Bonus Items, Member Gifts, Store

Light a candle for Poptropica’s 11th birthday 🕯 — and many more

Hey Poptropicans! We’re burning with some bright news over here. Read on!

September has arrived, which means… the winning design from our header contest is up on the blog? More member gifts? Another round of Community Creations? All of these wonderful things, yes, but one more: it’s Poptropica’s birthday month!

hbdpop11

You like that rainbow afro? That and more are in this month’s member gift pack. Not a member? Lots of cool stuff (many for everyone) recently arrived at the store—with rhinos, robots, and more—and one more, as you’ll see below.

Anyway. Happy birthday, Poptropica! We’re pretty thrilled to see Poptropica make it to its 11th year alive, and we hope for great things to come. In fact, that could very well be the case with some recent developments! But more on that in a bit.

To celebrate the occasion, you can now get a Birthday Candle costume for free in the store! But hurry—this candle will burn out of the store when the month is over.

store candle

A couple of noteworthy insights from the Creators were also revealed in the comments of the Instagram post announcing this update.

One Instagram user, supertalkcam, asked if the Creators were abandoning Poptropica Worlds in favor of Pop Original. The Creators replied, “It’s a myth!”

Another user, chillzaj, asked, “Will Poptropica end up shutting down in 2020 due to Flash ending? So we have one more bday party left…?”

The Creators responded, “Poptropica isn’t shutting down – we’re working on new technology that will keep Poptropica around for a long time! #poptropicaforever

This sounds like some of the behind-the-scenes work that has been keeping Poptropica quietly busy over the past few months at least. The Creators’ Facebook post from December 2017 explaining Poptropica’s relationship to the downfall of Flash, which we posted on the PHB in March, has even been gone for some time now.

Could it be that Poptropica Original will stick around even after 2020, as it gets moved to a newer technology so that it can survive post-Flash? This seems to be the Creators’ plan now, though one they’re still “working on,” so no solid promises yet.

Once again, happy eleventh birthday to our beloved Poptropica. Share your thoughts and congratulations in the comments, and keep on popping on, Poptropicans. 🎈🎊🎂

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🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯

Bonus Items, Social Media, Store

Costume Comebacks and Flashy Questions

Hiya, Silver Wolf here with news about Store updates and answered concerns!

Just today the Creators posted about some updates coming to the Store, saying that every month items will be added, old or new. And so far, they have proven themselves…

shop

Three items have been added to the Store on Poptropica Original, all of which are Member exclusives from old islands. These include the Berry Scary Monkey follower from Monkey Wrench Island, the Beachgoer costume from Wimpy Boardwalk Island, and the Sea Captain costume from S.O.S. Island:

Added Cards

So far, I’m pretty excited about this idea. After all, we’ve all been wanting at least some update to Poptropica, and hey, Store items are a start. I especially like that fact that old items are being brought back for those who missed them.

The Creators are also asking for feedback about what you would like to see added next through their new comment system. Lucky Joker recommended some items like the Steamworks Mech Pilot costume and Vampire Count costume, and I recommended costumes from some of the earliest islands, as many of us didn’t play when the game was first created. What do you want? Leave it in their comments (and ours)!


Not only are updates being announced on the Creators’ Blog, but they are being announced on Poptropica’s Twitter (@Poptropica), too. One of the most pressing questions that has been on all of our minds for awhile now is what is going to happen to Poptropica when Flash ends in 2020, and @FordGaile finally got an answer:

It looks like the Creators are planning to transfer everything over to Poptropica Worlds or somehow avoid the Flash issue, which is very good news. Perhaps all of our progress on Poptropica won’t be lost after all!

The second most pressing question we’ve had is about what has been happening to Realms since its disappearance months ago, and this time @georgiemendes03 got an answer for us:

This may mean that Realms had a serious bug or that some big changes are going to be made, but at least it will be back! Additionally, the Creators announced that they’re “working on a lot of new stuff” and to check the Creators’ Blog often, and the somewhat pesky ads for old islands are for the “tons of new players” coming to Poptropica.

Despite our worries about Poptropica fading out, if what the Creators said is true, it’s actually doing the opposite. Still, that begs the question: why the recent staff cuts? As Skinny Moon (@PopGirlJess) recently tweeted, the team “got drastically cut down.” So what’s really going on?

What do you think of old items coming back to the store? Any theories on what Poptropica is going to do to adapt to Flash ending in 2020? Leave your comments below!

-SW 🐺

Bonus Items, Time Tangled Island

Get Time Tangled-up in Silly String!

Hey Poptropicans! The last of the March Prizes is here!

Head over to the unnamed building on Main Street of Time Tangled Island on Poptropica Original, to the right of Pendulum’s Lab, and hop up the windows until you reach one to the very right that has the can of Silly Streams. Grab it while you can—this week only!

As it’s the last the week of March, this is probably going to be the last March Prize. Previous prizes from this month are the Dr. Hare Plushy and Lucky PopGum, which are still in your inventory if you grabbed them earlier.

That’s all for this post. Have fun with the silly string (which, by the way, is also typically available as a gold card item in the store)!

Keep on popping, Poptropicans.

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Advertisements, Bonus Items, Livestreams, Social Media

Thanksgiving hunt, Coco stunt, & more!

Hey Poptropicans! Slanted Fish here with the latest scoop of mashed potatoes what’s popping on Poptropica.

First, with the American Thanksgiving holiday coming up, the Poptropica Creators have let loose a few new feast-themed followers on Poptropica Original! Can you find all three of these foodie critters?

thanksgivingFollower_popBlog

Skip this paragraph and the images below if you don’t want any spoilers: you can find Sweet Tato on top of the Arcade on Home Island, Cran Barry on the water tower on Early Poptropica, and Punkie Pie atop the Photo Gallery on Wimpy Wonderland.

thanksgiving followers
picture credit: Young Hippo (@Poptropica_King on Twitter)

Hurry—they’re only sticking around until the end of the holiday (which this means they’ll be gone by next Friday). Catch ’em while you can!


Also on Poptropica Original, there’s an ad game for Coco, the Pixar animated movie that releases this Thanksgiving! Talk to the skeleton man to get started, and you’ll be sent off running through the whimsical streets of the world of Coco, jumping over obstacles in order to deliver the leg of a skeleton without letting Dante the dog grab at you.

coco ad

Once you make it to the end, you’ll be rewarded with a Dante Follower and Miguel Music Power. The Dante Follower is what its name suggests, and the Miguel Music Power equips you with Miguel’s guitar. When space bar is pressed, an audible guitar strum can be heard, and you’ll raise up some orange specks that float briefly.


Over on Poptropica’s YouTube channel, there’s a new video from Dave, who tells us about the “CREEPIEST Moments in Poptropica Worlds!” Check out his list:

  1. The tremor you feel when you first visit Crisis Caverns.
  2. The mysterious Dr. Crispin Vincent you keep hearing about.
  3. The mysterious mushroom cavern and its mole people inhabitants.
  4. Pretty much everything about 24 Carrot Island.

What would you add to this list? Do you think it compares to our list of Scariest Poptropica Moments for Poptropica Original? Sound off in the comments!


Last but not least, Stephanie has returned with another one of her weekly livestreams! Livestream #9, which aired November 17 at around 3:45 p.m. EST, is the fourth episode in her exploration of 24 Carrot Island (see the previous three here). Check it out:

In this episode, Stephanie continues venturing through the vents and eventually makes her way to the computer control, where she finally foils Dr. Hare’s plans and completes the quest. Her snack of choice is fitting for the video: carrots!

Towards the end, she asked viewers where she should go next: Crisis Caverns or Dr. Hare’s Revenge. Crisis Caverns won the live vote, so that’s where she’ll be exploring in next Friday’s episode—stay tuned!

From Stephanie and all of us here at the PHB, happy Thanksgiving! 🍂🦃🍁

<・)))><<

Bonus Items, Contests, Livestreams, Social Media

Contest-winning and 10th Birthday Costumes, plus a Pop Worlds Livestream!

Hey Poptropicans! Looks like things are popping on Pop again. 😉

It may have taken a good seven months, but it looks like the Poptropica Creators are finally about to bring the winning designs of the #MyPoptropicaCostume contest to the game, with confirmation that that means both Poptropica Worlds and Original! Check out the awesome sneak peek, featuring mermaids and letterman jackets:

costumecontestpeek

They haven’t given an exact release date, only “soon,” but it’s a comfort to know they’re at least being worked on (it is rather long overdue). Maybe my earlier nudging helped – but in any case, it is nice to see a glimpse of what they’re working on (we’ve been pretty starved for regular sneak peeks lately!).

Here we see the grand prize winning designs, “Ocean Princess” designed by Creepy Peanut and “Hip Hop Boy” by Speedy Toes. The 6-month memberships they won have probably expired by now, but at least they’re finally going to see their costumes for real, and with designs for more than one gender, expanding upon their original entries! Hopefully, the top 10 runner-up costumes will soon follow.


Speaking of costumes, the 10th Birthday Costume has finally been added to Worlds, this time glitch-free! You can find it in the store for free. Get it while it’s here!

If you’re playing on mobile, be sure to update your app so you’ll see this costume in the store, along with the all-new Ye Olde Shop building!

worlds 10th bday
pic credit: Young Hippo & Yujo_Jacy_the_Jumpy_Coyotekans

(And it only took an extra week compared to Pop Original…)


In other news, Poptropica had their first ever livestream this weekend: specifically, this past Friday (Sept 22) at about 4:40 p.m. EST. It was completely out of the blue, not having been announced on any of Poptropica’s social media channels except YouTube. You can catch the entire 22 minutes of video here:

The livestream is hosted by one Creator, a young lady in the corner of the screen who introduces herself as Stephanie. Her game username is later revealed as PopTrop_Steph. A quick look-up in the Avatar Studio shows that she has never played Pop Original (at least not on her account), since Worlds accounts that have never played Original (like hers) will have the “Afro Guy” appearance (as she does – so it looks like she’s probably a new Creator). (Personally, I’d like to see some livestreams for Pop Original too, though I guess the closest we have are Captain Crawfish’s walkthroughs!)

Indeed, the whole video focuses on Poptropica Worlds, from creating an account to landing on Home Island to – well, that’s about it, really. What Stephanie goes through will probably be familiar if you’re not completely new, but if you want to watch a Poptropica Creator narrate an exploration of Worlds while eating a bunch of gummy bears, this is the video for you. Oh, and we’re promised there’s more to come in the future.

We’ve never met Steph before, but she seems pretty friendly and excitable. It looks like we’ll be seeing more of her on future YouTube livestreams – the next episode, she says, will be about what you can get with membership in the store. That might get some kids interested in membership, but we hope Poptropica will remember to keep up the love for the free players as well.

It’s not clear whether or not Steph is responsible for the rest of Pop’s social media these days, although I would guess not, since the mystery blogger on the Creators’ Blog has previously used a yellow-haired male character. Regardless, it’s nice to finally know at least one face and name – and if there are other social media staff working for Pop, we hope they’ll introduce themselves as well!

What did you think of the livestream video? What would you like to see in a future video from Poptropica? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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