Astro-Knights Island, Sneak Peeks

Poptropica is… a planet?!

~Poptropica Help Blog Investigation~
Is Poptropica a planet?

The Poptropica map simply shows a bunch of islands laid out together, making Poptropica seem flat. But whether it really is flat or not is another question.

For those of you who have completed the Nabooti quest, you’ve probably learned that the secret of the Nabooti tribe’s totem is… space travel! At the time of Nabooti Island’s release, it seemed pretty strange to most of us why the Creators would include space travel into an island that didn’t use much technology – other than a few computers and such here and there. But with Astro-Knights to look forward to, I’ve been wondering whether Nabooti’s space travel may be relevant to the upcoming AK Island, seeing as that includes space travelling too. Grumpy Tomato, one of PHB’s readers, thinks that Astro-Knight’s plot might be a sequel to Nabooti’s! He shares:

Think about it – the space ship on the most recent PCB post shows the space ship leaving earth, and when the totem pole leaves earth, the earth has mountains and different things like that. But both earths look the same. Remember how the totem pole was from alien life form? Maybe we have to search for alien things.

After you place the final jewel onto the totem at Nabooti Museum, the following scene appears:

Who would've guessed?
Who would've guessed?

 At the top-right corner, you’ll see that the totem has green sparks coming out of it. The shape of these sparks look very much like the blue sparks seen in some of the AK Island sneak peeks showing the custom rockets! That’s another relation between the two island plots! Maybe Poptropica’s flying vehicles are powered with these mysterious substances?

Now, is Poptropica just flat or… round? Referring back to the picture shown above, you’ll notice that the totem had been shooting out of a round planet. We know that the totem had lifted off from Nabooti Museum, which is in Main Street of Nabooti Island, Poptropica. Therefore… could that round planet (which resembles our Earth!) be Poptropica?! That’s our first glimpse of Poptropica as a planet.

On April 22, 2009, the Poptropica Creators designed a very special poster in honor of Earth Day, encouraging us to protect the planet. The planet in the picture looked very similar to the one shown in the Nabooti quest cutscene at the end, except in this poster, the Astro-Knights custom rocket was flying past. This was what it looked like; our second glimpse of Poptropica as a planet:

And now we have the third glimpse of Poptropica as a planet. This was today’s sneak peek, courtesy of Binary Bard:

Blog Post Title: Now Leaving Poptropica
Description: 01001100011010010110011001110100011011110110011001100110
Now reaching cruising altitude over Poptropica. Please keep your seat belt securely fastened during the flight. In the event of an emergency you will be given further instructions…Maybe.
Image URL: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bqXCl2IJBSo/Sgg_mwIzsBI/AAAAAAAAAA0/wes0lIaZ9Q0/s1600-h/liftoff.bmp
Image Name: liftoff.bmp

The binary code (the o’s and 1’s) in the description read “Liftoff”. Thanks, Incredible Fish! The UFO in this sneak peek might possibly be Excalibur, as shown in a previous Astro-Knights sneak peek. Again, this picture is added proof that Poptropica is indeed a planet!

Speaking of this sneak peek, Astro’s release, which is due in spring 2009, must be getting close! Spring is coming to an end on June 20nd, with summer beginning officially on June 21st (at least, for those living in the northern hemisphere!). (Unless they delay it again like they did with Nabooti and Big Nate, but let’s hope not.) Also, the title of this sneak peek (Now Leaving Poptropica) and its description sort of hint that Astro-Knights Island might be coming vveeerrrryyyyy soon. 🙂

And remember that Disney’s Space Buddies advertisement building? There was a nice little mission to go along with it. Thanks to a reminder from Purple Sword, we just remembered to show you guys out fourth glimpse of Poptropica as a planet! Check out this YouTube video made by Blooberry95, displaying a tutorial of the ad’s mission:

Starting from the time 0:14 (14 seconds into the video), to 0:33, you get to see the Disney space shuttle leaving the Poptropica planet, which indicates that the islands of Poptropica are indeed placed together on the same planet.

Also, thanks to Rough Eye (who actually has a pretty keen eye) and Incredible Fish, we’ve also remembered that there are two more glimpses (we’re now up to the 5th and 6th!) of a planet available in Poptropica! In the room ‘B.A.D. Satellite’ on Spy Island, where you fight the minibots and Director D, there are two round windows on each side with a half of a planet showing in each of them. This is what the view of the left window looks like:

I spy with my little eye...
I spy with my little eye...

Oddly enough, this planet looks a little less cartoon-ish than the others. And since this is on a satellite hanging in space, we’re able to see Poptropica’s planet that way.

There is also the theory that Poptropica is part of the real planet we live on, Earth. One example of why this could be true is that on Nabooti Island, you are actually traveling through Africa, a real continent in our Earth. The question we have now is, would Poptropica be part of our Earth or does it exist as its own individual planet?

As we can already tell from the Astro-Knights official description image, there’s going to be a Planetarium on Main Street with a big telescope sticking out. Who knows, but maybe then we’ll be able to do a little astronomical investigation of the stars and… PLANETS!

What do you think? Comment below and tell us your thoughts and if possible, furthur investigations!

Astro-Knights Island, Sneak Peeks

Castlewrecked!

Not shipwrecked. Castlewrecked because of the television-wreck.

The story below is a sequel chapter to the “TV Time” chapter from a previous post on the PHB. Please note that the story below is a work of fiction; written by the PHB Team to entertain its readers. Enjoy!

The Old but New Adventures of Comic Kid
Ned Noodlehead by day, Comic Kid hero by night.

 Chapter 2
Lost in the Wreckage

“I can’t believe this,” moaned Comic Kid. “How could they be showing Sponge Pop Circle Pants instead of the X-Popman Heroes?! What are they THINKING? This is a terrible disgrace! What about Super Pretzel Boy’s fights for crime? And I’m supposed to be his assistant, Super Hot Dog Boy! This CAN NOT be happening!” Frustrated, Comic Kid stormed upstairs and slammed the door.

After he’d finally calmed down (during which he’d fallen asleep on the floor because of his temper tantrum and then woke up), it was already morning and the sun was shining brightly through his pretzel-patterned bedroom curtains. He trudged down to the bathroom and came out feeling very refreshed. Then he hustled into the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast, thinking, Surely Sponge Pop’s silly show has been cancelled by now? But no, when he turned his TV on again, hoping he’d see Super Pretzel Boy handcuffing Sir Rebral, he was so upset that he threw his toast on the ground (which the ants chased after). There was Sponge Pop cooking spaghetti at the B.A.D. Bistro, laughing away. “That’s IT!” he yelled. “I’m gonna have to find another TV. The royal family living in Astro-Knights should have better TV shows than this. Time to get one!” And with that, Comic Kid – or should I say, Ned Noodlehead – strapped on his cape and took off into the skies.

Boom! The wind was moving unusually fast today, and Ned accidentally landed head-first into the vast King and Queen’s castle of Astro-Knights Island. Fortunately, he was okay, but he had a big bruise on his head. “Ugh…” he groaned, struggling to his feet. Then he looked up and all around him. “What on Poptropica has happened to this place? The walls are cracked, the paintings are hanging sideways, the bricks and wooden planks are falling as I speak… it’s a disaster!” Now, where are the TVs?, he thought.

Two hours later, Ned Noodlehead had searched the castle (or at least, the parts he was able to even step on) from top to bottom, finding no TVs. Zero. “Impossible,” muttered NN. But he was very worn out after all that climbing and crawling around the demolished leftovers of the building – if you could call it one now. He didn’t know about any UFO crashes, but he had recognized some parts of the structure from his previous journeys. I wanna go home!, wailed Ned’s brain. So Mr. Noodlehead looked around. But he could find no exits – he could see outside through all the holes and windows, but he wasn’t about to jump out so dangerously! I wish my donkey was here to save me, dreamed Ned hopefully. But of course that didn’t happen. In fact, it looked as if Ned and the donkey would never be reunited together again… He, Ned, was lost, and all he cared about right now was that 1. he was tired, and 2. he wanted to sleep. He found a servant’s bed, and within seconds was fast asleep.

Blog Post Title: Lost in the Wreckage
Description: While I was exploring this vast damaged structure I got lost. I could see the countryside through holes and windows, but exiting through them wasn’t an option.
Image Link: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_q9BePaDQLzI/SgHW-TDEaNI/AAAAAAAAAD8/7ZgjF2XHbLk/s1600-h/lost-.jpg
Image Name: lost-.jpg

Oh boy, looks like Comic Kid’s having a rough time. We’ll see what happens next… what other disasters are waiting in Astro-Knights Island? 😛

Web Development

Double-Polling and Much More!

🙂 Poptropica Help Blog is very pleased to announce that we’ve reached 900,000+ hits! Woohoohoo!! Let’s have some blueberry cookies to celebrate this milestone! 🙂

~

So, ready for some double-polling? Make sure you read the post below, The Monthly Surprise, if you haven’t already, because it’s important that you do. :mrgreen:

As you know, Poptropica Help Blog is writing monthly special newsletters starting in June 2009. We’ve already received many fantastic entries in our inbox, and love all the creativity you guys have been coming up with so far! For June 2009’s edition, the entries will be due on May 31st, 2009, the last day of the month. Just e-mail them to [email protected]! 😉

However, we’re having a bit of a trouble picking out the right name for these awesome newsletters. Which is where you can help in 4 simple clicks of your mouse! At our “Poptropica Poll” widget on the left, you can now find 2 new polls: PHB Newsletter Name: Part 1, and Part 2. For example, if you pick ‘(Blank)’ for Part 1 and ‘Ringer’ for Part 2, then you would be suggesting the name ‘[The] Ringer’. We are currently keeping the poll results private to avoid too much competition, but you’ll find the winning name on June 7th’s edition of the newsletter!

Poll 1’s options: (Blank), Poptropican(‘s), Monthly, PHB(‘s), Poptropica

Poll 2’s options: (Blank), Gazette, Post, Press, Page(s), People, Messenger, Times, Super/Ultra/Mega, Special, NewsPost, Newsletter, NewsPage, NewsPress, NewsRoom, Informer, Tipper, Poster, Hotspot, Nooz, Mailcall, Picks, Ringer, Newspaper, 411 Brainiacs, 911 (For all your Poptropica emergencies!), 360(°)

Thanks, everyone, for your generous support, suggestions, and everything else! 😀

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And of course, our previous poll’s results! The question asked was, “Advertisements in Poptropica: what’s your favorite section?”

Poll Option | Percentage
Dressing up in character costumes for me! | 41%
Everything about them is awesome. | 27%
As long as Disney’s not involved, it’s fine with me. | 12%
Nothing! They’re all annoying, especially the ones in between places. | 12%
There are advertisements? | 4%
I love testing my knowledge with the quiz games. | 3%
Being able to learn more about the advertised product with clickable posters and trailer videos is the best! | 2%

Total Number of Votes: 1,226; Total Percentage: 100%

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Looking for Poptropica item card SWFs? Wanna know how to stand on the blimp’s rope? Wondering what the “F12” button on your keyboard is for? Or are you feeling funny and just have the urge to laugh while looking angry?

Our Cheat Codes has now been updated to answer those questions! Check it out:
https://poptropica.wordpress.com/cool-stuff/cheat-codes/

Thanks especially to Blooberry95 for some of these new glitches, and whose investigation led the PHB team to discover a few more glitches! (No wonder we celebrated our 900 thousand views with blueberry cookies… oops, I think I ate them all.) 😆

Astro-Knights Island, Sneak Peeks

Booga Bay’s Shark in Robot Form?

Binary Bard and the Robot Shark
The sequel chapter to Binary Bard and the Rocket on Ice:

“Well, that was some fish,” grumbled Binary Bard when he’d recovered from his shock. Unfortunately, he was still pretty upset about the whole scenario about crashing his rocket and ruining his suit because of a little fish. Angrily, he picked up a chunk of ice from the ground and threw it at his custom-designed rocket. Bee-bee-bee-beep! The rocket hummed its familiar noise, startling the bard, who immediately rushed over to it. “Hey!” he cried, “It worked! My rocket’s in working order again! Wahoooo!” He climbed into the vehicle once more and turned the engine on. But before he could take off, a loud rumble nearly knocked him off his chair in surprise. Binary B. looked out from his round window and screamed.

“Shark!!” Scared now, BB quickly put on his seatbelt and flew into space. Yet this strange shark, who looked like it was made of silver metal with a pair of glowing red eyes to match, flapped its fins as if they were wings and flew after Binary B. in hot pursuit. Binary Bard could hear its crackling, mechanical “wings” flapping through the skies, and did not dare look behind him. “I guess one bad nightmare just leads to another,” he sighed, as he focused on his solar screens and tried to figure out how he’d escape.

Blog Post Title: Must Fly Faster
Description: 01010011011010000110000101110010011010110010000100100001 [Translated to mean “Shark!!”]
Image URL: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bqXCl2IJBSo/SfYfSeoKGnI/AAAAAAAAAAs/eqN9-QMQWBQ/s1600-h/shark.JPG
Image Name: shark.JPG

Not just Tigercopters, dragons, or Firebirds, but now we’ve also got to face this metallic beast on Astro-Knights Island: Shark!! Does it look like its distant relative living in Shark Tooth Island, the shark of Booga Bay? Wonder how we’ll put this one to sleep…

By the way, it looks like we’ll be able to steer our own custom-designed rockets on Astro-Knights! See that blue symbol in the lower-right corner? 😛

Astro-Knights Island, Sneak Peeks

Tigercopter’s Prey

🙂 Poptropica Help Blog has reached 850,000+ hits! Tiger-meat cookies to celebrate a new AK Island sneak peek… wait, do they even exist? 🙂

Continued from the story on Excalibur’s Fate:
A few hours later, Hazmat Hermit finally emerged from the sticky mud. “Yuck, my suit’s full of dirt!” he cried. Not knowing what else he should do, he started to wade through the mud, investigating, despite his vow not to do so a few hours earlier. It was several more days before he finally reached A Place With No Mud.

“Wow, it’s pretty! It’s beautiful!” gasped the hermit in awe. The muddy landscape was now gone, and in its place was one of the most wonderful sights he’d ever seen. The ice caps before him seemed to glow in the purple sunshine. Yet just at that moment, a little roundish fish jumped up from the water under the snow, formed its mouth together as if it were about to take a bite, and with a loud “CHOMP!”, splashed back into the water. “This is so wrong. A grouchy sea inhabitant in this mystical land? They don’t match, do they.” Little did he know about his next trouble that was already waiting for him…

The sound of a motor suddenly got the attention of Hazmat H., and he looked up. Above him, among the purple and blue rays of the sky, was a huge metallic beast! It was descending at an alarming rate of speed, and HH, to afraid to move, just stood there like a frozen statue. Unfortunately, the metal monster took advantage of this, and five seconds later, its menacing eyes were right in front of Mr. Hermit’s face! Oh no!, thought the hermit, that’s not just a metal monster; that’s a Tigercopter – one of the biggest beings of Poptropica, and it’s out to get me!

“Rrrraaah!” The Tigercopter roared fiercely, scratching its tail against Hazmat Hermit. “Ow!” screeched HH, as he began to run away from the half-helicopter, half-tiger. Unfortunately, the Tigercopter started clawing at Haz, who jumped away from it. The hermit was panicking so hard now, he wasn’t even sure where he was going. Somehow – and no one, not even the hermit himself, knew exactly how – he had managed to escape, but just barely. “I sure hope my adventures will be more pleasant in the future,” groaned Haz.

And there you have it – Hazmat Hermit’s opinion to Astro-Knights Island: “It’s pretty, it’s beautiful, it’s wrong.” But what do you think? :mrgreen:

Blog Post Title: Eye of the Tigercopter
Description: After a long search for a cleaner, more sterile environment, I stumbled upon a whole world of snow and ice. It was the perfect place to live – not a speck of dirt or grime for miles. Unfortunately, the native robot-life wasn’t very friendly. I barely managed to escape with my suit intact and free of claw marks.
Image URL: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_fyUhortwA8M/SfHgkKtm31I/AAAAAAAAAAk/BSvKkkU5n7I/s1600-h/tigercopter.png
Image Name: tigercopter.png

Interestingly, the title “Eye of the Tigercopter” is a reference to a song called Eye of the Tiger. The name “Tigercopter” suggests that the thing shown in the sneak peek is half-tiger (the shape of the head, mouth, eyes, claws, and tail) and half-helicopter (the shape of the body, the rotor blades, and the metallic look).

Please note that the above story is completely fiction, a story written by the PHB Team to entertain the readers.

Other Recent Posts
Don’t get mad, Mr. Glove. (Another Snapshot Saga with Vlad the Viking)
Behold, my subjects! (Astro-Knights Island sneak peek: the royal couple)
I Am the Master (An April 2009 weekly T-shirt)