Author: Slanted Fish

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!
Haxe Javascript

Between the shifting cracks on Haxe

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, how’s it hanging? With Poptropica’s post-Flash developments, things have been changing on Haxe, but if you’re not a new player, you might not have noticed because they’re designed for newbies. And if you are a new player, well, you might not be aware of what’s different!

At least one eagle-eyed player, though, has been keeping track: PHB reader Perfect Fish reported some developments seen in Poptropica’s Haxe build over the past week. Last Monday, for example, new players would get a tutorial pop-up screen explaining the basics of the game’s mechanics:

That’s now gone, though, along with this character naming screen we’ve seen before in Flash (albeit in different colors) and more recently in Haxe. Perfect Fish says he was able to keep his customized pre-scripted name (“Lucky Jumper”) on Haxe in this short-lived experiment that could’ve freed us from the names assigned to pre-made characters. Will it ever return?

While the naming option didn’t stay long — perhaps the Creators are still fine-tuning it? — the second step of character customization does remain, and new players can find it by talking to Amelia (that’s the girl by the blimp) on Home Island and saying, “Customize how I look!”

By the way, notice that new pop-up in the lower right corner nudging you to create an account? Looks like the Creators are putting a lot of energy into showing the ropes to new players.

Anyway, after you choose that customization option with Amelia—and remember, it only shows up for newbies—you’ll be greeted with this “Choose Your Style” screen. We’ve seen this appearance editor screen before too, back in 2019, although it used to show up before you even made it to Home Island.

With all these subtle changes on Haxe, it seems the Creators are still trying to figure out the best way forward when it comes to the new player’s experience on this new platform, and it’s possible different features will keep moving around as the Creators keep experimenting.

What suggestions do you have for the future of character customization and newbie tutorials? Leave them in the comments below — maybe they’ll inspire the Poptropica Creators!

~/🐠

YouTubers

📺 Pop YouTubers: making art, rapping smart 🎨🎤

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, we’re back with another spotlight on YouTubers fuelling their creativity with Poptropica!

This first video comes from an artist called roseshards, who typically posts animations and paintings of cats on her channel. Here, however, Rose takes on a challenge to make good art using the easel on Counterfeit Island. Can it be done on this limited drawing feature? Watch her struggles and successes:

With just a computer mouse (for the most part) and no undo button, this talented artist was able to turn out a pretty spectacular painting, wouldn’t you say? If you’d like to try out this easel for yourself, check out our post on the situation with classic islands to find your way to Counterfeit Island.

Onto a different art form, a little-known rapper going by the name Yung Boy recently dropped a track called “Garrett” and dedicated it to Poptropica. This rap follows a guy named Garrett, who finds himself on 24 Carrot Island, explores a bit, then moves on to Mythology Island. Check it out:

This Poptropica rap seems to be the first of its kind, and it was pretty slick, right? The gameplay captured in the video goes great with the beat, and the seemingly simplistic lyrics flow well. Sure would be cool to see more of these!

That’s all for this post. Hope you enjoyed these creative videos! And if you’re inspired to make some Poptropica fan art of your own, check out the PHB’s Community Creations. Keep on rocking, Poptropicans! 🤘

Store

Bargaining Clover & Singer, Lightning shocker

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! We’re entering a new week, which means another rotation of store stuff. Here’s what’s in for week 3 of June:

Half of the costumes have switched from last week, as did all the powers and pranks. It’s a good time to snatch up the Clover Kid and Rock Singer, which are currently in store for just 75 credits! But it’s a shame that the Lightning Wielder, which was the winning design of Poptropica’s costume contest, was made members only, after it had been released for free earlier this year.

This week’s items are:

  • Costumes: Lightning Wielder*, Hiker Cutie*, Gone Fishing, Unicorn Girl*, Navy Raglan, Red Heart*, Clover Kid, Rock Singer
  • Followers: Deer*, Chick, F.R.E.D., Classic Pack*
  • Powers: Snow Fall
  • Pranks: Squirrel Prank*, Bunny Wand, Hypno-Powder*, Silly Streams
  • Miscellaneous: Marshmallow Roaster, Hiking Shoes, PopGum (classic flavor)*, Balloons

Nine out of 21 items (about 43%) are members only this week. The store items are the same in both the Flash and Haxe versions of the game.

That’s all for this week’s updates! In case you missed it, check out last week’s post to see the recent updates to two other Poptropica stores—the pet barn and clubhouse decor store. Keep on popping, Poptropicans! ✨

~/🐠

YouTubers

Pop YouTuber Spotlight: Dimension Bros 📺

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! It’s been a while since we’ve spotlighted YouTubers playing Poptropica, but there’s a new duo on the scene with plenty of Pop (and other fandoms) to share. Meet Dimension Bros, Isaac and Theo!

Rather than show gameplay, these bros sit in front of their cameras and talk about a topic related to the Poptropica universe, sometimes throwing in relevant pictures. Here’s one of their recent videos where they discuss “The Current Poptropica Situation” in regards to loss of islands, whether the Poptropica team are evil capitalists for the membership paywall, and more:

They also raise the question of what will happen to our Flash accounts since they are currently separate from Haxe, a concern that is relevant for all of us nostalgic players with plenty of old items and costumes that may not be converted to Haxe, perhaps due to time, manpower, or both.

Also, hey, there’s a shoutout to the PHB starting around 7:20! It’s in response to our sharing of Theo’s Reddit post showing what Poptropica support said when asked about the membership paywall situation on the old Flash islands. Although the PHB may not warrant as big of a freakout as if we were Poptropica itself, it’s still a fun moment in the video. 😄

The first Dimension Bros video released, only about a month ago, is a masterpiece of research entitled “The Poptropica Timeline.” 🌏

Here, Isaac and Theo consider when in the world’s historical timeline all the islands may have taken place and put them in chronological order while trying to keep with the Poptropica canon. It’s a bit like our PHB post on World Geography with Poptropica Islands, but with history. Check it out:

As of this posting, Dimension Bros have one other Poptropica video entitled “Making Our Own Poptropica Islands.” Here, they share about many of the ideas they have for Poptropica islands, including Rockstar Mystery Island, Quarantine Island, Cryptids Island 2, and more. 🦕 Hear ’em out:

Pretty creative stuff! Looks like there will be more to come from this channel, which has both Poptropica and non-Poptropica content, so keep watching and consider subscribing to Dimension Bros on YouTube.

Stay awesome, Poptropicans! ✨

Guest Posts, My Place in Poptropica

My Place in Poptropica: Tall Storm

Slanted Fish

This is the My Place in Poptropica story of Tall Storm, an 8-year-old who found Poptropica from Jeff Kinney’s author blurb on Diary of a Wimpy Kid. See below for details on how to send in your MPIP story to be published here on the PHB!

Welcome, Tall Storm here! In this post I will explain how I came to Poptropica. 

Discovering the old-school way, with Diary of a Wimpy Kid

So, it all started when I got a copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School. After seeing this book, I wanted the rest of the series. (To this day, I love reading these books. But anyway, let’s get back to Poptropica.)

I can’t remember when, but one time when I finished one of the books, I saw the blurb describing the other stuff that Jeff Kinney, the author, has done. One of these things was that he created Poptropica. So, one day I decided to play Poptropica. 

Biting off that 24 Carrot — and more islands

I didn’t really play the game until a long time after I discovered it. But anyway, I first played Monkey Wrench Island, which was the tutorial island at the time. After that, I went on 24 Carrot Island…

And that’s where I got stumped. I didn’t know what to do. I looked on Google for guides on how to beat 24 Carrot — and that’s when I came across this very blog where you are now reading this post.

Thanks to the Poptropica Help Blog, I was able to complete 24 Carrot and get its medallion. And Time Tangled Island, which I completed, again, with the help of this blog.

Recently, I saw a post here on the PHB talking about the old islands returning. It was very exciting news for me, and for the second time, I got my own membership to access them! So far I’ve played Wimpy Wonderland, and of course, used the PHB’s guide to help me beat it.

By the way, my Poptropica username is Coolclam98 — so if Poptropica ever brings back the feature to add friends by username, you can add me! That’s all I have to say. Bye! 

Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story! If you did, you’ll probably enjoy our other MPIP stories here on the PHB.

If you haven’t already, we invite you to send in your own. Please include your username and at least 500 words, typed with good spelling and grammar, and divided into labeled sections. If you send in your story, we will continue to post new community MPIPs!

Interested in writing for the PHB under a different Pop-topic? Take a look at our Write for the PHB page for ideas, guidelines, and more. We’d love to hear from you!

~the Poptropica Help Blog