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!
February is here, and that means Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! (As well as spring, if a certain psychic groundhog is to be believed.) Recent Daily Pop sneak peeks indicate that we may soon be getting a Valentine’s Photo Booth with some cool props:
Hearty: You’re such a sweetie.
Amore: Stick to the compliments.
Here on the PHB, we’ve added yet another new page under our Cool Stuff tab: Stolen Snapshots, a puzzle game originally from Slippery Raptor’s Blog! This game tests your Poptropica recognition skills with currently over 25 pictures to guess from, and Slip’s site is always coming up with new ones (plus you can guess his current puzzle for a chance to be in his Hall of Fame!). Check it out!
In case you missed it, another recent “Cool Stuff” release was a page titled Overview of Poptropica Glitching, where we explore the strangely wonderful world of exploiting Poptropica glitches.
We also recently released (most of) the results from our 2016 PHB Readers’ Survey, with tons of interactive graphs and charts and analyses for each question! Part 2, featuring comments from the response questions, is on its way – so stay tuned.
Plus, our dear Creator-senpais have even commentedon the post! With the exception of Jeff Heim’s comment during the PHB Poppies last summer, that’s a first! We’re very honored and hope they continue to do so. 😀 All the more reason for PHB lurkers to join the fun in the comments, eh? 😉
Speaking of making PHB history, the History of the PHB page (under the “About” tab) has now been updated to give a summary on the past year of 2015. Check it out!
This is the My Place in Poptropica story of Bony Bones, a Poptropica champion since the beginning and still going strong. See the bottom of this post for details on sending in your own MPIP!
Since the authors here at the PHB recently created their “My Place in Poptropica” stories, I decided I should try and form one of my own. It’s not extremely exciting or anything, but I still want to tell it. Here it goes…
*clears throat* *tries to clear throat but breaks into a coughing fit instead*
Beginnings
When I was in first grade, Poptropica was born. My classmates and I enjoyed playing on FunBrain and of course, Poptropica was being advertised on the site. Many of us curious students clicked on the link and discovered Poptropica – my favorite website then and still my favorite website now. I started Poptropica so early that there was no blimp! We just jumped through a little hole and landed in Early Poptropica, though then it had no official name. The only problem was that none of us really knew how to save our game at first, so we made a new character every time we played!
Today, Early Poptropica is regarded as one of the easiest- if not the easiest- island there is, but at the time it was pretty difficult to complete, as my classmates and I had no previous knowledge of Poptropica. It just so happens that I was the first one in my class to discover the golden egg! Though I had accidentally zoomed in on it, it was there none-the-less. Everyone was all excited and staring at my computer screen…but the moment was ruined when we had to go to the next class, and since we didn’t know how to save I would just have to find it again the next time. 😦
I can’t remember, but I believe I may have been the first in my class to complete Early Poptropica as well. I do remember that my best friend at the time ended up beating all of the next islands before I did (but he doesn’t even play Poptropica anymore so I guess I won in the end >:) ).
Bony Bones’s Current Look vs. Original Look
My Accounts
I eventually figured out how to save my account and created one at my house. I played with this account until Shark Tooth Island was released. Then, something very peculiar happened. When I got to the part where you find the Key Ingredient from the temple, I checked my items once I had retrieved it and noticed that it wasn’t there! :O Now today I would have handled this differently, but at the time, not knowing what else to do, I climbed up onto the pedestal where the Ingredient once sat, stood where the light shown directly on my Poptropican, waited a few moments…and closed the window. I never quite understood what happened next, but as soon as I closed that window, I forgot my Poptropican’s name, username, and password. It was as if that Poptropican was erased from the world. 😦
But soon enough, I created a new account that I still use today, playing as the Poptropican known as Bony Bones. (My username is ben1640 if anyone wants to add me.) Only the first two islands were out when I created him, but soon more islands appeared. The map grew, and so did my collection of medallions (I currently have all 57 😀 ). I’ve been on Poptropica so long that I watched common features such as the customizer, the store, etc. be added to the game. I even saw Monster Carnival appear, disappear, and reappear on the island map.
Just for fun, I created a few more Poptropicans as well, by the names of Golden Ice, Scary Speck, and Slippery Typhoon. I forgot Scary’s username, but I still check the others occasionally.
Just Some Other Stuff
Ever since the Poptropica Creators started releasing Top 10 Finisher lists on the Creators’ Blog, I strived to make the list. For so long I never made it…until after the world finisher maps were created. In 2014, I finally placed in the top 10, ranking 10th in the world on Survival: Hook, Line, and Sinker! 😀
I believe that it wasn’t until 2010 that I got Membership, but I have kept it since. I have gladly used the early access to beat new islands on the day they’ve come out (though a few times it has taken longer). 😛
I have not done much on the Internet that is Poptropica related other than Poptropica itself. I read a Poptropica FanFic known as “The Chaotic Adventures of Bony Bones,” which just happened to by written by a Poptropican with the same name as me! XD I also have viewed various Wikis, Blogs, etc. for clues about obtaining special items, finding the usernames of the Creators, etc., and I have recently edited some on the Poptropica Wiki as MBBThree.
Oh that’s right, there’s one more website related to Poptropica that I have visited…
The PHB
Before 2015, I probably visited the Poptropica Help Blog less than 5 times, most likely when searching for the things I mentioned above. This year though, I have viewed the PHB a lot more, and have enjoyed everything, from the island news to the 7 Orbs Timeline (really creative idea btw) to PMFMs. I even made it to the PHB’s 8th birthday party for Poptropica this year and was excited to see several of the authors there. Happy birthday, Poptropica!
Keep up the great work on the PHB, authors!
And that’s My Place in Poptropica.
–Bony Bones
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Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story! Feel free to send in your own (please include a minimum of 550 words, type with good spelling and grammar, divide it into labeled sections, and include your username). Look out for more community MPIPs in the future!
Poptropica’s been a bit quiet lately, and even the Daily Pop has less sneak peeks this month than usual. Still, there are some pretty interesting pics hinting at what’s to come:
Monkey See: Hail to the chimp, baby.
Party Platform: These boxes are going to be a hit.
Newsy: On the hunt for hot scoops.
Wheel Talk: We can go around and around on this all day.
Also, looks like a Photo Booth is coming to Mystery of the Map (MotM) Island – presumably with the release of the print version of the graphic novel, expected this March! And what’s with the MotM fort with dodos? Plus, why does the left character in “Terra Firma” look suspiciously similar to an original character design by Poptropica player Bony Hopper?? The mysteries are many.
Earlier this week, the Creators also tweeted out these planning sketches from the Twisted Thicket Island files. Check out all those fancy curls and leafy bits. Which elf design is your favorite?
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On a different note, we have a new page on the PHB under the Cool Stuff tab: Overview of Poptropica Glitching! Whether you consider yourself an experienced glitcher or have no idea what that means, this article will give you an overview of what exactly goes on in the underground world of Poptropica glitching for awesome account alterations. Check it out!
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Curious about PHB authors Giant Hawk and Ultimate iPad Expert? Check out the latest Community Celebrities post on Slippery Raptor’s Blog, where fellow PHB author Slip interviews the twin bros on all things Poptropica (plus some questions about their lives offline)! Read it here.
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Also, hang on for the results of the 2016 PHB Readers’ Survey! We were hoping to have the results up by now, but due to delay, they will be coming later this week. 🙂
This is the My Place in Poptropica story of Mad Apper, an avid player of the Poptropica mobile app. See the bottom of this post for details on sending in your own MPIP!
Skip the intro. Let’s do this.
Are you surprised to see me? Or perhaps you don’t know who I am? Well, that’s what this post is for. Today, I’ve been given the great opportunity to tell you a bit about my past, present, and future in Poptropica history. The dates aren’t precise, but somewhat accurate. I’m Mad Apper, and this is my place in Poptropica.
The Summer of 2014 | The Discovery
I think it was June or July. I was bored, and didn’t have a lot to do. I was 14, at the time, and my older brother told me about Funbrain. I checked it out and played a game. It seemed, well, boring. I think I clicked an ad, category, or something, and BOOM- Poptropica.
Late 2014 to Early 2015 | Community & More Discovery
For the rest of that time, I got a bit into Poptropica. Multiple accounts, even! My current (rarely active) Poptropica account is madapper500, just putting that out there. I read the Poptropica Help Blog, Slippery Raptor’s Blog, and that was it. It was Early 2015 that I downloaded the Poptropica App. I hardly used my online Pop account since then. My computer’s really glitchy. 😛
Mid 2015 | PHB Reader Anonymous
First, I was a PHB stalker. Then, eventually a commenter. I gave the PHB one or two tips. Just about ads. On the Poptropica app. That’s it. I eventually began to comment more. At the time, I actually began to comment about random Poptropica thoughts. I’m pretty sure some of you viewers of the PHB do that too. 😀
September 2015 | The Pop App Blog & My Pen Name
One day, I was scrolling through Poptropica blogs (PHB, Slippery’s, etc.) and wondered what it would be like to have one of my own. I settled on WordPress and became The Mad Apper. Well, to be honest my real name is Ian. Ian’s Poptropica Blog? No. Since I played the Pop app more than the web version, I settled on the name The Poptropica App Blog [poptropicaapp.wordpress.com] since it seemed unique. Plus, everybody has a different definition of ‘apper’, I dubbed myself The Mad APPer.* No need to hurt your fingers using caps lock.
Around this time, I was fame hungry. A bit of me still is. Fine, I still am. I went around knocking on doors asking for stuff. Could you do my banner? Can I be interviewed? Is Poptropica awesome? Believe it or not, they said yes.
Present & Future | Basically Everything
I was working, and still am working, with several Poptropica blog authors. Everything’s happening. I’m also now the administrator of The MEGA Poptropica Blog [megapoptropicablog.wordpress.com]! I’m with the two talented authors of Mighty Gamer and Popular Wolf. I’m also a somewhat minor part of Mighty Gamer’s Poptropica Blog, known as Explore Collect Compete, which you can find at explorecollectcompete.wordpress.com.
As for the future, I plan to make a Poptropica Blogs app, I have some collaborations planned, some pretty big stuff planned for 2016. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. That’s basically all up to this point. Reality is an illusion! The universe is a hologram! Buy gold! Bye!
Oh yeah, I’d also want to thank the entire PHB staff, Mighty Gamer, Popular Wolf, and many more Poptropicans. I’m a nerdy dude that loves to work with people, is part of three Poptropica blogs, is impressed by the Pop community, and is glad to be part of it.
And that’s my place in Poptropica.
*The Mad Apper is not to be confused with App Girl, The Mad Hatter, or the Apper WordPress theme.
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Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story! Feel free to send in your own (please include a minimum of 550 words, type with good spelling and grammar, divide it into labeled sections, and include your username). Look out for more community MPIPs in the future!
Hey Poptropicans! Just last week, I posted an open letter to Poptropica here on the PHB, addressing some improvements Poptropica should make to the game. To the PHB’s surprise, a Poptropica Creator has responded! With her permission, the response has been posted below. Enjoy! 😀
Dear Slanted Fish and Poptropicans everywhere,
On behalf of the Poptropica Creators, greetings! I love your blog, and I read every post. After your recent Open Letter, I wanted to personally respond and, hopefully, start a better dialogue with you.
First, an introduction….. I’m Jen MacLean, and I joined the Family Education Network as the President of the Kids and Games division in November. More importantly, I’m a lifelong gamer, a Poptropican, and the mom of a Poptropican. It’s been a whirlwind few months as a new member of the Poptropica team, and one of my biggest priorities has been understanding where Poptropica needs to improve and helping the team build a roadmap to get us there.
So, ‘fess up….. Have you been hiding in our offices? Bugging our conference rooms? You’ve made some great points about how we need to make Poptropica better, and I’m excited to share that many of the ideas you proposed are already in development.
I’m happy to give you a sneak peek at some changes that are coming soon. In the next few weeks, expect a new and improved experience for first-time players, including a brand new island specifically designed for new players. It’s a short island, but we’re hoping it will really help new players better understand how to play and what Poptropica is all about. Though it’s design for new players, I’m sure veterans will get a kick out of it too, so not to worry!
We also understand and agree that we need to improve the Island experience for all Poptropicans! We want to make it easier to teleport, find help, understand the quest, and identify the next steps in a quest. We’re not ready to share specific times and releases yet, but we will keep you posted as we roll out improvements. We are also looking at ways we can make a Poptropica membership even more valuable; we’ll be updating our membership this Spring.
I’m so glad you brought up the “I’m trapped in a classic island and can’t get out” issue. We’re working on a fix for that too, so very soon you should be able to leave classic islands from any scene. Teleporting between scenes is a great idea, but it could end up breaking a lot of the islands; however, it’s something we’ll keep in mind though as we keep finding ways to make the player experience better.
An important part of any game development project is squashing bugs. We need to get better at fixing the bad bugs and incorporating “good glitches” into the design of the game. As part of that focus, we’ll be starting a Friends and Family Beta Program this year, and we will be reaching out to you with more details when we’re ready to launch!
Speaking of reaching out, I know it’s been hard to contact us. I’m excited to introduce Jessica, our Official Poptropica Community Liaison. Jessica will share information with you on all things Poptropica, including product updates and improvements, and will make sure your comments, questions, and feedback are shared throughout the Poptropica Creators team. She’ll also help us understand and address some of your ideas and requests, including officializing a Poptropica wiki.
Last, but most importantly, THANK YOU! Thank you for your wonderful support of Poptropica, for being a great resource for Poptropicans everywhere, and for being such a strong community. I’m excited to get to know you better and to make Poptropica an even more amazing experience for you.
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Wow! It’s the first time a Poptropica Creator has contacted the PHB directly (with the exception of Jeff Heim during the Poppies) – and this response certainly gives us a lot of hope about what’s to come out of Poptropica HQ in the future. A better tutorial, some form of teleportation, doing something about glitches both good and bad, and even the possibility of officializing the Poptropica Wiki are some things Poptropica’s currently working on, and that’s really awesome to hear. 😀
A huge shout-out and thanks to Jen MacLean for taking the time to write to us and allowing her letter to be published here! On behalf of the PHB and Poptropica community, we look forward to more interactions with the powers-that-be at Poptropica HQ to make the game and community all the more awesome. We’re honored to have the Creators read the PHB, and we’re excited for what happens next.
What would you like to say to the Creators? Share in the comments below – if this exchange has been any indication, they may well take you up on your suggestions (within reason, of course)!
🏝️ Poptropica Help Blog 🗺️ 