Category: Guest Posts

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.

My Place in Poptropica

My Place in Poptropica: Quick Sky

Slanted Fish
This is the My Place in Poptropica story of Quick Sky, who runs her own Poptropica blog at Poptropica Fever. See below for details on how to send in your own MPIP story!

mpip quicksky

Hello! You probably don’t know me, but my name is Quick Sky. I love Poptropica (and this blog!) so much that I decided to create a MPIP. I hope you enjoy it!

2010 | Fashionably Late, As Usual 🙂

My humble beginnings start in the tiny two-room apartment I lived in – one that I would soon have to share with yet another sibling. Most early memories are foggy, but I remember, as clear as day, the first time I went on Poptropica as a clueless 5-year-old.

I was in my kitchen with my older sister on the new, fancy computer, playing on the Funbrain Playground. We saw an ad for Poptropica and there we were!

I made my account first. Despite being 5, I remember thinking “well, I am very mature for my age… so I guess the website won’t mind if I say that I’m 15.” Well, 15 it is, then! 😂

For my username I typed something random: “ddf”. Of course it was already taken, so I modified it: “ddf224” (friend me on Poptropica if you’d like with it!). And with that, Quick Sky was born.

2011 | And So the Adventure Begins!

I have very few memories of actually completing islands at this time – all I had done was Reality TV Island with the help of my sister, and later on, Cryptids, thanks to the amazing Thinknoodles on YouTube. Despite this, I went on Poptropica every day. Thanks to the photo album, I can truly appreciate my old, god-ugly costumes! 🤣

However, my parents began to get annoyed that I was on the computer so much. And when they finally had enough, they put their foot down. No, parental control on the computer wouldn’t do. They wanted done with Poptropica!

So they changed the password to the computer and gave us kids a different account that only had access to “parent-approved websites” …which were basically all math websites. Seriously, like, you couldn’t even use Google on that account. Google!

So all my dreams of completing islands and being the best Poptropican ever (ha!) went down the toilet – er, hole of Omegon.

2012–2014 | Nothing. Just… nothing

I think the title speaks for itself here. I still liked Poptropica – I recommended it to lots of people – but I just couldn’t play it.

However, I do remember, in 2013 when I was in the third grade, I begged my parents to give me $10. With it, I could buy a Poptropica book about mythology from my school’s book sale – the first and only Poptropica merch I ever got.

2015–2017 | Out of the Hole, and Into the Blogging World

In late 2015, I began playing Poptropica on my school Chromebook, but the school district was constantly blocking games on it, so I was back in the hole. Again.

Luckily, I pulled myself out of the hole one last time in the spring and summer of 2017. My parents gave me the password to the all-access account after so many years so I could learn coding. Finally, Finally, FINALLY!! I was FREE!

My sister was upset about this, because now she wasn’t the only kid in the house who knew the password, and plus now she couldn’t blackmail me with it either. But she got over it. Though, did I? Heck no!

I made a vow to make up for lost time just this summer by completing ALL the islands. And I’ve pretty much succeeded!

While on my quest to completing every island, I landed on the PHB. I was impressed, read it every day, and one day I decided to make a new email address (I’d deleted my past ones) so I could comment on the blog.

The PHB has inspired me to create my own Poptropica blog – poptropicafever.wordpress.com – and for that, I’ll forever be grateful.

Present Day

So that was it! This is the story of the girl who pulled herself out of the hole only to be kicked back in. This is the story of the girl who didn’t want to stop playing Poptropica, not ever – but she was forced to anyway. This is the story of – okay, okay, I get it!

But seriously. I loved this game yesterday, I love it today, and hopefully I’ll still love it in 70 years, if I live that long. And that’s My Place in Poptropica! Thanks for reading!

–Quick Sky

P.S. Don’t tell my parents I started playing again or you’ll start seeing less of me! ;)

Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story!

If you haven’t already, we invite you to send in your own. Please include your username and a minimum of 550 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!

~the Poptropica Help Blog

Guest Posts, Pop 5

Pop 5: Big Things That Happened to Poptropica

Slanted Fish

(Hello, Poptropicans! This is a guest post written by Magic Sinker, who has her own site called The Poptastic Blog. Keep in mind that this list represents only the author’s opinions. Enjoy!)

Hi, Poptropicans, Magic Sinker here! Today I am going to do a Pop 5 post, which is, if you had no clue, a post in which a Poptropican writes a list about a topic on Poptropica, which in this case is Top 5 Best things that have happened to Poptropica! Let’s start!

#5: In the year 2007, Poptropica was released!

oldhomepage

Behold, the inevitable truth that many overlook. Yes, this may seem like a small fact to you, but it’s the foundation for everything we’re talking about here!

Also in this year of 2007, this was the year Poptropica founder, Jeff Kinney, published the first Wimpy Kid book! The debut of the game also came with its first and only island at the time: Early Poptropica.

#4: The First Sound-Updated Island, Episodic Island, and Sponsored Island was released!

These three Islands are: Virus Hunter Island (first SUI), Survival Island (first episodic adventure), and Big Nate Island (first sponsored island). All three of these Islands are — believe me — very different when you first take a look at them, but even with their differences, they were all special in their own ways.

Personally, my favorite Island out of these three is Virus Hunter Island.

#3: Skinny Moon became the main author on the Creators’ Blog and the social media manager!

sm-snap

To all the new Poptropica players, there used to be a few other authors on the official Creators’ blog, such as Dr. Hare and Captain Crawfish, but now there is only one: Skinny Moon. This didn’t only happen on the Creators’ Blog, though.

For all the fans of Poptropica over the age of 13, the Poptropica Creators are on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and a few other social media platforms. Skinny Moon herself has also been known to stop by Discord on occasion!

#2: The Poptropica Help Chat moved to Discord!

phc2.png

Some of us know that the PHC, which is the PHB’s chat hangout, used to be on Xat, but I think that Discord is the more convenient server option. You may already know about Discord, since the PHC recently had a party for Pride Month, but still, this is big!

Thanks to the ease of use with Discord, many more Poptropicans (including myself) were able to discover and chat with the friendly community of fellow Poptropicans.

#1: Poptropica Worlds arrived at last!

popworlds.png

Yes, we definitely all know this and, sorry to say, but if you didn’t, where you hiding under a rock this past time? We had been waiting for a little more than a year, and a few months ago, the Poptropica Creators posted the sneak-peek teaser video which gave us the name Poptropica Worlds, instead of the mysterious “New Poptropica.”

Anyway, in May, the long-awaited reboot game finally debuted! Yay!

So, I hope you guys enjoyed my little list, and please tell me your opinion in the comments below. Bye!

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Magic Sinker! If you did, be sure check out her site, The Poptastic Blog.

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 Write for the PHB page. We also encourage sharing blog posts on the PHC.

If you have an idea for a PHB post, send it in to [email protected]! :)

Guest Posts, Poptropica Worlds, Reviews

In the Eyes of a Newbie: Poptropica Original vs Worlds

Slanted Fish

This post originally appeared on The Pop Blog and is being shared on the PHB courtesy of the author, LillySparkle$. See the bottom of this post for how you, too, can write for the PHB!

newbie eyes

Hey guys, today I am here with a rather unusual yet interesting post: we’re going to see Poptropica from the eyes of a newbie who’s never played before.

Since most of us reading this have probably been with Poptropica for a while, our opinions about the new Worlds are heavily influenced by the Poptropica we’ve gotten to know. But have you ever wondered what Poptropica looks like in the eyes of a little kid playing for the first time? Which would he like better: the new or the classic?

We’re going to dive in by introducing my friend Super Bug (that’s his Poptropican name) – a seven-year-old boy who’s never played Pop – to the game of our childhoods.

To keep things even, this commentary is only about his play-throughs of one island on each: Monkey Wrench on the original, and Crisis Caverns on Worlds.

Poptropica Original

I got Super Bug started on this one first because I think it’s always better to start with the originals. I helped him pick a name and get the basic customization. Then, he went to the tutorial of Monkey Wrench Island and figured things out on his own.

He said he enjoyed the action, specifically when the Red Baroness throws the wrench at the airplane. He liked the controls of the game, like climbing and jumping: “I felt like a ninja playing it!” He thought that “the floating head is sorta creepy and sorta funny!” His favorite parts of playing were the action, solving problems, and the puzzles, such as the one with the rock and the crab.

His only complaint was that the Red Baroness was “mean and didn’t want them to win the race.” When I asked for any final word on the game, he gave the descriptive answer of “it was good.” So there you have it!

Poptropica Worlds

Design-wise, Super Bug said he liked Poptropica Worlds because they had “necks which made them less scary.” Like the original, he said he liked the mini games and challenges. He had so much fun!

He loved the geysers (water-shooting rock formations) you could jump on in Crisis Caverns. He enjoys the jumping because it was “much further than a human jump” and made you feel “like a superhero!” He loves the idea of houses as well and had lots of fun playing around with his!

He doesn’t like the difficulty of controls that was different from the first one. Overall, he said it was “good.”

The Verdict

Before I tell you which Poptropica he picked as the winner, I want to add in how Poptropica could actually be quite educational for kids. I never really noticed it before since I am older, but Super Bug had tons of fun reading the characters and giving them specific voices. He loved solving the problems and thinking of solutions. It was a really cool thing to see, and it took me by surprise!

So, when asked which one he liked better, he chose… both!?

And I am not making this up or anything. He played through both and said he couldn’t pick! He liked both for different reasons, and he thought the game was so fun! He loved every minute of playing both games! I am really excited to see him completing more and more islands.

Well that about sums up the first taste of both Poptropicas, as experienced by a seven-year-old. And because he is only seven, his answers and reviews on Poptropica aren’t the most complex or detailed, but that’s fine. What matters is that he had fun and enjoyed the game!

Hope this was an eye-opener for you guys! Let me know in the comments if you remember any first thoughts you had about Poptropica as a kid, or just your thoughts on the whole ordeal!

 Signing out,

Lills (Maroon Jumper)

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by LillySparkle$! Be sure to check out her site, The Pop Blog.

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 Write for the PHB page. We also encourage sharing blog posts on the PHC.

If you have an idea for a blog post, send it in to [email protected]! :)

My Place in Poptropica

My Place in Poptropica: G-Hopper

Slanted Fish

This is the My Place in Poptropica story of G-Hopper, who runs his own Poptropica blog at Brainy Pop Blog. See below for details on how to send in your own MPIP story!

Hey guys! My name is G-Hopper, and I have finally decided to write an MPIP! I hope you enjoy it! If you want to add me on Poptropica, my username is Wheze4. Shall we proceed?

|2011–2012| A Small Beginning

It all started off when I was a little four- or five-year-old, watching my sister play Poptropica. I loved the game, and was impressed with what she could accomplish! I decided to try out this game myself, not really completing any islands, due to me being so young. (I also may or may not have forgotten every account’s username and password.)

However, I continued to enjoy the game, even without achieving anything whatsoever. Also, my younger individual was completely attracted to computers back then – they were the building blocks of me today. I used to play Club Penguin constantly until I found Poptropica, and then I’d play a little of the two.

But as the year went on, Poptropica disappeared from my mind, since it grew a bit dull to me as I grew up.

|2013–2014| Small Sparks

In the following years, I remembered the game a bit. Still, I didn’t play it as much since I still could not recall usernames and passwords. Plus, the difficulty of the game just got higher.

To be honest, 2014 is a year I can’t even remember. The fame completely went to Club Penguin at that time. Also, around this time, SUIs (sound-updated islands) were being introduced, and I got seriously confused when I saw color on the original, iconic Poptropica map. All thought of the virtual world went to sleep, until…

|2015| Up and Playing Again! (And the PHB!)

2015 was the year of revival for my Poptropica activity, as I was seriously losing interest in Club Penguin due to Disney’s actions to the game.

By this time I could beat so many islands on Poptropica, thanks to the PHB’s great walkthroughs. I didn’t even know about all the other things the PHB had until some months later!

Also, Escape From Pelican Rock Island was introduced at the end of the year, which really piqued my interest as a player. However, I couldn’t play the new island until 2016, since they released in later for non-members.

|2016| Entering the Community

In mid-2016, as the PHB prepared to host the Poppies 2016, their annual Poptropica community awards, I decided to make a great leap to get more involved in the wider community surrounding Poptropica, starting with creating a Discord account. I received pretty warm welcomes, and I was guided by one of my first PHC friends, Orange Shell.

From there, I managed to get a meme face scheduled, make a deviantArt account, and start my blogging experience by creating the Brainy Pop Blog, which I run along with a few others. This was the greatest year for my Poptropican.

I evolved through blogging and attended tons of PHB events. It was a whole new start for me, and it felt like it was never going to end.

|2017| The Whole New World and Beyond

The beginning of 2017 wasn’t all that eventful, but anxiety for the upcoming Poptropica Worlds continued building up. I passed the time by getting involved with the Pokemon fandom and another game called ROBLOX.

Then finally, in May, Poptropica Worlds was introduced! It caused a large revival in the activity of my blog, and Poptropica news was popping up everywhere. I’m so thrilled for what’s to come in this community!

And that’s My Place in Poptropica.

~ G-Hopper (G) (Cuddly Brain) (CB) (DJ Waffleman)
(The-guy-who-has-gone-through-too-many-nicknames!)

Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story!

If you haven’t already, we invite you to send in your own. Please include your username and a minimum of 550 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!

~the Poptropica Help Blog

My Place in Poptropica

My Place in Poptropica: Cassandra

Slanted Fish

This is the My Place in Poptropica story of Cassandra, who enjoys making fanart for her fandoms, including Poptropica. See below for how to send in your own MPIP!

2007 | Starting Out

I was in third or fourth grade when Poptropica came out in 2007. I was on the computer, supposed to be playing some math game on FunBrain, but instead I found Poptropica. As you can guess, I created my avatar, beat islands… and then, I found out about glitching.

I wasn’t a glitcher or anything, but I was a kid who didn’t realize there was hacking of accounts going on. When I did realize, I stopped. Soon after, I found the PHB – yes, I was reading the blog even then. That brings us to my middle school years…

2011–2012 | Middle School

Middle school began with me as my normal fifth-grade self, with a huge grin on my face because I was now in middle school. Well, I took a long leave of absence from playing Poptropica, but I still read the PHB.

At that time, I started liking the Percy Jackson books. Also, I started making art. I didn’t really create Poptropica fan art, but I learned about the Poptropica art style from the Percy Jackson fandom. I still liked Poptropica, but not enough to create fan art for it.

Then came high school…

2013–2016 | High School, part one

In the first two years of high school, I didn’t have many interests, not even Poptropica. I don’t remember much about how much I was involved with the Poptropica fandom.

However, in 2016, I started getting back into Poptropica – and this is where the interesting stuff happens! I saw that Poptropica Worlds was introduced, and to me, it was a new beginning. So, that’s why I wanted to wait until Pop Worlds came out to do my own MPIP story on the PHB.

I also wanted to build my art portfolio on DeviantArt. After a few months of thinking about it, I thought, well, why not just do it? So, at nearly 11 p.m. on a Sunday night, I decided to do it. And, that brings us into June 2017…

2017 & beyond | Decisions, Decisions…

First, now, I’m getting back into Poptropica. I was waiting until Pop Worlds came out before I actually started playing again. I wanted to see what it would be like, and I do have some theories and questions.

I also am doing Percy Jackson stuff, but that’s for a different place than the PHB. I still think Poptropica is awesome. Pop Worlds is out, so I’m slowly starting to play Poptropica more. I really liked Pop Worlds (customization is awesome!) but I wish they had more islands to play and stuff to do other than just admire Home Island. I really like the running animation. I hope to draw more fan art and do cool things in this fandom.

In the future, I’d like to be an active fanartist and fanfic writer, and also have a DeviantArt page set up so I can post my original art as well as fanart. I hope to be a professional artist one day, and even still, continue to make fanart for both Percy Jackson and Poptropica.

~Cassandra

Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story!

If you haven’t already, we invite you to send in your own (please include a minimum of 550 words, type with good spelling and grammar, divide it into labeled sections, and include your username). If you send in your story, we will continue to post new community MPIPs!

~the Poptropica Help Blog