Guest posts are blog posts that are written by Poptropicans who are not staff writers on the PHB team at the time of writing. Interested in contributing? Check out our “Write for the PHB” guide under the Contact tab up top.
This is a guest post by Tiff on why Poptropica should focus more on their older players.The following is the writer’s opinion only. Enjoy!
Hi, I’m Tiff, and I want to talk about a few things—but most importantly, the idea that Poptropica should gear the game toward older kids.
Despite the fact that Poptropica bills itself as a children’s game, fewer and fewer young kids are interested in Poptropica these days. In fact, if you look at the PHB’s surveys, you’ll find that the majority of players are 13 and up (at least, the majority of who read this fan site are teens and young adults).
If the Creators want to keep Pop going, they’ll need to create content suitable for the audience they have and expand on that, rather than holding onto the past ideal of being suited for kids. They need to grow with their fanbase, so that they’re not left behind by their competitors.
After all, Poptropica is my favorite game, and I really want it to stay. Plus, with an evolving games market, and a growing trend for augmented or virtual reality, I wonder if they can explore that avenue further.
And as we know, Poptropica has been putting a little too much emphasis on Membership. I know they’ve been working on the Islands, and bringing the old ones back, but they really should be available to all players, not just members. This post isn’t necessarily about the paywall, but more on the fact that the Creators seem to only orient their game for a subset of players that they find more valuable—whether that’s members or younger kids—rather than focusing on the majority of who’s already here: the non-members and the older players. I’m here to say, Creators, focus on who your players are now, not who they used to be, and expand from there.
Creators: grow with the game, and grow with the times. We are not kids anymore, we’re teens and young adults. Poptropica’s demographic has changed, so let’s change the game with it. It’s supply and demand: the demand is the older demographic, the little kids who aren’t so little anymore, who’ve grown up with Poptropica and have stuck around for the fun and nostalgia. And the supply is Poptropica, which needs to adapt for this crowd which seems to make up the majority of our community these days.
Let’s be a little less forceful in trying to promote our game to a younger audience, who seem to have already moved on to other things—after all, there’s not much a new player can do on Poptropica these days as they’re locked into a Haxe account with few islands—and perhaps, with careful consideration for the older demographic (and particularly our desire for islands with deep storytelling), Poptropica’s demand may rise again.
Hope you enjoyed this Pop Petition guest post by Tiff! If you did, be sure to check out our other Pop Petition posts on the PHB, as well as our series on the topic of Poptropica and Age.
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. You can find some tips and guidelines on our page on how to Write for the PHB, and share blog posts on the PHC.
📰 If you have an idea for a PHB post, send it in! ✨
This is the My Place in Poptropica story of Tall Storm, an 8-year-old who found Poptropica from Jeff Kinney’s author blurb on Diary of a Wimpy Kid. See below for details on how to send in your MPIP story to be published here on the PHB!
Welcome, Tall Storm here! In this post I will explain how I came to Poptropica.
Discovering the old-school way, with Diary of a Wimpy Kid
So, it all started when I got a copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School. After seeing this book, I wanted the rest of the series. (To this day, I love reading these books. But anyway, let’s get back to Poptropica.)
I can’t remember when, but one time when I finished one of the books, I saw the blurb describing the other stuff that Jeff Kinney, the author, has done. One of these things was that he created Poptropica. So, one day I decided to play Poptropica.
Biting off that 24 Carrot — and more islands
I didn’t really play the game until a long time after I discovered it. But anyway, I first played Monkey Wrench Island, which was the tutorial island at the time. After that, I went on 24 Carrot Island…
And that’s where I got stumped. I didn’t know what to do. I looked on Google for guides on how to beat 24 Carrot — and that’s when I came across this very blog where you are now reading this post.
Thanks to the Poptropica Help Blog, I was able to complete 24 Carrot and get its medallion. And Time Tangled Island, which I completed, again, with the help of this blog.
Recently, I saw a post here on the PHB talking about the old islands returning. It was very exciting news for me, and for the second time, I got my own membership to access them! So far I’ve played Wimpy Wonderland, and of course, used the PHB’s guide to help me beat it.
By the way, my Poptropica username is Coolclam98 — so if Poptropica ever brings back the feature to add friends by username, you can add me! That’s all I have to say. Bye!
Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story! If you did, you’ll probably enjoy our other MPIP stories here on the PHB.
If you haven’t already, we invite you to send in your own. Please include your username and at least 500 words, typed with good spelling and grammar, and divided into labeled sections. If you send in your story, we will continue to post new community MPIPs!
Interested in writing for the PHB under a different Pop-topic? Take a look at our Write for the PHB page for ideas, guidelines, and more. We’d love to hear from you!
This is the My Place in Poptropica story of Silver Sword, whose loss of a main account kept him away from the game for many years, even despite exciting game updates. See below for details on how to send in your MPIP story to be published here on the PHB!
Hey, fellow Poptropicans! I’m Silver Sword (also known by my login name, “Rutherfordium”), and as for my history with Poptropica—that’s quite a long story, lemme tell ya. But here it goes…
The Beginning | Jan 2009–Sept 2012
My story starts in January 2009, just a little bit before Big Nate Island was released. I created an account to play Poptropica, and I actually hit an immovable road-block for me… on Early Poptropica Island. I was used to Club Penguin at the time, so I had no clue what I was doing at all. I sucked at the game, and wanted a do-over.
I went back to the sign-in page so I could get my do-over. And then I just exploited the heck out of it. Account after account after account was made. I never actually stuck to an account, and I kept that up for three years.
That all changed when Super Villain Island was announced on the Poptropica Creators’ Blog, and for some reason, it made me realize that I should probably stick to one account.
The Reign of “Mom40472” | Sept 2012–2013
The first account that I ever stuck with was “mom40472”, and let me say, that account was the best account I ever had. I completed so many islands, and I explored some that I hadn’t even landed the blimp on before, such as S.O.S., Twisted Thicket, and Vampire’s Curse.
After some time, I forgot about Poptropica for a little while. When Virus Hunter Island was announced, though, I bolted to the Poptropica website as fast as I possibly could. Two things caught my attention about this island: one, I’ve been dreaming of an island that explores the human body ever since Super Villain came out with its dream-wandering concept, and two, it was going to launch as an SUI (the first official sound updated island!). You bet I was excited!
But then, the unthinkable happened. Because of my little break, I couldn’t remember how to get into my account, which basically meant it was gone.
I was devastated. So much so that I basically gave up on Poptropica, bitter at them for demolishing a year’s worth of work.
Returning to Poptropica | Feb 2016–present
It was a solid three years before I even considered going back to Poptropica. Not even the six-years-overdue announcement of Monster Carnival Island was enough to bring me back.
But then Thinknoodles, a famous Poptropica YouTuber who I was subscribed to, suddenly popped up in my notifications with a series I thought he had long since abandoned—”Road To Captain Thinknoodles”—with this island that I hadn’t even seen any announcement of on the Poptropica Creators’ Blog. That island was Monkey Wrench Island.
I figured that, at last, I’d go back to Poptropica. But I didn’t want to gamble with my name and all that, so instead I created my account through the Custom Name Genie that I had seen on the PHB’s Glitching page. Much to my pleasure, “Silver Sword” was an option, so that’s what I went with.
And that brings us to the present day…
An 11-year journey
I joined Poptropica when I was just five years old. Now I’m 16 years old, and I’m still playing Poptropica after 11 years. Time flies, doesn’t it?
My journey isn’t ending here, though. If anything, my journey is just getting started.
If you think that Poptropica’s a “kiddie game,” just remember that I’ve been playing it for most of my life. To me, Poptropica is not a “kiddie game.” It’s a game for all ages, even if that age is not the demographic.
Don’t put down Poptropica when I’m around. If you do… MESS WITH THE SWORD, YOU GET THE BLADE.
Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story! If you did, you’ll probably enjoy our other MPIP stories here on the PHB.
If you haven’t already, we invite you to send in your own. Please include your username and at least 500 words, typed with good spelling and grammar, and divided into labeled sections. If you send in your story, we will continue to post new community MPIPs!
Interested in writing for the PHB under a different Pop-topic? Take a look at our Write for the PHB page for ideas, guidelines, and more. We’d love to hear from you!
This is the My Place in Poptropica story of Icy Tooth, whose discoveries of progress saving and island guides fueled his enthusiasm for Poptropica. See below for details on how to send in your MPIP story to be published here on the PHB!
Hi! I’m Icy Tooth, and today I’ll be sharing my story of coming to Poptropica!
A rainy school day
It all started back in 2009, on a rainy school day where we were given free time on the computers. My friends and I had no idea what to do when it was our turn on the computers… until I spotted a boy playing a game. It looked really cool, so I asked him what it was.
“Oh, this is Poptropica,” he said. Poptropica — it had a nice ring to it, so I decided to try it out with a few other friends. We all got on, entered the game, and soon, we were hooked. I even remember thinking, how had I not found out about this game sooner?
I looked at all the islands and saw that the boy who’d been playing first was playing Shark Tooth Island, so I decided to play the same one as him. Interacting with the characters was so cool, and the costumes were just awesome. I didn’t even know how to save my account yet.
Making progress
When I got back home from school that day, I decided to search the game up and play it some more. That’s when I found out you could save your account. I was mind-blown by the fact that you could save your progress! And so I kept playing.
Now I was playing Time Tangled Island and I was stuck. I just didn’t know what to do! So I searched up how to complete the island, and that’s how I found the Poptropica Help Blog. Thanks to this amazing website, I finally figured out how to finish the island! As I kept on playing, I would keep checking the Poptropica Help Blog for guides on new islands whenever they were released.
Lost and found
At some point I just forgot about Poptropica, and for a year, I didn’t play. Since I hadn’t written down my password and username, and don’t remember it, I lost all the progress on my first account.
When I finally picked up Poptropica again a year later in 2011, I made a new account: wewewe2575 (because wewewe was already taken). Nowadays, this is the username I use for games I play, and it all started with Poptropica. This time, I make sure to check in every day, so that I won’t lose my account ever again.
Anyway, I’ve learned a lot from Poptropica and the Poptropica Help Blog—so thank you.
Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story! If you did, you’ll probably enjoy our other MPIP stories here on the PHB.
If you haven’t already, we invite you to send in your own. Please include your username and at least 500 words, typed with good spelling and grammar, and divided into labeled sections. If you send in your story, we will continue to post new community MPIPs!
Interested in writing for the PHB under a different Pop-topic? Take a look at our Write for the PHB page for ideas, guidelines, and more. We’d love to hear from you!
Another glorious year has passed, and the ever-so-beloved Shiny Bird continues to restore harmony across Poptropica, along with the mysterious stranger who goes by the alias Mighty Sky… In other news… The Booted Bandit of Pelican Rock was reportedly caught by Shiny Bird after a series of unusual events…
Channel 7 Pop News, 1st day of year 3 of the Gilded Age
I entered 2016 optimistic considering we were just coming out of the Gilded Age. In the beginning of the year, I still went by my usual routine with Poptropica: log on every day and cause mayhem in the Early Poptroica common rooms. However, as the weeks went on, I began to realize that Poptropica hadn’t posted anything on the Creators’ Blog for some time… Strange… Even when they did post, it wasn’t anything that interesting (to me). I was looking for new content, but there hadn’t been anything new for a while… By the end of January, I was beginning to question the future of the game.
In the midst of February, Monkey Wrench Island came out. Even though it was short and intended for new players, I found it to be quite enjoyable, fun, and entertaining. Other than this, however, February wasn’t all that better than the previous month. The Creators’ Blog was becoming stale and new content was scarce… What’s going on here? I wondered.
Months had passed and nothing interesting was coming out of Poptropica. Sure, there were a few prizes here and there, but nothing really worthwhile to me. I was beginning to play less and less, to the point where I only checked in on Poptropica once a week — not even logging onto my account, but just looking at the Creator’s Blog to see if they had come out with something new.
In April, the news of some “new Poptropica” came about. I initially had mixed feelings for it, but I wanted to stick with an open mind — after all, they just announced it, so I’d have to wait and see before I could rightfully judge.
Desolate
…the best word I can use to describe the period between 2016–mid-2018… I logged on very little, as there was little to do. Nothing had me excited. Even the launch of the overdue Poptropica Worlds was a disappointment for me.
To make matters worse, late 2017-2018 was also a period where I entered a state of deep depression (admittedly, it still persists to this day, but it is not as bad as it was during this time), hence my online activity was becoming quite scarce.
Ignition
October of 2018 came around, and I still didn’t played Poptropica as much as I once did. I was in my senior year in high school and was beginning to drift my attention away from the game and more into school. As October dragged on, however, a thought randomly popped into my head: the annual Halloween costume contest on the PHB!
Lately, I had been checking in with the PHB, as it was the only place that was coming out with cool and interesting things about Poptropica. Meanwhile, the game itself seemed to have been abandoned by its creators.
Anyway, once I remembered the annual contest, I wanted to participate. So I checked the PHB, and sure enough, they were hosting another contest. I read through the post and—OH MY PRETZEL STICKS, THEY’RE GIVING AWAY FREE MEMBERSHIP?????!
I froze, fantasizing about the endless possibilities of a free membership… the exclusive stuff I could get from the store… the bonus quests I could gain access to at the end of each island… the clout I would get from the glowing membership status that would appear at the top left corner of the screen next to my battle rank every time someone hovers their mouse over me. I could hear myself laughing in the common rooms at everyone else as I’d spam the spacebar with the exclusive Poptropolis Games Discus in my hands, freezing them, and forcing them to their knees and beg for mercy. “FEAR ME, NONS!” I would shout.
But in order for all that to happen, I must take action… I’m now a man on a mission. Immediately, I went to work. I logged onto Poptropica filled with new determination, a feeling I hadn’t felt in years…
A New Hope
He sat there, staring back at the computer screen, proud of his creation. But would it be enough to take the prize home? Hours of effort put in, even creating a little poem about it just for safe measure… But could it all have been in vain? Only time would tell.
He had wanted to be a part of this particular community for a long time, but he never knew where to start. Deep inside, he was more afraid than anything. This is my best shot at it, he thought. He’d spent hours writing just one comment, consistently erasing it and polishing it in an effort to make a good first impression…
When the midnight hour struck, he settled down and hovered his mouse over the button that read “post.” Deep breath. Closed his eyes, and, in a whisper: here goes nothing… He lifted his finger… and pressed down…
*Click*
…The End.
A Final Word
You’ve reached the end. Yaaaay! Now, a few words: I can hear some of you saying, “ShInY, hOw DaRe YoU EnD In A cLiFfHaNgEr! ThAt’s, LiKe, BaSiCaLlY A CrImE — dId YoU wIn ThE cOnTeSt???” Yes, I did!
I won, got my membership, and enslaved every innocent soul in every common room spamming the Poptropolis Discus for hours on end got back to playing Poptropica more frequently. I even slithered my way into involvement in the PHB… well, kinda. So far, the only things I’ve really done around here is hang out in the comments section on each blog post and post my opinions on things, maybe referencing a meme or two… and that’s really it.
Later, I discovered the PHB Discord server. I joined, but never really said anything, lol. Mainly because I’m… well… kinda scared to be honest (as I mentioned in my author’s note at the beginning, I am a little socially awkward, hehe).
Anyway, when the summer (of 2019) hit, I decided to take a break from Poptropica, as well as refrain from posting comments on the PHB, in order to focus on college. (Believe me when I say it: college hit me hard, like, for me it’s basically the equivalent of being run over by a bus.) Still, I might come back and try to be even more involved in this community, though probably not until I get myself adjusted to college. We’ll see how it goes.
Well, I hope you liked my little story, despite the length. (I was originally gonna try to keep it shorter, but I’m just kinda used to writing long and didn’t want this to be any different, so I ditched that idea, lol.)
My fellow Poptropicans, don’t forget to stay fresh, and go crazy out there (not too crazy, though!). Most of all: keep on shining!
This is your friendly neighborhood bird signing off. Peace.
– Shiny Bird 🦅
Hope you enjoyed the final part of this “My Place in Poptropica” story!
If you haven’t already, we invite you to send in your own (and they don’t have to be as long as this one!). Please include your username and a minimum of 500 words, typed with good spelling and grammar, and divided into labeled sections. If you send in your story, we will continue to post new community MPIPs!
Interested in writing for the PHB under a different Pop-topic? Take a look at our Write for the PHB page for ideas, guidelines, and more. We’d love to hear from you!
🏝️ Poptropica Help Blog 🗺️ 