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!
Big Nate Island, Sneak Peeks

Storefront sketches and the gate to Big Nate

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, Slanted Fish here, with two bits of news. 🐠

The first is this: another sneak peek! Yup, soon after the Creators posted a sketch of a pet barn on their blog, we find another view of the same scene posted on their Instagram. This one includes a movie theater (hopefully it’ll be better than the current one), store (which we’re familiar with), and the aforementioned pet barn. Check it out:

barn peek2

The caption on Instagram offers some insight into the island creation process:

Ever wonder how games like Poptropica are made? It all starts with our artists working on lots of concepts like this one! Once a design is chosen, it’s redrawn in Photoshop! Stay tuned for more behind the scenes pics! 🎨

And the comments reveal a little more. A commenter (hiskeyblade) asked, “Do you guys start just random doodles after you figure out a plot of a world?”

To which the Creators replied: “We do! We also create mood boards with photos of real places and other inspiration!”

Pretty cool to hear about — it’d be great to learn more about their creative process, and the prospect of seeing more behind-the-scenes pics is one we can all look forward to!

Now for the second shocker: there’s a good chance that Big Nate Island, which is currently locked for members only, will be unlocked for all to play! See for yourself:

The hundred-plus comments received on the Creators’ proposal on Instagram are overwhelmingly in favor (albeit with some repeat “votes”).

As it should be! Poptropicans who hear about the sponsored islands being made members only are still as salty as Cap’n Salty’s about it as the day the news broke three years ago. With Poptropica Original likely to fade by the end of 2020, perhaps all features should be made free — better that more of us get to enjoy it than not at all, right?

That’s all for this post, but be sure to scroll down the blog for more news. We’ve had a lot going on in the Poptropica sphere lately!

<・)))><<

YouTubers

YouTubers AwesomeTheSauce, Gaming Grape take on Poptropica

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, check out the camera—new vids are popping up! 🎥

Some of you might remember from last December when two popular YouTube channels, EthanGamerTV and DanAndPhilGAMES, streamed some Poptropica gameplay with personal commentary. While these guys have yet to make a Pop comeback, recently two more gaming channels have decided to take on our beloved Poptropica.

First, there’s AwesomeTheSauce, who started a Poptropica series in June and has so far gone through Shark Tooth (“#1: Getting Stereotyped in POPTROPICA?!”), Early Poptropica (“#2: I’m A Pig Killer Confirmed?!”), and most recently Reality TV (“#3: This REALITY TV Grandpa is EVIL”), the latter of which is below. The video titles may give you an indication of his humor style, and there is some mild language. If intrigued, check it out:

With a few Poptropica videos already (click the links above to see the other two), it looks like there may be more coming from AwesomeTheSauce. So if you liked what you saw, be sure to subscribe to keep up with his videos!

The other recent Poptropica streamer on YouTube is Gaming Grape, one of the gamers on Annoying Orange Gaming, a channel with several producers.

The channel has only made one Poptropica video, in which Gaming Grape narrates gameplay of Monkey Wrench Island in a nasally voice, kind of like the viral video the YouTube channel is named after. Check it out:

Both YouTubers come to the game with distinctly unique styles of entertainment, and it’s pretty cool to see Poptropica reaching more game-streaming audiences!

What did you think of the videos? Do they stack up to Ethan, Dan and Phil? Are there other YouTubers you’d like to see play Poptropica? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and share Poptropica with your favorite game streamers, too!

Peace, and pop back later,

<・)))><<

Member Gifts, Membership

It’s raining ice cream, cats, and balloons!

Slanted Fish

Hey member-tropicans,

July gifts are here! For the month of July, if you log into Poptropica Original with an active membership on your account, you’ll receive an Ice Cream Rain power, Balloon Follower, and Cat Toy. (You can buy a membership at this link.)

Thanks to Jacob_Da_Boss for the item card images.

On their Instagram post announcing the news, the Poptropica Creators posted a comment saying, “Member gifts are only available the month they come out and won’t be sold in the future. Get these rare items while you can!”

And that’s just the start of July…

Seasoned Poptropicans know what else the month of July means: the Poppies Awards! While monthly gifts are only for members, here at the PHB we’re brewing up something for everyone as we gear up for our blog’s 10th birthday — so stay tuned. 😉

<・)))><<

Back Lot Island, Member Gifts, Membership

A back lot peek for July’s member gifts

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! It’s Slanted Fish, here with some mildly interesting social media posts from the Poptropica Creators.

First, with July just around the corner, we get a sneak peek of what next month’s member gifts (a concept introduced this month) will be. Can you tell from the pixels below?

I’m seeing a red balloon dog, a black-and-white cat, and a triple-scoop ice cream cone! What are your guesses?

Remember that you have until the end of the month to claim the first ever batch of monthly member gifts. All you need to do is have an active membership and they’ll be added to your account.

Now, if only we could have sneak peeks of future islands as well…

Over on Instagram, the Creators put up a collage of characters from Back Lot Island and asked if we recognized all the celebrities they were modeled after. Here, give it a try—is your pop culture knowledge as good as your Poptropica background?

I see Audrey Hepburn, King Kong, and Smeagol, to name a few…

Find out who’s who and more in our Back Lot Island Guide‘s trivia section! And tell us who you recognize in the comments below. Keep popping, Poptropicans.

<・)))><<

Pop Places IRL

Pop Places IRL: Crisis Caverns

Slanted Fish

Pop Places IRL Header

Hey Poptropicans, and welcome to a new series called “Pop Places IRL”! Here, you’ll be taken through a Poptropica island… but side-by-side with scenes in real life (“IRL”). You know, like the reality that exists outside of the internet?

Anyway. To kick off the series, our first tour will be of the first island that debuted on Poptropica Worlds: Crisis Caverns Island. (Check out our guide here!)

Caldera State Park, the fictional area where this island takes place, is inspired by a real-life location in Wyoming, USA: Yellowstone National Park, which is centered around North America’s largest caldera, or supervolcano. Try not to get blown up!

photo: National Park Service (nps.gov)

One of the first places you’ll find on Crisis Caverns is the Visitor’s Center, which is full of displays about wildlife. But did you know that the design of the building is modeled after Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn?

photo: Old Faithful Inn (yellowstonegate.com)

Wander a bit further and you’ll find the wax pots. They’re not very exciting on Poptropica, considering there’s no movement, but if you visit the fountain paint pots at Yellowstone, you’ll find them constantly bubbling from the ground.

gif: fountain paint pots (ccortes182.wixsite.com)

Head right and you’ll find the termite rocks. You won’t find these in Yellowstone, but you can see mound-building termites in Africa, Australia, and South America.

photo: termite mounds in the Democratic Republic of Congo (bbc.com)

Just past the termite rocks is Old Reliable — the name itself is inspired by Yellowstone’s most predictable geyser, Old Faithful. Poptropica’s version is hardly a showstopper, but if you wait for the eruptions IRL, Old Faithful can really blow!

gif: Old Faithful (giphy.com)

On Crisis Caverns, we get to dive into some red-hot magma chambers. That probably wouldn’t go over so well IRL, but we can get glimpses of lava (magma at the surface) flowing out from underground.

This park tour wouldn’t be complete without some cute animals, and what could be grander than this great American bison in the Visitor’s Center? At Yellowstone, it’s even better: the park is home to thousands of bison that all roam freely.

gif: bison in Yellowstone (giphy.com)

The Visitor’s Center also offers a display of an elk, an animal that also roams freely at Yellowstone. Like bison, they sometimes block the traffic too. Don’t get too close, though — they can be injurious!

gif: elk (giphy.com)

And that concludes our tour of real-life Crisis Caverns!

What did you think? Have you been to Yellowstone or other national parks, and how does it compare? What other Poptropica islands resemble locations you’ve visited or hope to visit? Where would you like to go next on “Pop Places IRL”?

Thanks for joining us on this journey, and see you next time! 💎