Category: Galactic Hot Dogs Island

From the hit graphic novel comes the zaniest Poptropica adventure yet. Hop aboard the Neon Wiener for an intergalactic voyage with Cosmoe, Humphree, and Princess Dagger!

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!🍀

Galactic Hot Dogs Island, Steam Bundle

Wiener Hints at Leaner Steam Islands 🐕💨

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, steamy sounds of more clues incoming!

Since the announcement of some old islands to return on Steam, Poptropica’s been sharing daily clues as to what those islands may be. The third hint is but a lone image: a pink wiener dog. 🌸🐕

While a few islands of the past had their share of dogs, the specificity of the clue being a wiener dog seems to point strongly to one in particular: Galactic Hot Dogs. In this island based on the eponymous graphic novel series by Max Brallier (son of former Pop publisher Jess Brallier), we hop aboard a spaceship called the Neon Wiener, which has a hot dog inside.

If we want to look to other possibilities for the clue, we might also consider the B.A.D. guard dogs you have to dodge in Spy Island, or Spitsy, a slender dog who helps you dig up the time capsule in Big Nate Island.

Spy Island dogs
Snacktime for Spitsy.

With the three hints we’ve seen so far, rumors have been circulating about the choice of the 13 islands to return on Steam: they may all be newer old islands, as opposed to super longtime classics. These newer old islands are sometimes known in the fandom as SUI (Sound-Updated Islands) or AS3 (ActionScript 3, the Flash-based programming language) and include islands released from around 2013 to 2015, which had bigger screens and sound, and may be easier to port as the technology isn’t as old as AS2 (encompassing all pre-2013 islands).

As Tough Spinner points out, these AS3 islands had been playable on the Poptropica app before they were removed in early 2022 to match with the desktop experience. Those now-missing islands are the complete sets of episodes for Survival, Mission Atlantis, PoptropiCon, and Arabian Nights, as well as standalone islands Reality TV: Wild Safari, Mystery of the Map, Shrink Ray, Galactic Hot Dogs, and the original Mythology Island. Maybe these are the islands returning via Steam…

Some of the islands from the Poptropica app before they disappeared in early 2022.

…but that’s nine islands (counting episodes as part of a full island), leaving four more, since we were promised 13 islands on Steam. It just so happens that there are at least four more AS3 islands that were never ported to the mobile app: Virus Hunter, Monster Carnival, Mocktropica, and Monkey Wrench (whose return was promised last year). Poptropolis Games was also re-released as an SUI/AS3, though it was originally an AS2 island.

Yet another possibility for some of the Steam islands could be those AS3-turned-Haxe islands that already exist on desktop: 24 Carrot, Time Tangled, Timmy Failure, and Escape From Pelican Rock — a perfect four. (The former two are OGs from 2008, but later remade into SUI/AS3 format.) Hopefully not, since we can already access them, and it wouldn’t really be in the spirit of “old islands” as promised…

Branching Out: Time for us to make like a tree, and leave.

The fact that Galactic Hot Dogs was never really a popular island among the fandom also makes it an odd choice, but it lines up with the AS3 islands theory, as do the rest of our best guesses for the other hints so far (Shrink Ray and Mythology). But who knows? Maybe we can still have hope for a few truly older AS2 islands… time will tell.

For a bit of nostalgia about islands old and new, check out our updated Poptropica Music collection under the Pop Plus tab here on the PHB! 🎵

Formerly known as “Behind the Scenes,” we’ve recently updated this page to remove outdated links as well as share previously uncovered Poptropica music files as embedded audio so you can listen directly on the page. For a taste, enjoy this track from Monster Carnival at daytime:

There’s more! Pop into the PHB’s Poptropica Music page to hear tunes from Mocktropica, Time Tangled, and many more. Enjoy!

~🐠

Galactic Hot Dogs Island, Pets, Store

A galactic load of store updates

Gentle Dolphin

Hello, everyone! Gentle Dolphin here with the latest Poptropica news. We have few things to cover today including not one, not two, but three store updates! Let’s start things off with the typical weekly Pop store rotation.

Aside from the followers section, everything is different from last week. We have fun summer outfits including Nature Lover, Gone Fishing, Navy Raglan Outfit, Rib Wrap Outfit, Chomper Outfit*, Red Heart Outfit*, Ice Cream, and Big Burger. (* = members only)

Let out the power within with Flower Power, Torch, Phantom*, and Electrify*. (Side note: The Torch and Electrify powers look different in the Haxe version compared to the Flash version. The glowing effects don’t appear, so your avatar just has a color filter with some animated fire and lightning.)

You can get a little mischievous and transform people with the Troll, Zombify, and Medusa pranks. Finally, you can buy some miscellaneous items such as the Marshmallow Roaster, Hiking Boots, and a Colorizer Tool*! The Colorizer lets you quickly color your hair or skin tone, but you can already do that for free at the New You shop on Home Island. 😜

The Pop store isn’t the only place receiving changes. The Pet Barn has gotten a similar treatment. The pet store now has a smaller selection of new and old items, regardless of which version of the game you are playing.

Some familiar pet accessories are present including: Yellow Pigtails, Rainbow Horn*,Blue Tiara*, Pink Sunglasses*, Pilot Mask*, Eye Patch, Spike Collar*, Pink Tutu*, Butterfly Wings*, Flower Necklace, Zomberry Eyes, and Star Eyes*. All players can buy their pets new items such as the Buccaneer Hat, Monocle, Yellow Dead Eyes, and Dizzy Blue Eyes.

The clubhouse store also has a new lineup of furniture you can use to decorate your virtual home. We have 23 furniture items, with 10 being for members only (that’s twice as much as last time!).

Man, that’s a lot of store updates. Looking at all this makes us ask, “Will the pet and clubhouse stores also receive weekly updates?“

There hasn’t been any official announcement regarding this, and frequently updating three stores is pretty ambitious. Probably not, but we’ll keep an eye out just in case.

Now, let’s move on to some other game-related updates. You may come across some new loading screens while playing the Haxe version of Poptropica. These screens highlight some of the things you can do while playing the game such as buying items, customizing your look, and pampering your pet.

Poptropica has also been promoting the graphic novel series Galactic Hot Dogs, which was made into its own island back in 2015. When you log in, you automatically receive three interstellar gifts: three Galactic Hot Dogs books, a Mega Dog Costume, and an Ice Blaster (which was a store item last month).

The publicity doesn’t stop at prizes. On Home Island, you’ll find two Galactic Hot Dogs promos on the billboard. I wonder why Poptropica is promoting the Galactic Hot Dogs series now? The last book came out in 2017, and Galactic Hot Dogs Island was released in 2015. There doesn’t seem to be a new book coming soon, so are they building hype for the island’s release on the Haxe build? We’ll have to wait and see…

GHDbillboards

That’s all for now. What do you guys think about this week’s store lineups? Do you think the other stores will receive weekly updates as well? Have you read the Galactic Hot Dogs books? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Galactic Hot Dogs Island

Grilled Cheese for Galactic Hot Dogs Island

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, it’s Slanted Fish, and today’s menu brings us grilled cheese and neon wieners! That’s right… it’s time for some Galactic Hot Dogs.

This weekend on the Creators’ Blog, while we were busy with our April Fools prank, Poptropica shared some behind-the-scenes goodies for Galactic Hot Dogs Island, as it was one of March’s Islands of the Month. Let’s take a look.

First, as they do with every island, the artists working on GHD Island had to follow a style guide to keep the overall look consistent as they created their creepy monsters and planetary paradises. As you can see below, this included using a thick black 2-point line on foreground objects (unique among the Poptropica islands), and a suggested font by the name of Grilled Cheese! Yum. Check it out below (click to enlarge):

Also, if you look closely at the stand-in character, he’s carrying an unused green bag that says “P-Con 2014,” along with a badge to match it. Probably an early prototype. What other interesting things did you find in there?

Anyway, after finalizing their designs, the next step for the artists was to test out the animations. We’re not able to embed them here on the PHB, but you can check out the little videos over on the Creators’ Blog post.

We also get to see this delightfully disgusting drawing of the zombie space pirate:

Neat-o. Well, that’s about all for the Earthly Cool Cats – uh, I mean Galactic Hot Dogs. GHD is no longer an Island of the Month – yes, we know we’re a little late on this news, but hey… so were the Creators. 😉

Anyway, as it’s Wimpy Kid Month, the current IOTMs are Wimpy Wonderland and Wimpy Boardwalk – which will be open to everyone for the month of April, so get on it!

Stay popping, Poptropicans!

–🐠

Galactic Hot Dogs Island

Credits Where Credit Is Due

Ultimate iPad Expert

Heyyo Poptropicans, it’s Ultimate iPad Expert here to bring you news of what’s going on in Poptropica!

As promotion for the recent release of the newest Galactic Hot Dogs book, The Weiner Strikes Back, Poptropica is adding some new credit rewards for finishers of the aptly named Galactic Hot Dogs Island. You can read more about GHD on Funbrain.

GHDCredits

Unlike some of the former bonus credit promotions, repeat finishers can receive the bonus credits as well! The first time finishers of the island receive 300 credits (the normal 150, plus an extra bonus 150) and repeat finishers will receive 150 credits for their playthrough. These bonus credits are online available through this upcoming Monday morning (May 9), so you’d better get ’em quick.

They’ve also updated the map icon for GHD Island, which you can see below (left) in contrast with the original (right). Looks like the Neon Wiener made way for Funketoun and an excited Cosmoe!

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In totally unrelated news, our friend Yujo_Jacy_the_Jumpy_Coyote has found a little bug on the Mystery of the Map Photo Booth.

HotWheelsBug

On non-SUIs (classic islands not colored on the map), the photo booths are accompanied by an unrelated NPC. According to Yujo himself, the character (as well as his dialogue) is from a former Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 advertisement.

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And lastly, Poptropica creator and best-selling Wimpy Kid author, Jeff Kinney, was on Fox & Friends this morning talking about Wimpy Kid, Poptropica, and StoryArc Media. Here you can see him drawing with some kids on the show.

Fox & Friends uploaded Jeff Kinney’s part of the show to their website, so if you’d like to check out that video, click here. The video segment is kinda short, but still pretty cool to see Kinney’s drawing skills in action. 😛 Definitely check it out if you’re interested!

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And that concludes this little roundup post. What do you guys think about this news? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.

Meme King out. 👑

• Ultimate iPad Expert •