Hey Poptropicans, get ready for more Goofball spirit!
The Poptropica Creators released their own official guides for Goofball Island this past week, both a written walkthrough and a video (below). But if you can’t get enough, the PHB’s also got our own Goofball Island Guide right here, with fun facts you may have missed! ✨
Flying in with Mary Poppins’ “winds in the east,” Poptropica also released a short on TikTok and YouTube to hype up the latest island:
And there’s more on Pop’s TikTok! This new clip pairs the idea of Poptropica “back in the day” with a caption that claims they’re “still releasing new (and old!) islands.” Sooo… are more old islands on the horizon? Time will tell.
Also on TikTok is a clip celebrating the weird physics of Poptropica parkour, paired with screaming from a scene from The Office. Now that’s some Pop core.
There are more Goofball goodies coming from the fandom! The Creators’ Blog featured several pieces of fan art inspired by the new island. Goes great with this month’s theme for the PHB’s Community Creations, which is—you guessed it—Goofball!
Beyond Goofball, Poptropicans’ fan art lately also features classic characters like Ringmaster Raven and Dr. Hare. Check out some recent ones from Poptropica’s Instagram stories:
Centering on a weird and whimsical town that’s being “bland-ified” by the dull Dr. Blandston, this island is bursting with unique characters, fun art and soundtracks, and a story full of shocking plot twists that we haven’t fully deciphered yet. We’ve got tons to cover, so let’s dive in!
Beware: spoilers lie ahead!
Storyline & Characters
Goofball Island was particularly impressive in terms of its story. The plot was complex, thought-provoking (so Detective Gram/Dr. Gramston was the original Blandston and… turned people productive and soulless?), and even offered numerous new concepts we’ve never before seen in Poptropica, the most notable being multiple endings (more on that later) and the player being an antagonist.
Some might wonder if this story, with its performance-enhancing crystals and over-the-top lifestyles one way or another, could be a metaphor for something: Growing up? Neurodivergence? Drugs? Dreams? Whatever your interpretation, that’s the beauty of story — through it you can experience anew.
The plot does get a tad confusing towards the end, though. As soon as you emerge from the flashback revealing that you were a Blandston, the mayor makes you decide the island’s fate, leaving no time for further explanations. Still, with twists and turns throughout the tale, the story was engaging and overall well done.
Also noteworthy is how both the bland and the goofy side are portrayed as relatively neutral, something you don’t see very often in media. While the bland and goofy people don’t seem to understand each other well, they at least live together peacefully — even to the point of goofy Mayor Naise hiring a bland detective to investigate the case.
Lucky Joker: “Do you not see who you’re talking to?”
It was also fascinating to learn about the origins of Goofball Island in City Hall, particularly through Jumpy Spinner’s woke commentary. Who knew that the goofiness it was named for wasn’t there from the start? Then, like a parallel to real-world colonialism, there’s the acknowledgement that even though Xavier “discovered” the island and coined its current name, Native Poptropicans had inhabited the island for some 1000 years previously. Represent!
Speaking of Jumpy Spinner, Goofball Island is full of intriguing characters, even when they’re being bland. In the land of grayscale, we have the City Hall lady breaking the record for longest monologue in Poptropica, the baker who regulates your consumption of carbs, and Regular Dan, who somehow hasn’t gotten kicked out of the Crazy Club. And on the flip side on Goofside, we have to mention the tree dude in City Hall, the lovable Bosko, and nearly all of the Crazy Club. Among them, it was interesting to see animals counted as island citizens and people dressing up like animals (furry gang, anyone?).
Gameplay
With items to collect and interactive elements to explore, playing Goofball Island felt almost like the experience of the old islands, albeit shorter and with the newer Haxe pop-up graphics. While the quest was fairly straightforward, there were still a few moments of slight challenge, but nothing really difficult. Cutscenes interspersed helped propel the story especially in unexpected moments (rip goofy Bosko), yet for the most part, the player had a decent amount of agency in where to go and who to talk to.
Moments of choice are what really stand out in Goofball’s gameplay. Inside the Dreary Building, for example, you can choose to take either the stairs (and annoy people behind locked doors) or elevator (which turns out to be the slow way) to get up to Detective Gram’s office. Just for amusement, you can also play around with the food at Fry’s Fried Freds (and even the Dusty Crust Bakery, to a much duller extent). And of course, at the very end, you get to decide the fate of the island: will it be all bland, goofy, or a balance of both?
Of the endings, the two extremes are fun to experiment with, and the choice offers an incentive to replay the island to discover the alternate endings (or you can see them here in our guide).
But the balanced ending looks almost exactly like the island did from the beginning, just with a pop more color. For this ending which may have felt more “right” as it allows both types of personalities to coexist, the lack of newness leaves something to be desired and seems to erase our hard work of getting to the bottom of things. After all, weren’t the citizens of Goofball Island thriving in their goofy selves before “Dr. Blandston” appeared?
What if we got to see more characters switch between their two forms, goofy and bland? Maybe the use of crystals could be regulated like a medicine prescription? At any rate, it would have been interesting to see more change in the balanced ending, to reflect all that we’d gone through and the newfound knowledge of the crystals.
Audio & Visuals
One of the coolest parts of Goofball Island has got to be its music, reflecting both sides of the island by the pomp of a marching band (goofy) and the vibe of a classic silent film complete with record noise (bland). In an impressive first for Poptropica, the soundtrack shifts as you move around in a scene, with vibrant brass instruments that get louder when you’re on Goofside, coupled with the jazzy piano when you’re in Dullsville. We wish the bop at the Crazy Club could have brought on more energy, though!
Goofball Island is visually striking as well, with the contrast between the island’s two sides emphasized through color (or lack of it), in both scenery and characters. The boisterous and bright Goofside could not be more different from the black-and-white Dullsville (plus, props for the film noir art style with the white static floating around!).
We also can’t miss mentioning Bobby Bill’s shocking dance moves — not only are they confirmation of Poptropicans’ heads being detachable, but they can be spun around and even dribbled like a basketball with seemingly no repercussions! Fun seeing a new side of the whole Poptropicans-without-necks phenomenon that’s sure to generate some wild fantheories.
Verdict
With a mix of contrasting worlds, fun personalities, and intriguing mysteries, Goofball Island definitely feels like the first real Poptropica island in a long time. All things balanced, out of five we’d give Goofball…
4 out of 5 chubby thumbprints. While this at-times rambunctious island carries with it all sorts of fun (even when it’s serious), the villain showdown at the end may leave players confused about what just happened. Still, with a considerably longer tale to unfold, Goofball’s storytelling was a marked improvement from Fairytale and the other strings of side-quests we’ve had lately. Good stuff, Goofball!
There’s so much more to unpack — head over to the trivia section of our Goofball Island Guide to see what other details you may have missed!
That’s 2 for 3 Dream Islands this year! We’re looking forward to the last and hopefully not least, Secret of the Jade Scarab, possibly in 2022.
Thanks for reading our review of Goofball Island! Do you agree with our verdict? Share your opinions in the comments below!
No matter if or how you celebrate the American holiday, it’s always a good time to give gratitude. Here at the PHB, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank you, our readers, for being with us in all of Poptropica’s ups and downs. Your passion keeps us going! 💙
“Happy Thanksgiving from the Baron’s family to you! The Baron was away this November but returns next week with some Grapple-Pap goodies!”
We’re not entirely sure what the story is behind this Thanksgiving pic shared on Poptropica’s socialmedia, but it sure gives us something to speculate about!
While an earlier Creators’ Blog post mentioned the Baron was off-Poptropica visiting friends and family, the new post mentions “the Baron’s family”… along with some familiar characters from Fairytale Island. Could the Baron be its true queen, whom the king and prince fear so much? We do see the statue of the queen from Rumpel’s Challenge with remarkable curls, and we’ve also never seen what’s under the Baron’s fluffy hat… then again, perhaps she’s just a distant relative of the royal family? What’s your theory?
Also, what are those Batman-shaped heads lurking ominously in the background? And just what is Rumpelstiltskin doing in the turkey??
Maybe time will tell. In the meantime, enjoy the weekend!
Another thing to celebrate: November’s costume contest winner has been announced, and the next fan-made design to be distributed at the Baron’s will be a Dr. Hare inspired costume by Maroon Moon!
Don’t forget we have a chance to vote for one of the previous winning designs to return next month! Head over to the Creators’ Blog to cast your vote before Sunday, November 29 at 8 pm PST.
Now mix all of the above themes and you’ve got Poptropica’s latest Instagram stories, with a Pop poll and doc doodle:
Thanksgiving traditions poll by PoptropicaDr. Hare by @xxdrawrawrxx
That wraps up this post! Happy feasting, Fairytale fantasizing, or just finding fun and felicity whatever your circumstances may be. Thanks for popping by, and see you in the next one!
It’s playtime, Poptropicans: Goofball Island is here and available to all players! Head to the map to get started on this wild ride.
Looking for a little help in this adventure? Check out our Goofball Island Guide with pictures, trivia, and more! 🥳🥸
Get ready for a wacky world of contrasts, exploration, musical madness, colorful characters, and weird twists. We won’t spoil too much here, but you’re welcome to discuss your thoughts in the comments here, on our guide, or on the PHC. Plus, stay tuned for the PHB’s review!
The Creators’ Blog also has a new guest post from Invisible Ring, comparing the two Dream Islands that came before Goofball: Arabian Nights (2014) and Fairytale (2021). In her commentary, she highlights their similarity in drawing inspiration from classic legends, as well as a few differences, such as genre, platform, and even medallion designs.
Arabian Nights IslandFairytale Island
Which fan-imagined Dream Island is your favorite? What did you think of the latest one? Share your thoughts and get your goof on! 🤪🕵️♀️
Howdy, Poptropicans! It’s almost time to goof off because Goofball Island, the second 2020 Dream Island winner, will be released in a mere two days! Get silly and get ready to save this colorful island from a monochrome fate! 🤪🔍
To celebrate, Adventure Outfitters stocked up on some new items ranging from stylish to silly. The costume gallery features a new fashionable fall look: the Frosty Flannel. All players can purchase this grey get-up for 250 credits.
In stark contrast to this subdued look, the rest of the store boasts a wide array of wacky articles fitting for the upcoming release of Goofball Island. Our returning items are the various fast food costumes, the autumn clubhouse décor, and the Pie Pal Follower. There are also three new items: the Rawr-in Hat (100 credits), the Eye See You googly eyes (100 credits), and the Hatters Gonna Hat cuckoo clock hat (250 credits).
Think some goofy gear is enough to build anticipation for Goofball island? Heh heh… WRONG!!! The Pop Creators also invited players to join the Goofy Clubhouse Challenge! Players are tasked with creating the wackiest clubhouse with the only limit being their imaginations and their in-game wallets. The homeowners of the three nuttiest abodes will win an unspecified amount of credits.
Once you’re done decorating, go to the submissions page and enter either a short video of your clubhouse or your account username so the Creators can take a gander themselves. Act fast because this challenge ends on Monday, November 22, at 8pm PST.
While you deck your dwellings with daffy decorations, don’t forget about November’s ongoing costume contest. You can enter your outfit designs until Friday, November 19th, at 8pm PST. Maybe you could design a bonkers costume based on Goofball Island? The possibilities are endless!
Now let’s check out some social media shenanigans! The Creators made a Youtube short all about dressing up our beloved pets, which is appropriately accompanied by “Who Let The Dogs Out” by Baha Men.
Over on Instagram, the Creators shared some more awesome fan content! There’s plenty of cool stuff from Poptropican doodles to Popsona drawings to poppin’ dank memes.
That’s all for now. Are you looking forward to Goofball Island’s release? Do you think it will be a laugh-out-loud joyride or a foolish folly? Will you get into the silly spirit and dress up yourself and your clubhouse? Let us know in the comments below.
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