Guest Posts – Page 35 – 🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺

Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Theo’s Ghost. Enjoy!

Greetings PHB readers! I’m Theo, my Poptropican’s name is Perfect Ghost, and the name I use online is a combination of the two, Theo’s Ghost. You may know me from the YouTube channel Dimension Bros, where me and my best friend Isaac make Poptropica (and other) YouTube videos (for ages 13+). But today isn’t about my YouTube career.

Instead it’s going to be a tour of my clubhouse! I’ve seen quite a few clubhouse tours on the PHB and since the Poppies 2021 have a “Coolest Clubhouse” category, what better time than now to showcase my clubhouse to all of the wonderful PHB readers out there! I’ve shared screenshots of my clubhouse on Discord in the past, so you may already recognize it, but no one has ever seen the full clubhouse in all its glory, until today.

However, I must specify that my clubhouse is not your typical Poptropica abode. My clubhouse is more of an art piece rather than a cool place I’ve designed for my Poptropican to live. It’s meant to be more for aesthetic value than to actually serve any function to Perfect Ghost. It’s the clubhouse equivalent of high fashion. Clothes you see on runways aren’t meant for practical use, but rather for appreciating the design and artistry that it took to create them, while normal clothes like t-shirts and such are for practical everyday use. So now that we’ve established what my clubhouse is, let’s take a look.

The clubhouse was built around one specific piece: the “eat sleep game repeat” poster that can be found in the store for only 100 credits. This poster really called out to me and I just knew I had to fill my clubhouse with it.

The entryway is surrounded by the “eat sleep game repeat” posters, to set up the observer for what they are about to experience when they come into my clubhouse. And apologies for the low resolution images, the Haxe version of Poptropica doesn’t lend itself well to taking nice screenshots.

As you saw above, the main section of the clubhouse is filled with nothing but “eat sleep game repeat” posters, as they fill up a majority of the wall space. I think the black contrast against my pink/purple gradient wallpaper is a lovely visual experience. Plus, the sheer overload of “eat sleep game repeat” posters is sure to elicit some form of emotional response from all who view it. I know whenever I look at the absurd amount of posters I have, it fills me with a lot of joy, and I hope it does the same for you lovely PHB readers.

But don’t be fooled, there are more than just posters in this clubhouse.

Here is what I like to call “the gamer zone.” It’s just a gamer desk and gamer chair from the store in the bottom right hand corner of the room, but I think it’s a nice touch. It is, of course, surrounded by “eat sleep game repeat” posters, as they are the main visual motif of the clubhouse. Now, you may be wondering, how can one eat, sleep, game and repeat if all the Poptropican is afforded is but a lonely desk?

Well, the soda cup in the cup holder is clearly filled with some nutritious beverage for keeping one alive (eat), the gamer chair is excellently padded and extremely comfortable (sleep), and of course the PC is there to play lots and lots of Poptropica (game), and you need no external object to repeat. The gamer zone is more than just the dedicated gaming area, but the dedicated living area, as the zone is designed to keep the gamer alive.

To the left side of the clubhouse we have more sparsely placed “eat sleep game repeat” posters. Now you may think this is because I was either running out of credits or got lazy, but you would be wrong. I still have thousands of credits in the bank as I am very Poptropica-rich thanks to my membership, and I would never allow myself to get lazy when it comes to creating an art piece such as my Poptropica clubhouse.

The sparsity of the posters on the left side is to represent drifting further from the gamer zone which is on the right. The further the gamer drifts from his gaming chair and gamer desk, he loses sight of his mission, which is to eat, sleep, game and repeat. Thus, the poster is in less abundance.

In the top right corner of the room there is a single bunch of mushrooms. These are to represent the fungus that non-gamers are like on society, and how their non-gamerness is like dirt upon a nice wood floor.

And that’s it! That is my clubhouse tour completed, and hopefully you have a better understanding of the world now that you’ve seen my art. This clubhouse costed me a lot of credits, and it was also excruciating using the Poptropica clubhouse decorator tool to place down all of those “eat sleep game repeat” posters, so showing my clubhouse some appreciation by helping it win the Poppies 2021 award for “Coolest Clubhouse” would be poggers!

Anyway, that’s all from me. Now go eat, sleep, game and repeat!

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Theo’s Ghost. If you did, you might also enjoy other clubhouse tours we’ve shared here on the PHB.

The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? We’d love to hear from you! 📰✨

Fanfiction, Guest Posts

Fanfic: The Princess and the Raven 👸🏻🐦

July 4, 2021June 15, 2022 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Shy Scorpion. Enjoy!

Hi there! As you may recall, our fellow Poptroican named Barefoot Knuckle shared several of her amazing Poptropica fan art pieces here on the PHB. One stood out to me particularly: “The Princess and the Raven.” After I saw it, I decided that I wanted to know what they were saying, so I wrote a scene imagining just that. So here we go…

INT. WAITING ROOM, DR. WHITE’S VET OFFICE, FAIRYTALE ISLAND

A BLOND-HAIRED LADY sits behind a desk. Several other people are in the room, all holding pets: a LADY WITH A CAT, a MAN WITH A DOG, and a YOUNG MAN WITH A LIZARD. But one MAN, COVERED IN FEATHERS, has nothing, is fidgeting nervously. The people in the room regard him strangely.

LADY WITH CAT

(whispers to man with dog) You know what’s up with chicken legs over there?

MAN WITH DOG

(whispers back) No, but he sure looks nervous. Something is familiar about him though…

YOUNG MAN WITH LIZARD

Of course there is, that’s Ringmaster Raven himself!

LADY WITH CAT

Who?

MAN WITH DOG

Oh, yeah… didn’t he turn all those people into monsters?

YOUNG MAN WITH LIZARD

Yep, he sure did… but some adventurer kid saved them all. Huh, I thought he thought he was a chicken.

LADY WITH CAT

(mutters to herself) And I thought I had problems.

RINGMASTER RAVEN can hear every word and glares hatefully at the floor.

BLOND-HAIRED LADY

Mr. Raven? Dr. White is ready for you.

RAVEN sighs and gets up. His nervousness has returned. He walks down a hall and goes into the first open door. It is a happy room with pictures of forests and healthy animals on the walls. RAVEN sits down in a chair and sighs unhappily, then he shakes himself.

RAVEN

(angry at himself) Raven you are a ringmaster! Stay cool and calm! You only have a slight CLUCK problem with being a CLUCK chicken.

A pretty LADY enters the room with purple scrubs, long black hair, and a big smile.

DR. WHITE

Hi, my name is Dr. Snow White. How can I help you?

I hope you enjoyed this post! Stay tuned for the next part of the script!

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Shy Scorpion. If you did, you might also enjoy Barefoot Knuckle’s post which inspired this one!

Fairy Tale Island, Guest Posts

Fairytale Island: A storybook of many pop culture references 📖💫

June 27, 2021June 28, 2021 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Barefoot Knuckle. Enjoy!

Hey everybody! It’s Barefoot Knuckle here and today I will be talking about the many similarities Fairytale Island has to other works in pop culture. Most of these are probably just a coincidence, but I think it’s very interesting to discuss, plus fun and hilarious at the same time!

Okay, this island has SO MANY similarities to other stuff, it’s insane. Of course there are the obvious easter eggs like the Poptropican Fairy Godmother being modeled after Shrek 2’s Fairy Godmother.

But Fairytale Island mostly reminds me of the Happily N’Ever After series from Lionsgate. Now although I only ever watched the first one, the second movie’s trailer was also reminiscent of the whole “Rumpelstiltskin causing Snow White to fall asleep” scenario.

The first movie (2006) was a lot like Fairytale Island though. You had one fairytale villain who seized power over all the happily ever afters and started messing them up so no one could have a happy ending. Then Cinderella learns how to be a strong, independent woman and everyone has different happily ever afters in the end.

Snow White and dwarves in Happily N’Ever After

Of course, they defeated the villain in the movie, and in the second movie as well, which was different from what happened in Fairytale Island. But other than that, Cinderella’s pink dress, Snow White’s purple and blue outfits, the dwarves’ tough looking design and the Prince’s personality and design all resemble how the characters are shown in Happily N’Ever After.

Another resemblance is the trend of showing fairytale princesses as modern, independent women. We saw this in Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), where all the princesses gathered in lounge wear. And in Fairytale Island, the princesses are working girls. You can’t be lounging around the house when there are animals to cure, guitars to play, and pizzas to deliver.

(Also, comment if you want me to draw Poptropica’s princesses with Disney’s princesses and I will include it at the end of my next post!)

When Fairytale Island was first released, some fans noted that it was rare to see Cinderella as a Black woman, but it has been done before. In The Wonderful World of Disney (1997) Cinderella, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella was portrayed by Brandy (yes, that is her name). Although there isn’t much similarity in terms of dress design, her hair and crown does share a similar style to Poptropica’s Cinderella.

Combined with Happily N’Ever After’s Cinderella with her pink dress and story arc (though she never turned into a rock star), Poptropica’s new take on the classic princess had a lot of throwbacks to past concepts on the character. Also, is it just me, or does the pink hair and punk style remind anyone of the rock artist, Pink?

Then there are the character designs in the “Red’s Food Delivery” side quest. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Red Riding Hood in a modern tomboy look, since the movie Hoodwinked (2005) (another movie I’ve only seen the trailer for) portrayed Red Riding Hood as a tough karate girl who wore jeans.

Now Poptropica’s Red Riding Hood doesn’t seem like she’s specialized in any defenses, but she does have that tough girl look about her. And even though they don’t share the same personality, the grandma in Hoodwinked and the grandma in Fairytale Island share a very similar look. And from what I’ve seen in the trailer, the huntsman in Hoodwinked seems just as weird as the huntsman from Fairytale Island.

The whole island is kind of like a couple other middle grade book series about fairytales, like Whatever After by Sarah Mlynowski and The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer. Red Riding Hood’s pet in Colfer’s series, Clawdius, is just about the equivalent of Fairytale Island’s Big Bad Wolf.

Concept art from Fairytale Island (Poptropica)

And what about that Gravity Falls similarity with these little guys, huh?

The final easter egg I’ll bring up has to do with the island’s villain, Rumplestiltskin. You know that part where the player says his name three times and apparently he’s free? Well, the same thing happens in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988) when this ghost couple and this goth girl say a creepy ghost’s name three times and he’s free to help them get revenge or something. It was recently adapted into a Broadway show (with a song called “Say My Name” — and that’s all I know).

But what do you guys think? Is Fairytale Island just a mashup of pop culture references? Is Cinderella’s pink hairstyle a nod to rockstar Pink? Did the creators intentionally put a Beetlejuice reference in the script? And what kind of pop culture reference would you like to see in Poptropica?

For more trivia, check out the PHB’s Fairytale Island Guide. Keep an eye out for my next posts! I think you’ll like them!

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Barefoot Knuckle. If you did, you might also enjoy other guest posts here on the PHB!

Clubhouse, Guest Posts

Summer Poptropica Worlds House Tour: Invisible Ring 🌞

June 26, 2021June 22, 2021 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Invisible Ring. Enjoy!

Oh hi! Great to see you again! Do you like my new book lounge? I was just trying it out! Now that I have toured the halls of my Poptropica Worlds clubhouse, it’s high time I explore my two extra rooms. Let’s see, which one do I pick first, door #1 or door #2?

I’m going with door #2. It just feels easier to start with the colorful one before I go into the dark and daring zone.

Hey, wait, when did this red painting and striped sofa show up? — oh yeah, I set it up the same time I set up my book lounge! Heh heh, I’m so forgetful… well, enough chit-chat. Let’s do this!

Yeeee-Haw! Good mornin’, buckaroo! Whaddaya plan to go ropin’ for today? — oh wait, I got another idea! Just have to get it outta my dresser drawer and… there!

Say… you look fabulous! You’ll be the star of the Saturday night dance party! …Oh wait, it’s not nighttime yet. What else have I got?

I got an adventure outfit and a shiny outfit. What other outfits do I have? Oh wait, how about this one? It’s both shiny AND adventurous! Wow, I think my sister was right. I DO look like an Amazon warrior! …Ooh! Warrior! Got another idea here! This is gonna be great!

Here we go! ARRRGH, look alive, ya scurvy scallywags! Thar may be intruders on board this vessel and I want the whole lot of ya to… YIKE! Have you been watching me the whole time?!

(Come on, Invisible Ring, pick it back up!) *ahem* …Welcome aboard, me hearties! I didn’t hear you come in there! Well, perfect timing, buccaneers, ‘cause I just finished suiting up. Let the cabin tour commence!

In me cabin, I have a very important treasure. Aye, it’s golden indeed, and… what’s that? Where is it? Ye may find some of it amongst the thicket here…..What’s that? Ya want to know what me treasure IS?…. Aye, you asked for it, sea pups!

Ohhh… Do what ya can with what ya got, have any of you have heard that a lot?
If yer bored and the day is new, and you are just wonderin’ what to do,
Then come on along! Come on with me, and maybe you’ll see things the way I see!
Take a glass and slam it down! Stomp yer feet and strum up a sound!
Be ready for anything, take a stance! The music will start, and you gotta dance!
Put a smile upon yer face! Walk around like you own the place!
All you need is a sense of fun! Before ya know it the magic’s begun!
Put yer mind to it then you’ll see, adventure’s the best treasure that can be!
Like all yer booty it’s hard to find, but never give up and take yer time!
But if ya think I’m being absurd, yer on yer own, ye scallywag! WORD!

That was fun. Now ya know where and what me treasure is. Now onward! We have another floor to explore, mateys!

Welcome to the hangout! The perfect place to hang out, hang around, run around, bounce around, monkey around — anything you want! You can even ride a giant butterfly like I’m doing right now! CHARGE, Monarch! Let’s overthrow the governor agent of Captain Crawfish!

In this part of my cabin lies the best spot to relax after you’re through with the wild ways of a pirate… or even if you’re done talking like a pirate, because I think I’m done with both! I think I should grab a book from over there and relax for a while.

Hey, this bed is bouncy! Haha! This is even more fun to dance on than the upstairs jungle!

Bounce around with all your might, grab your sword, and put up a fight!
Chuck the balls and drop the books, rip the jackets right off the hooks!
Swing around and clang the bell! Off the top with a GREAT BIG YELL!

Ha-ha-haaarrgh, heh heh… This is great! …huhh…hooo… Now I’m all worn out. Well, at least I can take a breather on this bookshelf and look out the window for a moment.

Wow! I never thought I would say this, but I think I need a nap now. This hammock is the best place to do it, so I think I’ll make myself comfy and…

Hey! There’s something really sparkly coming from out the window! Oh, wait, it’s just the beach. But it looks a lot shinier than usual… Forget the hammock, I gotta get outside and check it out!

I thought so! It’s the perfect day for a beach day!

Man the cannons! Fire one! CANNONBALL!

*GASP* Blithery Blathery Icicles, that was colder than I — wait a minute, where did my hat go? And I think I got some seashells stuck in my hair, too.

No matter. I can go back up there and dive down again and find my hat and — Whoa! What the-? Did I just… change into… a mermaid?

Random Guy: Bravo, mermaid pirate! Perfect 10! How did you do all that?

Me: Um… Thanks… and… I have no idea. I think I… gotta go back inside now.

Well, that was interesting. I wonder how that happened and how I can become a pirate again. Maybe it will come to me later on. Now, where was I? …I feel like I’m forgetting something on this tour.

Oh, I know what it is! Ice cream! No beach day or vacation tour is complete without ice cream! Yay!

Well, tourists, I hope you liked the summer-style tour. Now that I’ve had my ice cream and my indoor and outdoor fun, It’s time for a nap on the hammock now. Have a great summer, and if you want any ice cream on the way out, there’s enough upstairs for all of you. See ya next time!

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Invisible Ring. If you did, you might also enjoy her many other Poptropica clubhouse tours, including her main Worlds house, which contains the room you just saw!

Guest Posts, Pop Fan Artist Spotlights

Pop Fan Artist Spotlight: Barefoot Knuckle

June 25, 2021June 24, 2021 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! We’re featuring the storied drawings of Barefoot Knuckle. Hear about them from the artist herself in this guest post!

“Modern Rapunzel” (Fairytale Island style)

I always imagined Rapunzel being preoccupied with videogames and other tech-related stuff so she wouldn’t have any time or interest to escape the tower! Apparently she made it outside, but she seems to still be drawn more to the world of Mario than the real world surrounding her. I also took inspiration from the gamer costumes in the Poptropica store, animal hoodies and pajamas, plus sleep/lounge wear. I figured Rapunzel doesn’t own anything but comfy clothes to wear around the house. And of course she would enjoy adding multi-colored highlights in her hair! So what if no one sees it?

“Modern Beauty and the Beast” (Fairytale Island style)

Beauty and the Beast has got to be my favorite fairytale and it’s not just because of the movie! The original story was amazing as well and I was excited to draw Beauty as a quirky, shy girl with a green thumb who doesn’t seem to mind gardening in the new gown her host gave her. Speaking of which, although you can see his horns, the Beast seems to only show his bird-masked face as he’s hiding behind his new friend. The garden was really fun to draw and in the background you can see a crow in a birdbath, the castle behind the garden gates and the pink skies of Fairytale Island in the distance. This art is mostly inspired by the original fairytale, but the box Beauty is holding is a reference to the actress who played Beauty/Belle in the original Disney classic. But from what we can see, the only book this Beauty is carrying is about gardening.

“Modern Aladdin” (Fairytale Island style)

Aladdin has to be my second favorite fairytale! I was debating whether or not to do this since Poptropica already did Arabian Nights. But, what if the Aladdin story acted as a sort of bridge between Fairytale Island and Arabian Nights Island? So after that thought, I gave Aladdin an updated look to match the sneak peeks of Fairytale Island, complete with a trench coat and jeans! However, Aladdin’s scarf, makeup, and hair look kind of familiar to someone we know. If the picture isn’t enough of a clue, refer to Disney’s Aladdin 3: The King of Thieves and the deleted song, “Proud of Your Boy.” You might realize what the connection is, though I mixed it up a little to fit the Poptropican canon. Also, since the original Aladdin fairytale took place in China, I added the Chinese stone bowl from Time Tangled Island in reference.

4. “Marshal Dixie” (Wild West Island, main OC)

Wild West Island is another fan favorite of mine. When I was developing the idea for a Wild West Island novel, I wanted the main character to be unlike anything there had been. And so, I developed the concept of an anti-hero named Dixie (or her other alias, pickpocket Rattlesnake Rhonda). I took inspiration from movies like Rango, McLintock (starring John Wayne), and Briscoe County Jr. A 14-year-old teenage pickpocket trying to keep her cover by posing as a marshal and trying to tame a horse just as stubborn, clever, and wild as she is, just seemed too good a story to pass up. Of course, though she and Elmer start off at each other’s throats, they eventually team up to stop El Mustachio Grande’s gang and become a force of good to be reckoned with. I mean, Dixie added Elmer to her Sheriff portrait, so they had to have become close at some point. You can see some personality through Dixie’s mischievous expression while using her prank pistol and Elmer’s unamused face.

“Dove” (OC)

Remember when a Pop Creator said that the forest art for Monster Carnival was a mix of creepy and beautiful? Well, while Ringmaster Raven shares the creepy half, his daughter, Dove (my OC), has the beautiful half. She was based on the real life character of Joseph Merrick, who, unlike Bird Boy, was taken in and cared for before he became the toast of English society. He was also known as the Elephant Man because of his disfigured body. Dove, like Merrick, was taken in and cared for, unlike her estranged father. The only trait she has that makes her stand out from the other Poptropicans are a pair of shiny black wings she was born with. Even though she was mocked and ridiculed by others, she has a beautiful, sweet, and sassy disposition, as well as the voice of an angel. She rose to become a famous singer and is often compared to a real life angel. I love drawing her in her 50’s casual dress and her ringmaster outfit. I was going for an appearance inspired by The Greatest Showman as well as the hidden gem of a movie, A Monster in Paris. These two drawings go together.

“An Astro-Knight Night”

This was completed years ago and was one of my first Poptropica drawings. I wanted to capture the Princess’s point of view, looking out into space, and her love for astronomy. This took like two days to make. Those planet designs nearly killed me.

“The Shakespeare Club”

This was completed right alongside “An Astro-Knight Night.” Really, this was just a comedic piece. I will say, I was not skilled in the coloring department when I made this. My parents did laugh at Gamer Guy’s review though. Imagine what would happen at those meetings! Of course, Max McPatrick (from Mocktropica) would lead the group (with special assistance from Napoleon Dynamite) but how they got Hades to pose for the poster, I’ll never know.

“One Eyed Chavez” (OC)

While thinking about creating a series based on Poptropica, I started asking the question, “What kind of original characters could be featured in such a series?” I then came up with the idea of a bounty hunter named One Eyed Chavez, who keeps crossing paths with Oliver, Mya, and Jorge (from Mystery of the Map). At first the kids don’t know what to make of her, even though she helps them thwart Octavian on one occasion. It isn’t until Jorge, after getting separated from the team, winds up in the hands of Chavez, who after revealing herself as Debbie Luches, explains to Jorge that she is stranded in Poptropica just like he and his friends are. Though she doesn’t plan to leave her life inside this complex world, she does become a mentor for Jorge in many ways.

I was going for a battle-worn, scrappy look with just a touch of feminine beauty peeking out behind her scars and armor. My main inspirations were from Mandalorian and the Bad Batch characters from Clone Wars (series is great btw). Though she doesn’t show much emotion, the scar and eye patch are a visible sign of the hurt and pain she experienced in her past. Her purpose in the series is to help Jorge learn to be strong and appreciate the people (mainly his parents) in his life while also teaching him to fight and skillfully fly aircrafts (unlike the way he did in The Secret Society). She is an important part to Jorge’s development, so when he says in the graphic novel, “Guys, I just realized something… You’re the best friends I’ve ever had,” it feels earned and helps the creator (me) know that Chavez filled her purpose.

“The Princess and the Raven”

I don’t know what gave me this idea, but I thought they would be cute together. This is my first Raven/Bird Boy drawing I’ve ever done so I tried to make sure it looked great! I thought Snow White was designed beautifully in Fairytale Island, and she has been one of my favorite princesses since I was little, so of course I wanted to draw her. Besides, since her true love is animals, I’m sure she would want to befriend someone who is technically part animal/bird. Plus I think she made a good impression on him, so I think he’ll behave for her. Again, she did say animals were her true love and he is part bird, so 😉 it’s possible.

That concludes this Pop Fan Artist Spotlight! If you liked Barefoot Knuckle’s work, you’ll enjoy the many other forms of Art from the Poptropica community. Check them out and consider sharing yours!