Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by HPuterpop. Enjoy!
Like with Cobalt in Part 1 of my adventures in meeting Poptropica friends IRL, I had known Pixel by many names throughout our years of adolescence. But through all the names, she was still the Nice Dragon I had met on that fateful day in 2013. It wasn’t until 11 years later, on January 7, 2024 in Franklin, North Carolina, that we met in person…
The morning air was filled with optimistic adventure, and the two-hour drive from my home in Greenville, South Carolina had felt like 20 minutes with the destination in mind. We were meeting exactly in the middle: she had driven two hours from her home, too.
I got out of my truck and gave Pixel a long overdue hug. For years, I yearned to meet her and bridge the gap from the internet to real life. Upon meeting, there was nothing but love between us. As digital as our relationship was, the truth was that we knew each other better than all of the people I had developed friendships with in person.
Then off we went on our real-life Poptropica adventure. On our way into Franklin, we had both spotted plenty of places to check out, starting with the Franklin Cafe.
Waltzing into this small town diner, both of us larger than life, we made ourselves at home at a booth. The walls were decorated with entirely discordant memorabilia, which was perfect for both of our focus-devoid brains. We had years of catching up to do, and the chefs at the Franklin Cafe seemed to take notice, as they took their sweet time preparing our food. But after what felt like forever, our food arrived — well worth the wait!
After the cafe, we drove to the American House Cat Museum, which was every bit as amazing as it sounds. Walking through the entrance, which itself was a large wooden depiction of a kitten, we were bombarded with everything feline — and I mean EVERYTHING. Cat carousel, cat pipes, cat paintings, a 6,000 year old cat mummy, a cartoon-sized Garfield clock.
We were even fortunate enough to meet the owner of the museum, Dr. Harold W. Sims (hey, that’s an interesting name, isn’t it?). He and his cat Mimi seemed to follow us around the museum, and he gave us the unique experience of listening to his collection of cat-themed music boxes. While the mechanically melodic chords chimed away, he told us facts and trivia about his museum, and cat art in general. On our way out, we picked up these simply unforgettable key chains, which we both kept on our car keys. If anyone asks, this guy was my grandpa!
We then headed to Lighthouse Baptist Church, which had a replica lighthouse in the front of the building. Echoing concepts from a Poptropica fan game we dreamed of years ago, we took pictures: Meridian and Sorrowyn, standing by Meridian’s lighthouse in the Skylands north of River City.
It felt like more than coincidence being in this small town, where these perfect Poptropican treasures were waiting to be discovered by the two of us.
Once we were satisfied with the lighthouse pictures, we returned to downtown Franklin. Most shops were closed, but we found two open seats at an outdoor table with a checkerboard set up. So, we did what Meridian and Sorrowyn might do in this situation. We fought a good fight, and both pulled out all the stops. But the truth of the game was inescapable: for one to win, the other must concede.
Pixel and Spencer are more real to me than the friends I made in high school or college, and they serve as a testament to the power and persistence of love itself. These experiences have made me even more appreciative of my time spent in the Poptropica community, and has made me want to honor it in the best way I know how.
Poptropica, as a game and as a community, was and is so important to me. Back in 2016, I began work on a fan game titled “Orb Legend”, featuring characters like Cobalt, Meridian, and Sorrowyn. This was a huge undertaking for adolescents with a little too much free time. Even though we had a team of around 11 volunteers at the height of its production, it wasn’t meant to be that time around. Simply put, we would have needed funding to bring the game to life, which we as kids didn’t have.
But we are no longer children. We’re now in our 20s, with the skills that we once dreamt of. And with how the game’s been going lately, on top of the recent branding changes that Poptropica has undergone, I think it might be the perfect time to try this once again. With a crowdfunding plan to launch soon, I am very excited to present to all of you…
The teaser trailer for Poptropica: Legends will be dropping on February 15! Be sure to follow us on all the socials so you can be the first to see it.
- Twitter / X: @PopLegendsGame
- TikTok: @PopLegendsGame
- Instagram: @PopLegendsGame
- YouTube here
I often think back to my time writing on the PHB, and while I made a lot of mistakes and let my ego get the best of me far too often, I also have many treasured memories in this community. It was an extremely unique experience at the height of the Poptropica community, one that I’m afraid will never really happen in the same way again. We were all born at the right time, in the right place, to experience the magic. A fandom run by children, all with a simple shared passion for a game that wasn’t too incredibly popular, to prevent any one person from taking the spotlight.
Thank you all for being such an influential part of my story. I hope I made a positive impact on yours. And with Legends, I hope to continue that alongside the rest of you.
That’s all for now,
– HPuterpop, a.k.a. Andrew Wiles
Hope you enjoyed this guest post by HPuterpop. If you did, you might also enjoy reading his ‘My Place in Poptropica’ story — the first one ever!
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!
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