Launch thyself into a new adventure on Poptropica! The Princess hath been kidnapped and taken to the far reaches of space. Thou must assemble a space vessel and fly among the stars on an intergalactic quest to rescue her and save the kingdom of Arturus.
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Invisible Ring. Enjoy!
Did you ever notice how many activities were scattered across the Poptropica Help Blog and the *cough*… “late” Poptropica Creators’ Blog? I thought that maybe someone should gather all those activities up into one spot so it could be more convenient to find… so I did.
First up, the Ultimate Activity Book: compiling not only the Poptropica activities and coloring pages, but also some additional coloring pages to honor the sponsored islands. BONUS: Lots of revived Poptropica activities and custom-made goodies in there, made by yours truly!
Next, I gathered up every Poptropica cut-out I could find, both here and on the Creators’ Blog, and put them together into a complete Crafts & Cut-outs collection. (See also: The PHB’s DIY Paper Crafts collection!)
And last but not least, it is my duty as the first person to have saved all the comics from the old sponsored islands of Poptropica to share them with all of you in this Scavenger’s Comic Book!
…But am I a scavenger, merely digging up activities that are already dug up? Am I a mere plagiarist stealing activities everywhere, putting them into books and calling them my own?
Gosh, no! It may look like that, but that’s not what I’m doing at all! I say that these are my books; not in the sense that I came up with everything in the books (I did come up with a few things, though), but in the sense that I worked so hard putting these books together for everyone to enjoy at no extra charge.
Whatever activities I got from other websites are free downloadable PDFs in which I have cited and included their web links, and whatever activities I found by way of Google are those I checked to be sure they are royalty-free. For I do not intend to steal; I intend to share.
This is a non-profit project only meant to spread some fun for all those who are looking for it! And if that’s you, then look no further than these three free downloadable (and printable) books to share with your friends and family, compliments of Invisible Ring. Enjoy!
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!
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Invisible Ring. Enjoy!
Hey there, everyone! Did you enjoy my Mighty Action Force card game kit and my story of bringing it to life? Well, that was just the beginning…
BEHOLD, a new Mighty Action Force card game kit… or should I say, Astro-Knights inspired booster pack. This “Astro Force” game kit is completely interchangeable with the original Mighty Action Force game kit, so don’t hesitate to mix and match the Mighty Action Force fun by printing and playing with these cards in real life, too!
How did this come to be, you might ask? Well, there I was, back in the fall of 2020, minding my own business, making my own cards, and playing Mighty Action Force, when an unsuspecting post from the Poptropica Help Blog crossed my path: a Ramble Review on Astro-Knights Island.
This post, and everyone sharing it at the time, was yearning for Astro-Knights to be more than just an island. They said it had serious potential for movies, TV shows… or, as I thought, potential for some shiny new Mighty Action Force cards.
And although this is just one Poptropican’s opinion, I’d say that the Astro-Knights are finally living up to their potential now. Don’t forget to have a laugh with the Mighty Action Force video outtakes, too:
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!
Welcome back to “Pop Places IRL,” Poptropicans! Today, we’re visiting ye olde times and heading to Astro-Knights Island. Enjoying the series? Be sure to check out other Pop Places IRL posts.
Astro-Knights Island takes place in Medieval Europe, but obviously includes a sci-fi twist. Though its exact location is never specified, we’ll assume the kingdom of Arturus has British roots, given its repeated connections to Arthurian legend.
Before we launch our rocket and start soaring through the stars, we get to explore the kingdom a bit to kick off the mysterious story of this island. The Castle is definitely the largest structure in town, and an iconic element of Medieval Europe to say the least.
photo: Dover Castle (historyextra)
Besides the castle, however, we get to see a medieval aesthetic all throughout Arturus, particularly when looking at Main Street. Er… save for those sci-fi elements we talked about earlier. I don’t think we would be able to find a glowing rocket statue in the Middle Ages…
photo: Small Towns in England (planetware)
The Ye Olde Rumour Mille is another major location in town. The name might be a bit of a joke, but the actual structure is pretty similar to its IRL counterpart!
photo: Stembridge Tower Mill (picturesofengland)
General town aside, let’s step back inside the castle. That’s why we’re here, aren’t we? Cool castles!!! Though many castles in Europe have been refurbished in one way or another, it’s nonetheless interesting to still see them standing at all. You can even tour some!
photo: Medieval Castles in the UK (jebiga)
Continuing inside the castle, I think the most important room to talk about is the Throne Room. Gotta have a center piece for the whole castle! The room we have pictured is from France, but you get the idea. Quite ornate!
photo: Throne Room (wikipedia)
On the opposite side of things, however, we have the Dungeon. These sorts of cells, including “oubliettes,” are often associated with with the Medieval era (though its correlation with torture more accurately pairs with the Renaissance period). Too bad there weren’t any mysterious robots IRL to keep prisoners company!
photo: The Castle Dungeon and the Oubliette (exploringcastles)
The last room in the castle is the Library. Art history buffs will certainly be familiar with some illuminated manuscripts from this era, though we don’t have much time to stop and study anything in Poptropica. Gotta love that Old English, right? Unfortunately the library in Poptropica is, er, in a bit disarray…
photo: The Golden Haggadah (khanacademy)
photo: Royal Manuscript (thebritishlibrary)
photo: Medieval Manuscripts (mymodernmet)
While in the castle library, we could also glance at some references Poptropica makes to Arthurian legend (as I mentioned earlier). Though the legend primary features King Arthur, we learn from the Astro-Knights novel that the King of Arturus is actually named Richard. As in Richard the Lionheart!
photo: King Arthur (ancienthistoryencyclopedia)
photo: Richard the Lionheart (historyonthisday)
Similarly, the knights have ties to legend: Pelasus (named similarly to Pelleas, a knight of the round table), Gawain (another knight of the round table with the same name), and Cador (Duke of Cornwall, related to Arthur). Cador may not be a knight of the round table like his comrades, but the ties are there nonetheless! So… have a photo of Sir Lancelot in his place.
RedKnightSirPelasusASG
BlueKnightSirGawainASG
GreenNightSirCadorASG
photo: Pelleas (wikipedia)
photo: Gawain (wikipedia)
photo: Lancelot (everworldwiki)
Another good comparison to legend: Merlin! Other than sharing the name with a wizard, our “feathered” friend also shares his name with a type of falcon.
photo: Merlin Bird (wikipedia)
photo: Merlin (wikipedia)
Last but not least… Binary Bard! Or Mordred, to be clear. There are various depictions of him in legend, but as Modredus, he is Arthur’s traitorous nephew.
photo: Mordred (wikipedia)
Alright, I know we strayed away from “places” for a bit there, leaning more towards “people,” so let’s get back on track! Other than Medieval Europe, the other dominant setting of Astro-Knights is, of course, space! The real moon may not have an AstroZone like the Pewter Moon in Poptropica, but maybe we’ll get to that point someday.
photo: Lunar Surface (interestingengineering)
If you recall, the three main planets we visit on our space adventure include the Ice Planet, Fire Planet, and Jungle Planet. Wellllll, those planets may not be in our solar system, but we can still compare them to what we have IRL! Based on their distance from the sun and atmosphere characteristics, Uranus is our coldest planet while Venus is our hottest. Does that make Earth our Jungle Planet then?
photo: Uranus (wikipedia)
photo: Venus (wikipedia)
photo: Earth (npr)
Phew, now that was a long trip! I guess space is a pretty far off flight, huh? But anyway, it’s no wonder that Astro-Knights won “OG Island We’ll Miss Most” in the 2020 Poppies. It’s quite the adventure!
Aside from the sci-fi elements, how well do you think this island holds up to IRL Medieval Europe? How much do you know about Arthurian legend? And what other islands would you like to see in this series? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in a comment below!
Until next time, Poptropicans, I’m blasting off for now!
Welcome to another Ramble Review! This guest post comes from MaryannTheConqueror, who will be rambling about Astro-Knights Island.
It’s no secret that I love Astro-Knights Island, and from what I’ve seen, many others feel the same. There is an abundance of fanart of all its major characters, and even some minor ones! Despite this, it is strangely ignored by the Creators, a trend I’ve noticed over the past few years.
Again, Astro-Knights was a big deal during its heyday. It was so difficult that it was the first and only island to have a built-in official guide. The villain (who I shall get to) won the Villain Showdown hosted by the Creators’ Blog back in 2011, against the likes of Zeus and Dr. Hare.
And yet, hardly any content related to it gets released anymore. Most ads for Poptropica featuring many classic villains leave Mordred/Binary Bard out of them, and we’re lucky to see any Astro-Knights references at all, despite its continuing popularity, even after it was among the many classic islands removed then brought back but locked behind the membership paywall.
The story of this Island had potential. Serious potential. I’m saying right here, right now, that it could have easily been turned into a book series, game series, or even a TV series that expanded on it, and with the right writers, it could have been one of the most unique ideas in decades. This isn’t just my inner fangirl speaking (though I can’t deny that my 14-year old self is influencing the writing of this article) — this is from what I’ve observed in the creative world.
Astro-Knights is a clever blend of historical medieval fantasy and futuristic technology (sometimes referred to as “clock punk”). There’s space travel, epic boss fights, a lore connected to one of the most famous Western legends, the legends of King Arthur. Of course, now I’m just stepping around what I consider to be the best character not just from the island, but from the entire game, and one of my greatest examples of Poptropica’s squandered potential.
But first, let me give you a little bit of, as TV Tropes calls it, “fridge horror.” A couple times during Astro-Knights, it is mentioned that Mordred made his near-fatal ascent into space twenty years ago. Meaning he was trapped in space for that long, without any human contact that we know of. Imagine going through quarantine but for two decades, with no contact from family members or friends of any kind.
Binary Bard is what is known as a tragic villain, similar to Azula (from Avatar: The Last Airbender) or Sweeney Todd (from the Sondheim musical). He’s a character who, through a mix of his own bad decisions and circumstances beyond his control, was sent down a path with little hope of him ever turning back, except maybe through a very carefully written redemption arc (I might talk about my mixed feelings with a certain sequel island another time).
I was very disappointed that the Astro-Knights book (anyone remember those?) did little to expand on him or the lore of this island. These are the characters and stories that can go very far if allowed to do so, and I am sad to say that, just like its villain, the fate of Astro-Knights is tragic.
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! ✨
Hey Poptropicans! Poptropica’s birthday month festivities continue to make a bang with the new 13th Birthday Flying Rocket, which gets added to your items when you log in to the Flash version of the game. (Update: It’s now on Haxe, too!)
The rocket works much like the magic carpet, gliding you through the air with pops of “13” fireworks trailing behind (in fact, you may also notice the magic carpet’s glittery gold dust accompanying your rocket). We’re not sure if the Creators will add this flying vessel to Haxe, but pro tip: you can use idk’s Format Loader to switch between Flash and Haxe.
Update: As of Thursday, Dr. Beev has left the chat game. 😢 We’ll miss you, Beev!
Joining the chorus of rockets is Poptropica music composer Jeff Heim, who recently dropped a new unreleased game track on Soundcloud called “Astro-Knights.” (Thanks for the tip, MaryannTheConqueror!) Does this mean the return of the fan favoriteAstro-Knights Island?! At once majestic and soothing, this track is a definite mood. Hear it here!
Mr. Heim’s “Poptropica” playlist on Soundcloud includes over 50 soundtracks composed for Poptropica, so it’s a real treat to listen to! Other hits on the playlist include “Super Power” (which is heard on Poptropolis Games, although who knows if it’ll show up in a remake of Super Power Island?), and more recently for the times we’re in, “Virus Hunter Main Theme” and “Deadly Virus.” Which jam’s your fave?
Last but not least, check out this cool 3D rendered model of Survival Island icon Myron Van Burencreated by @kidwhom on Instagram, which the Poptropica Creators featured in their story!
Not to be confused with another one of her creations, the Myron Van…
For more strangely delightful Poptropica memes, fan art, and more, join our PHC Discord community! Tally HONK!!
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