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!
App

Islands disappear from Pop app

Slanted Fish

Poptropicans, brace yourselves for a rocky start to the new year — we just lost a bunch of islands from the Poptropica mobile app. 😔

The Pop app now resembles the computer version of the game, meaning new islands and loss of old ones. Here’s what you’ll find now:

On the plus side, the new update shows an intention to sync the mobile and computer experience, which had been a goal when the app first launched but had been inconsistent in recent times while Haxe was being developed. Now the app seems to have caught up, adding new islands like Fairytale, Goofball, the latest Home Island with its shop, the current character customizer, and daily credits without the spin wheel.

The downside of this matching, though, is the loss of many classic islands which had previously been playable on the app even after the end of Flash. Those now-missing islands are the complete sets of episodes for Survival, Mission Atlantis, PoptropiCon, and Arabian Nights, as well as standalone islands Reality TV: Wild Safari, Mystery of the Map, Shrink Ray, Galactic Hot Dogs, and the original Mythology Island. (Thanks to Steel for the tip.)

RIP to episodic and newer islands once playable on the app.

Doubtless this update (or should we say downgrade?) is a blow to all Poptropicans, whose access to old islands had already been limited by the end of Flash in 2020. It’s not clear why the Pop Creators decided to remove so many islands, and this time the culprit isn’t Flash, since the app uses a different technology that showed these newer (AS3) islands could still stick around after Flash.

Our best guess is that since Mission Atlantis, Ep. 1 and Arabian Nights, Ep. 2 are members only on the computer, the Creators would have wanted to keep things consistent on the app (whereas before, anyone could play all the episodes on the app). That still doesn’t quite excuse the deletion of so many other islands, but we can only hope that they plan to bring them back to both computer and app eventually. However, they did mention that they’re planning to bring back more episodes, and promised more news of rereleases in the coming weeks.

In Too Deep: There’s deep undercover and there’s which way is up.

In the meantime, you can still play many more of the older (AS2) islands on Flashpoint, and newer islands gone from the app may still be accessible through a Chrome extension and alternative Flash Player.

It’s disappointing to see these disappearances, and the new additions to the app don’t quite make up for what was so suddenly lost without any good reason given. Still, earlier promises of more rereleases may yet pave the way for their eventual return on both computer and app.

Let’s hope the rest of this year delivers more than it deducts. We’ll say it again and again: bring the old islands back!

~🐠

Blast from the Past, Social Media

Cheers to years of stories 🥳

Slanted Fish

Happy New Year, Poptropicans! ✌️🥳✌️✌️

Before popping off into 2022, Poptropica popped down memory lane with a blog reflection of the past year, highlighting all the new quests from 2021 — the “Year of Stories,” as they had called it.

Most notably, the blog post shares a little update about the state of the old islands, with a reassurance that our cries have not fallen on deaf ears:

As for a current update, there are more episodes in the process of conversion at this very moment! It’s worthwhile to note that we recognize and share your frustrations. Although the act of converting the older islands is long and difficult, we’d like to thank you for your patience, Poptropicans. Your understanding is greatly appreciated! If you’re hoping for hints about the next rerelease, there will be much more news to share in the coming weeks!

Poptropica Creators’ Blog (2021 Wrap Up)

We’ll have to wait and see what 2022 brings, but it sounds like the next conversions will continue to be for episodic islands, like with 2021’s rereleases for Mission Atlantis and Arabian Nights. Stay tuned!

Besides the Creators’ wrap-up, you might also enjoy the PHB’s 2021 Poptropica Rewind, which highlights not only the Pop drops, but also other noteworthy happenings from around the fandom.

One of our throwbacks was to our mini-series featuring insights from former Poptropica head Jess Brallier. His first tweet for the new year shared a “wonderful, heart-warming” testimonial to Poptropica from a college-aged kid, who praised the game’s value of cultural literacy:

Here’s hoping past years of “historically significant narratives” carry on to Pop’s future years of more stories, new and old.

That’s a wrap for 2021, and onwards to 2022! Cheers to you! 🥂

~🐠

Fan Art Features, Social Media, Store

Reindeer Ready for Renames and Recaps 🦌

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Pop in for the last shop drop of the year, Instagram stories, and YouTube shorts. Let’s go!

At Adventure Outfitters, you can snap up the new Reindeer Ready costume for 200 credits, complete with antlers. Returning outfits this week are the Neon Rockstar, Warm Vibes, and Pumpkin Pleasure, plus there’s still plenty of Christmas gear around! 🦌🎄

We’ve also got some spectacular fan art features on Poptropica’s Instagram stories, including a clip of a fan creating their own Pop-inspired game on Unity and the Fairytale Island gang from the PHB’s very own Lucky Joker. Enjoy! ✨

Unity project by @tropopica
Pop OC by @cacaocheri
Zomberry by @maddiezsupersecrectartaccount
Pop OC by @lookwhatlaurenmade
Fairy Stories to Tell in the Dark by @howdyitslj
Ringmaster Raven by @toastywire
Pop OCs group hug by @cacaocheri

Just in case you missed the memo that your Poptropican doesn’t have to be stuck with the default name of Hamburger Hamburger, the Pop Creators recently covered how to change your player name on their blog and on YouTube. There are two ways and one button: look for the pencil icon next to your name on either the character screen or friends page.

You can change it as much as you like, but you’ll no longer be a Hamburger Hamburger after that first switch. Curious about all the name combos? Check out our Poptropica Names Guide for a complete collection of possible Pop first and last names!

Also on YouTube (and TikTok), Poptropica compiled some clips from the year for a little 2021 review, featuring Rumpel’s Challenge, the Baron’s Crusade, and other adventures. If this whirlwind tour leaves you wanting more, be sure to check out the PHB’s 2021 Poptropica Rewind! 💫

Happy holidays and Grapple-Pop on, Poptropicans!

~🐠

Free Membership Giveaways

PHB Membership Giveaway: December 2021

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, we’re approaching the end of the month, which means it’s time to announce another lucky Poptropican to win our monthly membership giveaway! 🎁

This month for the holiday season, we’re doing a double delight and giving out two membership prizes! Congrats, Incredible Flame and Silver Shell — enjoy your 12 Days of Member Gifts and be sure to check out the members-only Arabian Nights Ep. 2: Lair of Thieves on Haxe!

If you’re not a member, you still have the chance (or many chances, in fact): the PHB is hosting a giveaway every month, and it’s easy to enter! Just comment on the Free Poptropica Membership page and leave at least two other comments around the PHB within the month to be entered into that month’s giveaway.

We’ll announce a winner sometime in the final week of each month. If you don’t win, you can always try again for the next month! Full details »

Congrats again to both Incredible Flame and Silver Shell, and as always, keep on popping on! 🔥🐚

Blast from the Past

2021 Poptropica Rewind: Dreaming of Regeneration 🧒💭

Slanted Fish

Almost to New Year’s, Poptropicans! Congrats on surviving another year with Covid — but this roundup isn’t about the pandemic. We’ve got plenty of variants to talk about with Poptropica, so strap in for the PHB’s 2021 Rewind!

Poptropica in 2021 has been unlike any other in years past. With the end of Flash in 2020, they’ve had to rebuild the game on a new engine, Haxe, which has brought about some interesting changes. Let’s pop into it! ⏪

Continue reading “2021 Poptropica Rewind: Dreaming of Regeneration 🧒💭” →