Slanted Fish

Before I get on with this new “Know Your Cryptids” post, the PHB has big news to share about Cryptids Island…

Cryptids Island will open on Monday, December 20!

(with membership)

So, yay for those members out there, and for the rest of us – there’s no news yet on when Cryptids Island will be available to the public for free, but we’ll have the latest scoop about it here, so stay tuned. And now let’s welcome Nessie:

Know Your Cryptids: Loch Ness Monster

Nessie: Real, or all wet?

Cryptids Island is coming very soon to Poptropica! Before you take on some of the world’s most fearsome mythical monsters, we’d like to tell you a little bit about the legends.

Tales of the Loch Ness Monster go back centuries. Affectionately known as “Nessie,” she is said to live in the deep waters of Loch Ness, a lake in the Scottish Highlands. By most accounts, Nessie is a massive, long-necked creature that can travel on land as well as in the water.

The best-known picture of Nessie, shown above, was taken in 1934 by a surgeon named Dr. Wilson. Years later, another man claimed to have helped fake the photo, but it was impossible to know whether he was telling the truth, or simply seeking fame for himself.

Theories abound as to what Nessie could be. Some say that eyewitness accounts are honest misidentifications of everyday animals and objects. Others say she could be a leftover relic of the dinosaur age, specifically a plesiosaur. Still others think that there might once have been a Loch Ness Monster, but that it has died. And, of course, the possibility remains that Nessie is nothing but a hoax.

What do you think — do you believe in the Loch Ness Monster?

CAPTAIN CRAWFISH

Captain Crawfish sounds a little nerdy there, don’t you think? Maybe we should eat his brains…

LOL JK.

Anyway, there’s also a new PCB poll asking, “Do you believe in the Loch Ness Monster?” At the time of this writing, 55% said yes, 22% said no, and 22% are undecided. (Where’s the other 1%? o.O) HAS CAPTAIN CRAWFISH TAKEN YOUR BRAINS? :O

Daily Pop, Sneak Peeks, Store

Deck the seas with cheerful creatures

December 12, 2010December 12, 2010 Slanted Fish

‘Tis the season to be jolly… and Poptropica’s doing that by decking the seas with cheer and monsters! 😛

Have a ball this holiday season!

Sounds pretty cheesy, but it’s just a catchy slogan to advertise the new FREE costume in the Poptropica Store: the Holiday Ball, a giant ornament that covers one’s whole body! So spread some holiday spirit by decking the halls in the color of your choice (red, green, or blue).

Daily Pop Peeks

Catch up with all these new sneak peeks [and their descriptions], on the Daily Pop now!

F for Fake
This attack never happened, but is the giant squid still out there?

Name That Animal
If we drew it right, it shouldn’t be that hard to guess!

Deep Dark Woods
One of those would make a nice Christmas tree. Dare you to go chop it down.

Off-Street Parking
Just put that truck anywhere.

Monster Mash
Not everything we design ends up in Poptropica. These monster costumes never made it past the concept stage.

Inner Peace
This looks like a nice, quiet place. At least, until you show up.

Up on the Housetop
Something tells us that wasn’t old Saint Nick.

Sea Power
The stormy seas of Skullduggery Island began as a simple sketch.

Works of Dart
Concept sketches for some surly pub patrons.

Getting to Know Daily Pop

Captain Crawfish of the PCB recently posted a series of “getting to know” the Daily Pop posts. I’ve combined them all into an article for the PHB, so read it here! You can also access it via our Cool Stuff page.

So now’s the time to get to know the Daily Pop – a fun Poptropica feature packed with comics, games, leaderboards, ratings, and exclusive sneak peeks.

Click here for the Daily Pop article!

*POP POP DAILY POP POP POPTROPICA!*

~Hijuyo

Daily Pop, Sneak Peeks

Never-before-seen pics from the Daily Pop!

November 25, 2010November 25, 2010 Slanted Fish

The addition of the new Daily Pop feature also brings us several never-before-seen sneak peeks for upcoming islands! Below, I’ve posted the 6 pictures currently being shown on the Daily Pop. What do you think these pictures could mean?

The River Wild
Something stalks this humid jungle.

The Sher Thing
The Poptropica Creators audition some sherpas for a mountain-climbing expedition.

Wet Your Whistle
Where there’s a saloon, there’s a town. But not necessarily vice versa.

In General
The hallmark of a good general store: If they don’t have it, you don’t need it.

Trucks!
This is where the brainstorming process begins when a new island calls for vehicles.

Riding Coach
All the world’s a stage. On one new island, the whole world might be a stagecoach.

Let us know what YOU think!

In other news, the PHB’s “Cryptids Island” info page is now up! We know the plot of this island is about a billionaire promising a big reward to whoever proves the existence of hidden creatures like Bigfoot, and now thanks to PHB reader aaronhui777600, we know that the rich guy’s name is Harold Mews! Click here for the item SWF file (#230) that proves this.

~Hijuyo

Web Development

What’s been going on?

November 20, 2010November 21, 2010 Slanted Fish

Hey guys! Some Poptropica Help Blog news updates you might be interested in:

Thanks to Bluorang for creating this dazzling winter header for the PHB, which the blog will be sporting this frosty season!

Former PHB author Gazek recently posted a comment on the About page saying, “Wow, the PHB looks better than ever! Seriously, man, I’m starting to rethink quitting Poptropica.” Great to hear from old-timers coming back for a visit. 🙂
PHB author Shaggy Tornado will be on a temporary hiatus, which means that he won’t be able to post while he’s gone. He’s on a trip in Washington, DC which he has been looking forward to, but as part of the deal, he won’t be able to come on the PHB for 7 months. In the meantime, another author will be joining the PHB in his place until he returns. Enjoy your trip, ST! 😉
Just wanted to say that this past Monday, I (Hijuyo) celebrated my 14th birthday on November 15th. 😀
Look out for the upcoming Thanksgiving Special of the epic awesome dialogue show Party With Hobos!
The winners of the Poptropica Help Blog’s Second Annual Halloween Costume Contest have been announced, but people have been curious about the exact placements of each of the ten finalists (who all did excellent jobs to make it into the top ten!). So here are the poll results, and thanks to those who participated!

Finalist | Votes | Percentage of votes
Clubpenguin750 | 180 | 15%
Moony* | 175 | 15%
Sleigh | 174 | 15%
ForceCrystal | 131 | 11%
Aks5dragon | 131 | 11%
iceuni2 | 106 | 9%
GulpinTheKing | 82 | 7%
Doglover49 | 74 | 6%
Anton220 | 70 | 6%
Colin1259 | 61 | 5%

Congrats to all of the finalists – all of them had over 50 people like their costume enough to vote for them, which is definitely something to be proud of! Read about the winners here, the finalists here, the contest itself here, and of course, remember that you can always look back at the great finalists’ costumes on the Costumes page!

GO GO POPTROPICA!

~Hijuyo

Cryptids Island, Sneak Peeks

Hanging on a cliff

November 16, 2010November 16, 2010 Slanted Fish

Atop a cliff in a snowy, unheard of corner of Poptropica sits a creature more reclusive than Hazmat Hermit himself. When the hermit hears of this, he immediately goes to investigate. But partly up that cliff, still hanging onto some rope, Hazmat Hermit wishes he hadn’t come.

Why? Must be some creature if even a tough hermit in his hazmat suit is afraid of it. We don’t even get a look at whatever it is, but the surroundings hint that it could be a yeti, a very reclusive cryptid. Now that’s a dramatic cliffhanger.