the major changes (spoilers ahead):
The Museum of Olympusis optional (the room with the statues of Greek deities).
Main Street and the base of the Tree of Immortality are combined into one scene.
Hercules is away on a lunch break, and a queue has formed outside Herc’s Hero Hut, which is no longer a space we can enter at any point in the island.
The reed pipe is given to you at the Grove of Temples (outside a facade of Apollo’s temple, which can’t be entered), and so is the pipe tune, without having to first master the tune.
For cleaning Hades’ temple, the boy gives you the starfish (used for Poseidon’s temple offering) instead of the now-removed drachma.
The beach is gone, and with it, Aphrodite’s hangman challenge of Greek deity names. Instead, she’ll be in front of the common room, Midas’ Gym, ready to give you her teleportation mirror.
The entrance to the Minotaur’s maze is already open — no reed pipe puzzle here. The snake challenge comes first, not last. And there’s no magical thread for the maze.
The mini-game to cross the River Styx in the underworld? Gone.
Aeolus’ wind boost is free — no drachmas here!
Even with many elements removed from the original, and changes that aren’t quite additions, the new Mythology can still be considered a full island much more than Reality TV: Wild Safari was, and took me at least an hour to complete (though part of that can be attributed to some lag I encountered while playing).
However, initial feedback from the Poptropica community has not been positive. Players have been sharing on spaces like the PHC Discord that the changes to the classic island feel like a dumbing down that offers no challenge, which might be okay for younger players, except that fandom activity seems to indicate that there aren’t so many children playing the game anymore as there are teens and older.
Here’s one video from Isaac of the Dimension Bros voicing out such a perspective, lamenting that the remake feels spoon-fed and doesn’t take the opportunity to add new challenges (skip to 2:48 to get to Mythology commentary). He mentions full screen ads ruining the experience, although other players have reported not seeing ads.
And here’s another one with similar concerns from Jia (Magniventris), also an older player who has loved the game since childhood and has stuck around for the nostalgia:
Whatever you make of the new version, though, the Creators’ Blog assures that these changes were made with player feedback in mind. Here’s what they said:
We collected feedback from players and looked closely at the island data to see what players loved and didn’t love about the original Mythology Island that came out in 2010. The Pop Creators then revised some of the gameplay and scripts to make it more fun!
Are the Poptropica Creators pulling a Hercules on us?
Have you played the remastered Mythology Island on Haxe yet? What did you think of the changes? Or if it’s your first time playing Mythology, what are your impressions? Let us know in the comments below and on our PHC Discord server! ⚡️💪
🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺 