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!
Poptropica’s third SpongeBob Island comes with three limited time items which you can win from playing the various mini-games.
Find Kamp Koral on the map
The whole SpongeBob gang is here!
The first thing you’ll see on Kamp Koral Island 2 is SpongeBob standing by a house marked Obstacle Course and surrounded by balloons. Getting the game to activate was a real obstacle for me, but fortunately, Ammonite provided some pics. At the end of this sea-legged race, you’ll win Plankton’s Helicopter Pack.
The fun continues at the next house over, marked Jellyfish Meadows. This is the exact same game from last time — collect all the jellyfish before time runs out — though the prize is different. You’ll win a Wacky Pool Noodle, which has a thrust action accompanied by SpongeBob’s hilariously creepy laugh!
Nearby, talk to Plankton and he’ll tell you that SpongeBob borrowed his chips. Follow the chip trail up to the lookout at the top and pick up your very own purple Chip Bag! (Tap the space bar to take a bite.)
That’s all for the prizes, but there are a few more activities left on the island! Like the previous SpongeBob Islands, you can play three head-to-head arcade games: High Dive (Sky Dive), Star Link, and Bubble-loons (Balloons), all styled with SpongeBob graphics. Also like last time, you can pull a lever to make jellyfish rain.
Sandy’s got enough air to throw you three challenges
Squidward is not amused with your shenanigans
While it may be too late for this iteration of Kamp Koral to make it to the 2021 Poppies, there’s still time left to vote for the “Okay-est Ad Island” and other fan awards. Be sure to cast your votes before the poll closes this Thursday, and join us this Saturday for a poppin’ party (that’s got the Creators’ seal of approval) to hear the winners announced live! 🏆🏝
Hey Poptropicans, there’s a new store update at Adventure Outfitters, and bucket hats are in! With the new Sandy Beach costume, you can match with your pet by getting them a Bucket Hat — or Blue Shades to go with last week’s Water Battle outfit!
In other news, as you’re moving about Poptropica, you may notice a new sidebar ad from Infoplease which links to a Pop quiz of Pop characters! It’s not clear if the Pop Creators made this or if they’re just linking to anonymous fan-made content, but either way, it’s a fun little game that tests if you can name 10 classic Poptropica characters. Play it here »
That’s all for now, but we’ll have more news in other posts! Remember to vote in the Poppies if you haven’t already, and stay tuned for our guide to the new ad island. Keep on popping on!
This interview was originally published on the Poptropica Creators’ Blog along with a call to go vote in the 2021 Poppies. Enjoy!
1. How were you first introduced to Poptropica?
My younger brother found Poptropica on Funbrain and introduced it to me. Back then, we would go on Funbrain to read Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid before it became a printed book series!
2. Who do you think is the most underrated character? Overrated?
Most underrated character: Elf Queen from Twisted Thicket. She doesn’t seem to get mentioned much in the fandom, but her leafy design is absolutely magical, and her storyline very fitting for our modern climate crisis.
Most overrated character: Dr. Hare, who might just be the most marketed Pop character (he even had a whole LEGO campaign at one point!). But we love him anyway.
3. What are your favorite scenes, aesthetically and to play through?
It’s hard to pick a favorite scene as there are so many that are visually stunning! But to highlight a few, I love the aesthetics of the Imperial Garden on Red Dragon (especially the cherry blossom trees), and the various interactive puzzles on Nabooti, such as the mancala game and the fox-chicken-cornfeed conundrum.
4. What was your inspiration in creating and furthering the Poptropica Help Blog (PHB)?
I was inspired to create a blog after seeing lots of fan blogs for other online games I enjoyed at the time, especially Club Penguin (rip). I stumbled into a Poptropica focus somewhat accidentally when setting up the site on WordPress: while thinking about the URL, I discovered that poptropica.wordpress.com was untaken, and it felt like too good of an opportunity to pass up. So that was the PHB’s first URL, which illustrates the dearth of Poptropica fan sites at the time, and how we were able to fill that gap on the internet.
What inspired me to keep going was everything else that followed. I was amazed by how quickly the site grew in readership, fueled by all the amazing things Poptropica has been doing, especially in the heart and depth of storytelling through gameplay in its myriads of island adventures. Even as the game changes and people come and go, what I enjoy about the PHB is how it continues to be a space for Poptropicans to share their ideas, fan art, and friendships. If you’re interested, I’ve written more about this on the PHB’s Philosophy page.
Poptropica Creator Dr. Lange’s drawing of the PHB team (2014)
5. How has your PHB career surprised you?
As the previous Q&A touches on, I’ve been surprised by the rapid popularity of the PHB (it reached 1 million views in its first year, and 13 years later, has over 35 million). But I’m not too concerned about the statistics—I’m more interested in cultivating the quality of people’s visits, and to that end it’s been a blessing to hear from so many Poptropicans over the years who’ve enjoyed what the PHB offers.
Another surprise is the creativity and intensity of so many fans’ Pop-inspired passions, which help shape what the PHB brings to the fandom, from personal My Place in Poptropica stories to discoveries of Pop Places IRL. It’s definitely not a one-person operation—credit goes to the many, many Poptropicans who make it all possible!
Banner Day: Let your freak flag fly.
6. What does the Pop community mean to you?
To me, it’s as simple as a gathering of people who enjoy Poptropica. They can be of all ages — some are even in their twenties like me. Poptropica fans are creative (just look at all the fan art, blogs, and videos), clever (we enjoy solving puzzles and finding trivia), and concerned (we support each other and sometimes critique for the good of the game we love). Above all, we’re united in our passion for Pop!
7. From your perspective, how has the community changed over the past 12 years?
The biggest change I’ve noticed personally is that the kids have gotten older. Though Poptropica has always been aimed at kids, it’s fascinating to see how teens and young adults (myself included) still participate in the fandom, often returning from childhood nostalgia and sticking around for the community and inspired storytelling (perhaps even creating some of their own). Of course, young kids are still around. From my perspective, even children are capable of enjoying Poptropica’s more sophisticated stories, particularly those from the classic islands.
Friendly Folk: All so nice and polite, for a while at least.
8. How have your experiences with the community and Poptropica influenced you IRL?
Poptropica’s many whimsical worlds — from the medieval madness of Astro-Knights to the genie glamor of Arabian Nights — have inspired my art and writing, and widened my appreciation for digital storytelling and cultural connections.
As for the PHB, it has given me a space to write about something I care about, to carefully consider how to express ideas, and help the blog’s staff and guest writers do the same. Having our content read by so many fellow fans is a responsibility, privilege, and a great encouragement to keep building the blessing.
The skills, friendships, and passions developed over many years of playing and creating carry over to other areas of life too. For me, that has included earning my undergrad degree in English and pursuing a career in communications. With all the diversity in Poptropica and its community comes great potential for many more Poptropicans!
Fish Face: These ocean-dwellers are getting animated.
Favorites
Costume: Fish kimono from Red Dragon
Island: Shark Tooth
Backstory/Lore: How islands appear in the world of Poptropica through a central spot in the sea called the Nexus, as described in Poptropica graphic novel #4: The End of Time.
Hero: Max McGullicutty from Survival
Villain: Scheherazade
The Nexus, land of limitless time crystals
Shark Tooth: a nostalgic aesthetic
Max saves the day in Survival Island
Scheherazade’s life is quite the tale
Thank you, Poptropica Creators, for hosting this interview with me (and for calling the PHB “the leading fan-run Poptropica blog” in the original post 😁). Keep on popping on, Poptropicans! ✌️
Hey Poppie-tropicans! The noms are in and now it’s time for the voting round of the 2021 Poppies. Catch up with our Poppies explainer here, and read on to find out how you can join us at the Poptropica fandom event of the year! 🏆✨
Every vote counts towards popping the big questions of who and what will win the 2021 Poppies, so go cast your votes while you can! 🗳 Voting ends Thursday, July 22, and we’ll be announcing the winners at our awards (and blog birthday) party that weekend. Check the deets:
🤩 WHO: You and everyone! PHB staff will be there too!
🏆 WHAT: Dress to impress for the blue carpet of Poptropica’s Arcade. Join us on the PHC and/or our YouTube livestream, where we’ll be revealing the Poppies winners LIVE!
🕗 WHEN: July 24, 2021 (Saturday) @ 8 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. Central / 6 p.m. Mountain / 5 p.m. Pacific. If you live in a different timezone, you can use a time zone converter to see what time it’ll be for you.
🖥 WHERE: Join our livestream on YouTube and find the buzz on the Poptropica Help Chat (PHC), our Discord server (for ages 13+). We’ll also be hanging in Poptropica’s Arcade (accessed through the menu in the corner of the game).
🎉 WHY: To have a poppin’ grand time as we announce the winners of the 2021 Poppies and celebrate 13 years of the PHB with the Poptropica community!
Hey Poptropicans! In this update, we’ve got Pop-arazzi snapshots, tweets, fan art features, an official vid, and more. Let’s pop right in!
First up, the Pop-arazzi are back with more Pop fashions inspired by real-life pop stars. This time we’ve got American alt-rock musical duo Twenty One Pilots and actress Zendaya featured on the Creators’ Blog!
These stylish icons aren’t the only celebs floating in the fandom this week. Over on Twitter, a fan asked Jeff Kinney, Poptropica’s founder, if there were plans to restore the Wimpy Kid islands to the mobile app. Jeff responded, “I don’t know! I miss all the islands!”
This marks the third time thisyear Jeff-senpai has publicly acknowledged the game he helped create. Although he’s not currently involved with Pop and doesn’t seem to have any say in its development these days, it’s great to see he still cares. And hopefully it’s one more mighty nudge for the current Creators (who retweeted Jeff’s tweet) to maybe, just maybe, bring the old islands back?
Poptropica’s been active on Twitter too this week. In response to sister site Coolmath Games (who hosts Pop among the games on their website) sharing that they’d added the updated maps, Poptropica thanked them for the “Coolmath Fame.”
While most of Poptropica’s classic islands seem untouched after Flash zapped them away, at least a few of them have survived into Haxe. One of them is 24 Carrot Island, which just recently got an official walkthrough video made and its tour page updated with a full written walkthrough.
As the Creators’ Blog explained, “24 Carrot was one of the few islands we didn’t have a complete walkthrough for, but now we’re one step closer to a complete Island walkthrough playlist.” But hey, you know where you can find a complete collection of Poptropica island walkthroughs in both video and written form, plus more extras like trivia and long-gone album photos? The PHB’s Island Guides!
Finally, the Baron’s Airship has set sail, but she’ll be back! Next time the Baron returns, we’ll get to pick up the winning designs from July’s costume contest (which ended this week) for free in her Cabin of Curiosities.
That wraps up this post! Plus, stay tuned for the Poppies voting round dropping later today. Thanks for popping by, and stay awesome, Poptropicans!
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