Category: Islands

Escape from Pelican Rock Island, Galactic Hot Dogs Island, Islands, Mystery of the Map Island, Timmy Failure Island, Uncategorized

The Islands of 2015 – Ranked 10 Years Later 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣5️⃣

LJ

Howdy Poptopicanos! 🤟 This is LJ, and today I’ll be ranking the islands from 2015, a decade after they were released. There were only 4 islands that came out this year that I’ll be including in this ranking: Galactic Hot Dogs, Mystery of the Map, Timmy Failure, and Escape from Pelican Rock. Let’s see how they place!

(Please note, the final episodes of PoptropiCon & Arabian Nights were released in 2015 as well, but those islands were included in the 2014 ranking. Also, these are not full reviews of the islands; therefore, each analysis will be brief.)

#4: Galactic Hot Dogs Island 🌭

(released: January 30 for members & February 19 for all)

I’ll be honest, Galactic Hot Dogs Island never interested me at the time of its release and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the urge to ever replay it. I do like the character designs and the colors are visually appealing to me—the overall art style might even be better than the next island on this list. Still, that’s just not enough for me to rank this one any higher. Sorry Galactic Hot Dogs!

#3: Timmy Failure Island 🐻‍❄️

(released: September 17 for members & October 6 for all)

Just like Galactic Hot Dogs Island, this one also didn’t grab my interest. I struggle to recall much about this island, aside from Timmy Failure’s pet polar bear, Total, who totally stole the show for being a whole mood. Total seems more likable than any of the characters from Galactic Hot Dogs, so because of that alone, Timmy Failure Island sits in third place. (Oh, and the mini-game where you have to dodge the trash from the garbage truck is one other thing I remember. That was pretty fun.)

#2: Mystery of the Map Island 🗺️

(released: May 21 for members & June 11 for all)

I’ll be upfront and say that I have a positive bias towards this island. Why? I’m not entirely sure, maybe it’s just the good vibes it gives off. The soundtrack definitely hits home for me as I remember playing this island over 10 times when I was younger.

Now, if you’ve read the first book in the Poptropica graphic novel series that this island is based on, you’ll see just how dull this island feels in comparison. It really doesn’t have much in terms of character or story development (which is a common theme for this year in general). Still, it’s not the worst island we’ve seen in Poptropica and it’s definitely an improvement over the last two islands on this list. I’ll admit again that I’m biased, though. I really like the characters Oliver, Mya, and Jorge for who they are beyond just this island.

#1: Escape from Pelican Rock Island 🌉

(released: December 10 for members & December 30 for all)

Escape from Pelican Rock, in my opinion, was the last truly great island that Poptropica came out with. To me, it’s even better than some of the islands that were released in what we all think of as Poptropica’s prime time. EFPR has a colorful array of characters and an engaging storyline centered around a jailbreak and clearing your name.

Although spending each day in the prison could feel a bit monotonous, I appreciate that there was always something slightly different happening every day. The island was challenging, but not to the extent that it caused a complete meltdown from stress—just good fun. And let’s not forget that the PHB got a shoutout in the form of an easter egg! How awesome is that?

Unfortunately, 2015 was sort of the beginning of the end of Poptropica, so this wasn’t really a difficult ranking to make. Escape from Pelican Rock Island is the standout that’s really carrying this year, MotM is just kinda there, and the other two aren’t really for me.

Have you played any of these islands? Which one did you like the most and which one did you like the least? I’m especially curious to see the comparisons between Galactic Hot Dogs and Timmy Failure. Which one is better/worse for you, and why? Share your opinions in the comments down below. 👇 Also, check out my other rankings of the Poptropica Islands if you’re interested: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, & 2014 Thanks for reading, everybody…pop on and have a Happy New Year!🍀

Merchandise, Red Dragon Island

The Lost Yokozuna Plush: A True Kanji Secret

Slanted Fish

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

Hey fellow Poptropicans!

I’ve got a real head-scratcher for you today, one that takes us all the way back to the golden age of Poptropica merchandise. You might even call it a Kanji Secret. We all remember the awesome official plush toys that were released alongside the action figures, and super-fans may recall the unreleased early prototype plush toys that never saw store shelves… but there’s another plush toy waiting to be discovered, calling out to us from the past…

I wish we could go there!

Red Dragon Island marked the 19th island addition to Poptropica, a collaboration with the Magic Tree House series. Adapted from Dragon of the Red Dawn (Book 37 in Mary Pope Osborne’s series), the island transported players into Edo-period Japan. Among its memorable characters was Yokozuna, the towering sumo wrestler who served as one of the game’s most iconic boss battles. Players had to outmaneuver his charges and stomps until his own rage caused him to fall out of the ring. His design drew from authentic Japanese culture: his very name signifies the highest rank in sumo wrestling. Some fans even speculate that his look may have been inspired by WWE’s “Yokozuna”, Rodney Agatupu Anoa’i. Beyond the fight itself, the character was given nuance — fierce yet deeply adored by his fans.

Recently, a Yokozuna plush toy surfaced in an eBay listing, and it’s quite an anomaly. Yokozuna, remember, is the formidable sumo champion from Red Dragon Island, released back in 2011.

This sent me down a rabbit hole. I scoured the Poptropica Creators’ Blog archives, dug through old press releases from 2011-2014 (when the toys were hitting shelves), and searched for any promotional material. The result? Nothing. There is absolutely no official record of a Yokozuna plush ever being announced, promoted, or sold.

Now, you might be thinking, “This (exorbitantly priced) plush toy was probably a fan creation.” But after getting my hands on it, I can confirm that the build quality is nearly identical to the official Poptropica plush toys from back in the day. It has the same distinctive felt details for the hair and clothing, the same fabric used for the eyes, and the overall professional construction that marked the official line of merchandise. A fan-made plush of this quality, especially for a less-mainstream character like Yokozuna, seems highly unlikely.

It all begins to make sense once the context is fully considered: Red Dragon Island launched in May 2011 for members (and June for everyone else), while Jazwares’ physical Poptropica toys hit Toys “R” Us shelves just a few months later, in August. The plush I found matches the official line’s quality but lacks retail tags: a hallmark of pre-production samples. And considering Yokozuna’s prominence as one of the Red Dragon Island’s bosses, it’s logical that the character would’ve been considered for a plush toy.

Sure enough, when I asked the eBay seller sweetsweet, they replied with exactly the information I was expecting:

(Shoutout to sweetsweet for the friendly and fast reply! Their store is a treasure trove of rare memorabilia, so check them out if you’re a collector.)

I’m really fortunate to own this rare piece of Poptropica (and Magic Tree House) history. The Yokozuna looks right at home along with the rest of his plush friends and The Dragon of the Red Dawn, the pages in which he first came to life.

Case closed… or at least, mostly.

– HPuterpop

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by HPuterpop. If you did, you might also enjoy reading more about his upcoming Poptropica-inspired game in development, Poptropica: Legends.

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!

Islands, PHB Series, PHB Specials

PHB Special: Poptropica Alignment Charts, Part 2

LJ

Wazzup Poptropicanos, it’s LJ, and welcome to the second installment of my little Poptropica Alignment Charts series. Let’s dive into the second chart. I promise the analysis will be less long-winded this time. 😅

Last time, we looked at a classic alignment chart, but it’s not the only kind! Over time, folks have really gotten inventive, resulting in many different types of charts that come in various formats to evaluate different traits or situational outcomes. Let’s see what we have in store today…

Here, I’ve plotted the first 13 islands of Poptropica, which I deem the true OGs, on a quadrant chart.

The x-axis (horizontal line) ranks the islands from boring to fun, while the y-axis (vertical line) measures their difficulty. In the top right corner, you’ll see the islands I find to be the most captivating, challenging, and enjoyable to play. Islands like Astro-Knights and Mythology have always been among my favorites, and I consider them to be some of Poptropica’s greatest work. I love them so much! 💚

On the opposite end, in the bottom left quadrant, you’ll see the islands that I find to be a bit too simple and not particularly engaging, at least in comparison. Sorry to 24 Carrot and Early Poptropica! 😢

Every other island lies somewhere in between. If an island is near the center of the chart vertically, yet positioned far to the right side (like Reality TV Island, for example), I consider it to be a mix of semi-challenging and semi-simple, yet still genuinely fun! 🙌

Shark Tooth Island, which sits at the bottom of the chart but is near the middle horizontally, is an island I consider super easy, yet still enjoyable. It might not be the most exciting ever, but it’s still a good time. 🙂

The top left quadrant is empty because I don’t think any island is both boring and extremely hard in this era of Poptropica. I hope this all makes sense! I’m thinking about doing all of the islands at some point later on. 😀

Thanks for reading this post. We have one more chart left to go! How would you place these 13 islands on the quadrant chart? You can comment your answers or use my template down below! 🍀

Blast from the Past, Counterfeit Island, Cryptids Island, Great Pumpkin Island, Islands, Mythology Island, Reality TV Island, Skullduggery Island, Steamworks Island

The Islands of 2010 – Ranked 15 Years Later 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣0️⃣

LJ

Howdy Poptropicanos! 🤟 This is LJ, and today I will be ranking the islands from 2010, which are celebrating their 15th anniversary this year. It’s crazy to realize how long ago these were released, isn’t it? I believe that the islands from 2010 highlight some of Poptropica’s best work, and I can’t wait to get into it. Let’s begin!

Please note that this is not a comprehensive review of each island; therefore, the analysis will be concise.

#7: Steamworks Island ⚙️

(Released for members on August 12 & all players on September 9)

Placing Steamworks Island in the last position may attract some flack as it seems to be pretty popular among many players. In all honesty, though, my recollection of this island is rather limited. 😬 I believe I’ve only played Steamworks on two occasions: once shortly after its initial release and another time during Poptropica’s Hall of Fame competition.

I can recall a few elements, however, such as Sprocket being a supportive companion and the very challenging boss battle, both of which I like looking back. Still, I wasn’t fond of the lonesome experience throughout most of the gameplay, but I’m willing to admit I was probably just too young to fully appreciate the intricacies of this island at the time. Perhaps I should’ve played it more, but ultimately, Steamworks Island stands at seventh place on this list. 3/10 mech cranks. (I’m so sorry y’all.) 🫣

#6: Great Pumpkin Island 🎃

(Released for members on September 30 & all players on October 14)

The Peanuts franchise is a source of comfort for me, as I’ve enjoyed several of its television specials and feature films repeatedly over the years. 😊 Great Pumpkin Island effectively mirrors the classic “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” special, and I sincerely appreciate the TLC the creators put into bringing the wonderful world of Peanuts into Poptropica.

The gameplay is brief, but it’s packed with various games and engaging moments that make for a very enjoyable time. I would like to rank it higher (compared to its placement in the Halloween ranking), but the competition is strong this year. 6/10 great pumpkins! 🙂

#5: Skullduggery Island 🏴‍☠️

(Released for members on May 20 & all players on June 17)

The next entry on this list is the unique adventure that is Skullduggery Island. I feel like Skullduggery tends to divide opinions sharply; players either love it or hate it. Personally, I find myself firmly in the camp of those who like it. 😀

Much of the gameplay involves traversing the seas, trading various goods, recruiting crew members and upgrading ship models. While this process requires some patience that sometimes I don’t even have, upgrading to a new ship gave me a rush like no other, haha. 😁

Encountering storms, enemy ships, and sea creatures while sailing around was somewhat nerve-wracking but overall remained fun. Plus, the trading aspect was enjoyable and educational for me. The diversity of the landscapes was also impressive, as each mini-island seemed to represent a different region of the real world. There are a lot of things I like about this one! 7/10 doubloons!

#4: Cryptids Island 👣

(Cryptids Island was released for members on December 20, 2010 & all players on January 18, 2011. For the sake of ranking all of the islands as quickly as I can, I’ll be including it in this list as opposed to waiting to tackle the year 2011.)

Like Steamworks Island, this island is one that I surprisingly neglected during my childhood, which is pretty baffling to me given that its premise seems like something I would’ve instantly gravitated towards. The pursuit of the world’s most popular cryptids in order to prove their existence seems to be a perfect concept for a Poptropica island.

I’m very glad that I made the decision to revisit this one a couple of times in 2020 because I really took a liking to it. 👍 The mini-games were entertaining, the landscapes were appealing, and the Jersey Devil jump scare remains memorable to this day. 8/10 footprints for Cryptids Island!

#3: Reality TV Island 📺

(Released for members on February 24, 2010 & all players on March 24, 2010)

Reality TV Island had me hooked right from the trailer. The idea of being on a TV show and becoming a star was so cool to me back then. 🌟 I remember investing in a considerable amount of time to make sure my application was flawless in order to secure a spot on the show. (Spoiler: you always get accepted, lol)

The island was packed with a fun cast of eccentric characters that I personally fell in love with. (I even made paper dolls of them so I could play RTV irl with my cousins!) While a majority of them weren’t super fleshed out, each had their own little quirks that became apparent by reading their dialogue if you decided to click on them.😜 We also got a handful of guest appearances from fan favorite villains like Betty Jetty and Dr. Hare to pick up any slack.

I thought most of the games on the island were a total blast! While some, such as Water Run and Coconut Catch, could be somewhat irritating, overall, it was a fun and thrilling experience. (I actually got pretty decent at Water Run eventually.) The worst part about this island, though, was if you ever got trapped in a relentless cycle of being voted off the show, like I did – especially if you were super close to winning. GAHHH. 😂 Regardless, I give Reality TV Island 9/10 coconuts!

#2: Counterfeit Island 🎨

(Released for members on December 21, 2009 & all players on January 4, 2010. For the same reason as with Cryptids Island, I’m including it here.)

In contrast to Reality TV, Counterfeit Island introduced a couple of unforgettable characters, such as the devious art thief Black Widow and the pitiable, ever-drifting Balloon Boy. Talk about Poptropica icons! 👌

Moments I found enjoyable include analyzing the art in the museum, utilizing the x-ray device, and the scooter chase with the shady cop. I also found the plot twist surprising and well executed. (This was before I spoke French and could understand that “Veuve Noire” means “Black Widow”.)

Fun Fact: Counterfeit Island marked the first instance where you needed to travel to another island in order to complete it. It wouldn’t be until Rumpel’s side quest, which came more than a decade later, that we’d see this again. 🤓 That aspect always made Counterfeit interesting to me, alone. I was simply blown away.

Counterfeit Island is indeed a masterpiece. 9.5/10 paint palettes!

#1: Mythology Island 🌩️

(Released for members on April 1 & all players on April 29)

Where do I even begin with Mythology Island? This was the first island I ever played on its release day as a member which contributes a bit to my fond memories of this one. Mythology Main Theme is also one of my favorite soundtracks in the game which adds a few bonus points. 😏

As a kid, I developed a profound fascination with Greek mythology, entirely because of my playthrough of Mythology Island! I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the various deities and encountering them (such as Hades, Athena, Aphrodite, etc.) was even cooler. The narrative was compelling, the characters were memorable, the scenery was exquisite, and the gameplay provided a meaningful educational component without being excessive. In essence, everything was perfect in my opinion. 😄

I, like almost everybody I knew, felt really disappointed when Poptropica transferred Mythology over to Haxe. It’s as if numerous elements that made the island truly remarkable were discarded in favor of a more simple, straightforward experience. (Not my Poptropica! 😤) Nonetheless, the original version will forever hold a special place in my heart as one of my all-time favorite islands, not just in 2010, but across the entirety of the game. 💚 10/10 starfish!

Wowie, what a year! In tandem with 2011 and 2012, it definitely represents a peak period for Poptropica. I can’t wait to do those upcoming years later…

Were you able to play any of these islands? I’m curious to know which one you liked best and which one you liked the least. Please share your opinions in the comments down below. ⬇️

Also, check out my other rankings of the Poptropica Islands if you’re interested: 2008, 2009, 2013 & 2014. Until next time, pop on! 🍀

Comics, Fanfiction, PoptropiCon Island

Piñata Man: A Poptropica Fan Comic 💥🪅

Magic Kid

Piñata Man is a quirky, wanna-be superhero whose dream is to prove himself to the Mighty Action Force! This comic follows a silly adventure of his, in which he attempts to save The Wizard’s soda which is stuck in the evil vending machine! Will he be able to do it or… will he fail terribly?

BONUS! Here’s my comic making process:

First, I get the script for the page I’m working on (the amount of times I lost it while working on this was actually insane). Using that as a guide, I make a messy doodle of what I want the panel to look like.

Second, I ink the panels. Not much to that.

Then (third), I roughly sketch out the characters. For some reason I decided to use pink for all my sketches and stuck with it the whole comic 😛

Fourth, I ink the comic and detail the characters!

Unlike the other pages, I gave this one a black background to make it ✨EXTRA DRAMATIC✨

Fifth, I color the characters and the backgrounds! The colors I used for the characters were not the actual colors of them in-game — I used simpler, brighter colors to make it easy on me to draw. 😀

Finally, I add shadows and highlights to help bring these silly guys to life!

For the rest of the pages I added speech bubbles for the very last step. But for this page there is no dialogue, so I just added a white outline on the evil soda machine.

And that’s my process! Now repeat all of that 11 times over the course of two and a half months, and you get this comic! 🥳

Thank you so much for reading this comic! It was a lot of fun to make and I hope that y’all enjoyed it. 😄

Over n’ Out!

~Magic Kid