Hey, Poptropicans! Yesterday, the Creators posted a teaser image for a new Dr. Hare-themed minigame and offered a way for fans to help make it! Let’s take a look!
The game has a cute retro art style and stars a Dr. Hare who has nearly gone full rabbit. As for gameplay, it seems that you would need to jump up the platforms and reach a checkpoint before time runs out. There are also items like clocks that give extra time, stars that likely give extra points, and spikes that thwart Dr. Hare’s escapades.
This minigame already has a lot going for it; however, it is missing one crucial thing: a name. The Creators are asking fans to come up with a unique title for this new game. Do you have any cool or punny game names? You can send them to the Creators on the Creators’ Blog or on Instagram, The game will be releasing very soon, so hop to it!
With the release of Arabian Nights: How Bazaar on Haxe, Poptropica made four Arabian Nights-themed coloring pages to “keep the sense of adventure alive”. The first page is an elaborately decorated frame, and the other three are characters from Arabian Nights. You can save the pages from the Creators’ Blog to your computer so you can print them or color them digitally.
When you’re done, you can send your newly colored masterpiece (or any Poptropica-related art) to the Creators via the Submissions page. Your art could be featured on the Creators’ Blog or even in Poptropica’s video player! While you’re there, you can also submit an entry for the Create Your Dream Island contest. Who knows? Your dream island might become a reality just like Arabian Nights did.
Hey everyone! After hardly six days since the Creators’ first announcement, Arabian Nights Episode 1: How Bazaar has appeared on the Haxe map! And, as promised, it’s open for members and non-members alike to play.
Arabian Nights, as shown on the Haxe map.
I’ve just run through the new How Bazaar, and here’s what’s I found to report: it seems that, unlike Mythology Island, the Creators made the decision to keep Arabian Nights the same as its Flash equivalent. Most of the scenes remained almost exactly as those in Flash, and the only differences I could spot in the entire island were minor dialogue changes.
Better yet, I experienced very little lag whilst playing. Despite the pop-up ads between scenes, the gameplay was quite smooth! I’d say that overall, Arabian Nights has given me fresh hope for what can be done on Haxe. If Arabian Nights can be executed so well, maybe the islands still waiting for a port will turn out awesome too.
By the way, bring along the PHB’s Arabian Nights Island Guide for handy help as you play through the episode!
A couple scenes from Arabian Nights on Haxe.
For the first time in a while, Quippy has appeared on time! You’ll find the little droid—sporting a cunning thief garb—in the Rumi’s Rugs common room, waiting to deliver his newest stash of Arabian Nights gear.
Did Quippy join the ranks of the Forty Thieves?
And speaking of the Arabian Nights gear pack, let’s see what’s in store! The four new items include: Arabian Style, Silent Thief, Desert Lizard Follower*, and Purple Smoke Bomb*. (Two of which are members-only.)
It’s the latest desert fashion.
The Creators haven’t yet mentioned if the later episodes of Arabian Nights are planned to be released as well; although, in separate news, they did mention in their most recent post that they’ve already received hundreds of submissions in the Create Your Dream Island contest! Wow. Competition is getting real, and there’s still plenty of time left to submit your ideas! All this Arabian Nights stuff is sure to get creative juices flowing.
That’s all the news today! What are your opinions on the new Arabian Nights? What islands do you hope to see converted next? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Welcome back to “Pop Places IRL,” Poptropicans! We’re gonna be moseying back in time today to visit Wild West Island! And if you like this series, sure to check out other Pop Places IRL posts.
Wild West Island quite obviously takes place in the western US during the American frontier period of the 19th century. The time period has been highly romanticized, especially in film, so there’s no wonder we have a Poptropica island themed around it!
photo: Dodge City (smithsonianmagazine)
Pretty much every building, character, and background matches this old western aesthetic. Details range from apparel, architecture, fonts, dialogue, and beyond! Sometimes the smallest changes can have a big impact on an island’s theme. The setting has this wide open feeling, and I think Poptropica was able to successfully portray that in their own style. Do you agree?
Rawhide: It’s a little wild, and a little strange, when you make your home out on the range.
Double Dos: This cactus looks lonely. Maybe it should stop being so prickly.
photo: The Wild West Era (vintagenews)
photo: Wild West (BBC)
One of the most iconic places in any old western town is, of course, the Saloon (in this case, found in Diamond Plains). And Poptropica did manage to make such a location kid-friendly enough to be included! Anyone care for a round of root beer? It’s on me!
Saloonatics: This Poptropican is a stand-in that you’ll never see on any Island.
photo: Old Saloons (vinepair)
photo: Saloon (wallpaperup)
Another noteworthy building would definitely be the Marshal’s Office or Jail (also in Diamond Plains). Whatever the law enforcement may be (sheriff, marshal, constable, you name it), even deputies seemed to be quite prevalent in a time rampant with outlaws, bounty hunters, and gangs. It was cowboys galore!
Marshal Law: Justice is black and white.
photo: Old West Jail Interior (Jeffery L. Cohen’s flickr)
Since we mentioned the jail, we of course have to bring up the Bank, because the whole “outlaws robbing banks” trope just cannot be ignored. The bank we see in Poptropica is located in Rock Ridge. Stick ’em up!
photo: Pioneertown California (onlyinyourstate)
photo: 19th Century Bank Teller (petticoats&pistols)
We could very well look at the Train Station as well, considering it does tie into the bank robbery within the story. Quite different than the train station we see in our Mystery Train comparison, huh?
Train in Vain: It doesn’t look like much is happening at this station.
photo: Lochee West Railway Station (David Mason’s flickr)
After all that, I think we simply must talk about the Casino in Dos Cactos next. During such wild times, gambling tended to be a common occurrence. But yet again, Poptropica was able to fit it into its kid-friendly world! Looks like everything’s coming up aces for them!
Everbody Wins: Everything is coming up aces in this Wild West town.
Games of Chance: Everything’s coming up aces!
photo: Old West Cowboy Gamblers (ebay)
photo: Frontier Gambler (wikipedia)
If we stay in Dos Cactos, we can head on over to a sort of carnival, but more specifically a shooting gallery. Yes, traveling shows did date back to the wild west era—you simply had to travel between the far away towns for profit! And every good cowboy knew how to shoot a pistol.
photo: Early 1800s Midway (doc’smidwaycookhouse)
photo: Easton (delawareandlehigh)
Curious about other displays of showmanship? Why, just take a look at the local Snake Oil Salesman in Rock Ridge of course! Traveling carts were quite the norm in the wild west, with salesmen often promising miracle cures and obscure tonics of all sorts. Maybe be careful about spending your money around here…
photo: Traveling Medicine Shows of the Old West (curioushistorian)
Another cart we get to see in Wild West is owned by a photographer (this one in Dusty Gulch), which could perhaps be considered more of a miracle than the tonics! The world’s first photograph was taken in 1826, perfectly fitting into the frontier era. That makes us pretty lucky to even have photos from around that time to compare with the island!
Pilot Error: Different parts of scenes are made at different times, so we use stand-in characters when necessary.
photo: Remarkable Old Photographs from the Wild West (historycollection)
Dusty Gulch is also home to Rusty’s Ranch, as you may know (though this can also be compared to the ranch in Rock Ridge). Raising cattle and horses and such was so common in fact that it was actually one of the factors leading to the Dust Bowl. So maybe it was only a stable job in one sense of the word?
Cool Ranch: Giving you a new perspective on the next Poptropica Island.
photo: Dude Ranches of the Wild West (st.louispost-dispatch)
Something else we can’t forget: the gold mines! The California Gold Rush of the 1800s was a huge population push to the west. Time and time again it seems like people yearned to move west! Though it didn’t guarantee fortune to all, that’s for sure.
Mind the Gap: Be careful not to get off-track here.
photo: Montana Mine Old West (mcmahanphoto)
Bringing our adventure to an end, the Canyon Hideout feels like an appropriate grande finale. One of the most famous IRL hidey-holes for gangs and outlaws was the “Hole-In-The-Wall,” an isolated area in Wyoming.
Desert Inn Nothing: like a secluded hideaway for the discerning bandit.
photo: The Hole-In-The-Wall (historydaily)
Boy howdy, that was a lot of places, wasn’t it? And we didn’t even go into detail about the hotel, clock tower, or trading post! Just goes to show you how much detail goes into one setting/game design.
Do you think Poptropica successfully replicated the alluring aesthetic of the IRL wild west? Yay or neigh? What island would you like to see us compare next in this series? Be sure to leave your thoughts in a comment below!
Howdy, Poptropicans! Our first bit of news is that the PHB’s Mythology Island Guide for the remastered version of the adventure on Haxe is now up! It’s got helpful pics to walk you through the retouched island.
You can still find our old guide, with all the parts that don’t exist in the new version, by visiting the separate Mythology Island Guide (Classic).
Another week has gone by and that means another routine Pop store update!
Some items are still lingering around from last week, but there are some cool new costumes, powers, etc. that have been added as well. (items marked with a * are members only) This week’s rotation is:
Costumes: Chillin’ Chills, Neon Rockstar, Pretty Tough, Boho Beauty, Student Wizard, Apprentice Wizard, Dark Wizard, Wicked Wizard, Retro Robot, and Robin Hood
Powers: Magic Cloud Rider* and Levitation Spell Book
Miscellaneous: Cat Mug
Note: Some players have reported not being able to buy the wizard costumes. Hope the Pop creators fix this bug soon!
Of all of the newly added items, only one — count ’em, one— is members-only! That’s pretty neat news for the majority of players. When we take the familiar items into account, 12 of 48 (25%) of the entire stock are members-exclusive. Hm, that’s not too bad either! That’s actually much better than what we’ve seen in the past, so thanks Poptropica.
That’s all for now! What do you think of this week’s store lineup? Have you played the new Mythology yet? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Thank you all for reading and I’ll talk to you in the next one. Pop on!
Howdy, Poptropicans! It’s Lucky Joker here, and today I’m sharing with you some modernized features and new additions to Poptropica. Let’s see what it’s all about. (Note: the following updates are for the Haxe version of Poptropica only!)This post has been updated with more content since it was published!
The friends profile, which was first introduced to the game back in 2012, has been altered to receive an “upgrade” – as the creators put it. Seems borderline plain to me, but what do you think? Take a look for yourself:
So how it functions… The left button at the top right corner with a house icon directs you to your clubhouse. To visit a friend’s place, click on the “visit” button next to the person whose house you wish to drop in on. (Note: The decorations in any of the clubhouses I go to don’t match the ones I see on my Flash account. Maybe Haxe clubhouse furniture arrangements aren’t compatible with their Flash versions?)
Regarding actual friends, there seems to be a limit on the number you can have. I don’t know what the amount is exactly, but when I tried to add more by clicking the + button, it informed me that my limit was already exceeded. I guess in all fairness, this new friends page is still in its beta mode, so it’s not a surprise it’s a little faulty. We’ll see how, or if, these features get updated in the future.
UPDATE: The Poptropica Creators made a quick video walkthrough on the friends beta, showing the current features, which are (the long awaited) changing of your character’s display name, adding friends by username (so you aren’t just friending strangers, as this narrator put it), and visiting their clubhouses. Check it out:
They also shared on the official blog that “In the official release, you’ll be able to remove friends AND you’ll be able to hang out in clubhouses together!” If all goes well, we can look forward to future Poptropica parties in clubhouses! 🥳
Next, we have a follow-up on a post from yesterday. Our favorite droid, Quippy, has finally arrived (better late than never!) to Mythology Island’s (Haxe) common room – and even came appropriately attired in an ancient Greek chiton and laurel wreath.
There are 4 item cards including a Lightning Staff and Icarus costume (which are both members only), along with a Cyclops costume and Mythology Surfer outfit (available to everyone!).
Also, a new limited time bundle for the island is available for 1000 credits in the Pop store, which appears as a pop-up if you access the store through Mythology Island. The bundle includes a Greek God Growing Power, as well as Wings of the Gods and a Pet Leaf Crown. I’m quite a fan of these items, I must say – especially those wings!
UPDATE: The store itself also has an individual Greek Goddess Outfit and an Aphrodite Love Power. (Thanks PercyJackson1010!) With the special vanity mirror, when you press space bar, all the characters around you will be struck with hearts for eyes. 😍
UPDATE: Check out the related video the Pop Creators made, which introduces the limited time bundle and the Quippy on Mythology Island!
So what do you think about the updates? Do you like them, is it a hard pass, or are you some where in between? I’m pretty so-so about it in whole, but I’m willing to cut the creators some slack. At least they’re listening to us more these days!
Well, that about wraps up the coverage for today. I thank you once again for reading and I’ll talk to you all in the next one. Pop on!
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