Category: Islands

Bonus Items, Member Gifts, Membership, Store, Timmy Failure Island

Face it: masks save lives 😷

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, it’s Slanted Fish here to unmask some updates on July’s new member gifts, store items, and the return of an island! Let’s get started.

It’s the start of a new month (did the time almost slip past you?), which means a new set of member gifts! And this time, Poptropica has joined the pandemic panic with a set of Fun Face Masks. Summer vibes have also arrived in the form of a Flamingo Floatie and Watermelon Purse.

With the face masks, you get three in one: there’s one patterned with the blue mouth of Medicine Man from Shark Tooth Island, a translucent light blue mask that’s also worn by one of the merchants on Arabian Nights (hey, I thought member gifts were supposed to be original items!), and a green monster-like jaw, which doesn’t seem to have a connection to any island.

  • Whipping up a traditional Shark Tooth delicacy.

Non-members, don’t worry — you can get in on the face mask fun too! There’s a new item in the store called the Friendly Face Masks, which comes in with three variations and costs 250 credits. Interestingly, the item card says “Member Gift” on them, indicating that they were probably intended as such at first before the Creators did us a solid by making these bad boys available for everyone. These come in red, white, and black:

Plenty of other items have popped up in the store as well. The good deals to grab this week for 75 credits each are the Fruity Cutie, Lazy Days* (seriously aesthetic pineapple shirt alert! 🍍), Dangerous Waters, Cool Boy Plush, and Coconut Drink. Also noteworthy: the plush of the character formerly known as Shark Boy is now simply Shark Plush*. Fireworks* have also hit these virtual shelves in time for the Fourth of July! 🧨 Scroll down for the full list of items.

This week’s items are:

  • Costumes: Friendly Face Masks, Boho Chic*, Fruity Cutie, Lazy Days*, Dangerous Waters, Waffle* (round), Waffle* (square), Lumberjerk (female), Lumberjerk (male) (oddly, this one is tagged Poptropolis), Game Show Robot*, Cool Boy Plush, Shark Plush*, Rockstar, Furry Monster 4* (somehow there are two different costume cards both with this name), Mech Pilot* (oddly, this one’s carrying a fish), Tofu Dog, Hot Dog, Big Burger
  • Followers: Dolphin*, Deer, Mini Astroknight, Dryad
  • Powers: Raven Swarm*, Hypno-Powder, Fireworks*, PopGum (fire)
  • Pranks: Octo-Prank, Hypno-Powder, Zombify!*, Silly Streams
  • Misc: Coconut Drink, Cool Boy Plush, Shark Plush* (yup, these plushes appear here too), PopGum (fire)

A * indicates the item is members only.

In other news, Timmy Failure Island is back to being available for all—but only on Poptropica’s Haxe build! (Thanks to PERCY JACKSON1010 for the tip.) This means that non-members can now venture into its common room store and see Quippy in Timmy’s iconic red scarf.

That’s all for this post! But stay tuned… we’ve got some great festivities planned for this month here on the PHB. Here’s a hint: you may want to get your Poptropican dressed up. Maybe a face mask would look dope with your ‘fit. If you’re venturing out IRL, though, you’ll definitely need one! 😉 😷

~slantedfish 🐠

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 🐬

24 Carrot Island, Haxe Javascript, PoptropiCon Island, Store, Survival Island, Timmy Failure Island

Get equipped with Quippy’s common room stores 👽

Gentle Dolphin

Hey Poptropicans, have we got a lot to look at this time!

In addition to the monthly rotation of store items, four new shops have popped up around Poptropica, each with their own themed items. Plus, the game’s showing signs of progress on the friends feature, and for the first time in a long time, we even get to see some official concept art. Let’s explore!

First, let’s take a tour of the new shops, which are all located in various common rooms on different islands. These common room stores feature themed items for those islands—some new, some we’ve seen before. However, these stores are only available in Poptropica’s Haxe Javascript build, and are unlikely to be made for Flash, which will soon be obsolete.

These common room stores are available on four islands so far: 24 Carrot, PoptropiCon: Episode 1, Survival: Episode 1, and Timmy Failure.

Our first stop is the cinema on 24 Carrot Island. You will find Quippy hovering by the entrance. They’re offering Dr. Hare-themed goodies for sale: Hare Hotshot (which was the former BETA Carrotene bonus for members who helped beta-test the sound-updated 24 Carrot Island), Dr. Hare Plush Toy, Light & Shadow Hare*, and the Rabbit Ear Prank*. (* = members only)

While waiting in line to get into PoptropiCon (Episode 1), you can stop by the Facili-Tee store to buy cool costumes such as the Tinfoil Robot and the Supernova (basically recolored from a Tron ad). You can also show your love of Old School Islands by wearing the Lunar Colony Cosplay* and Game Show Cosplay*. Quippy is ready for the convention with their own adorable cardboard cosplay!

While traveling in our blimp, we get caught in a storm and become stranded in the snowy forest of Survival Island (Episode 1). Thankfully, we’re not alone. A wooden Quippy can be found at the frozen pond under the big tree to the right. They’ll offer feathery friends like the Blue Woodpecker follower and the Owl Head Rider, as well as a Ghillie Suit* and a Frozen Body power*.

Our final stop is Timmy Failure Island. The bad news is that Timmy Failure Island is only available to members. The worse news is that you need to have a membership on an account in Haxe Javascript, as Flash-made accounts are separate from ones made in the newer Haxe build.

If you have an active membership on a Haxe Javascript account, you can access the island and its common room. Though Quippy looks as if they came out of a garbage truck, the store items are anything but trash. We have a Total costume, a Señor Burrito follower, Timmy’s iconic red Scarf*, and a mighty “GREATNESS” banner*. (Strange to list some items as for non-members when the whole island and its store are for members only!)

You can do more than shop in common rooms, of course. The Creators are hard at work implementing the friends feature to the new Poptropica, and new Haxe players now have a fourth dialogue with Amelia when they first land on Home Island: to meet new friends!

In common rooms such as the Blast-off Arcade, you can befriend other players by selecting “Want to be friends?” from the chat menu. If they say yes, you’ll even get a pop-up message saying the friend was added successfully! (It might also say the user isn’t registered, if that’s the case.)

Despite this, the player profile and friends page aren’t ready just yet, so there’s no way to view your friends on Haxe at the moment. But the signs are there that this popular feature is being worked on!

Over on the Creators’ Blog, the Creators shared an inside look on how they created the adorable Quippy. Early concepts show the artists figuring out how to show players the common room stores — did they want a droid, a kiosk, or something else? Once they settled on a droid, they chose some of their favorite designs and explored them further…

All this hard work and creativity culminated into one of the most unique and adorable faces in Poptropica. A friendly droid equipped with a luminous smile and a keen fashion sense. The magnificent Quippy.

The Creators ended their post with a word of encouragement for budding artists and avid gamers:

If you love games and art, consider learning more about becoming a games artist! There are a lot of ways to get involved in the making of video games outside of coding, and game artists are a critical piece of the team. After all, what’s a game without the art!?

That wraps up this post! What do you think of Quippy and the presence of all these new stores? Thoughts on Poptropica’s Haxe build so far? Share in the comments, and if you haven’t yet, catch up to our other posts below!

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

24 Carrot Island, Haxe Javascript, Store

May store arranges, 24 Carrot changes

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Store items for the month of May are here, and unlike last month, there’s no sign that they’ll change weekly this time.

The items are all ones we’ve seen before in Poptropica, though their availability on the Haxe Javascript build is a good sign of the Creators’ progress in porting over some of the older items to the game’s future.

For this month, the store costumes are: Soccer Player (boy and girl), Rainbow Storm, Rebel Beach, Mythology Surfer (boy and girl), Pop Star, and Rock Star. Miscellaneous brings us the Cinnamon Fire PopGum and Balloons, and in pranks we have Sticky Notes, Fart Gun, and the 8-Bit Birthday Pixel Pig Power.

As for the real powers, there’s Binary Rain, Bobblehead, Flower Planting Power, and Atom Power. Finally, in followers, we have the adorable Chick, Classic Pack, Charlie the Chocomonkey, and Atlantis Drone.

In other news, the Haxe Javascript version of 24 Carrot Island has had a few updates! (But not as drastic as the remastered version on Poptropica Worlds… Haxe hasn’t given us wild-haired Maynard or the Carrot Museum.)

You’ll see the first change right when you start the island, which now plays a short video showing a kid pulling carrots and getting whisked underground by a mechanical claw that drags him into the carrot factory, where Dr. Hare awaits. You can see this teaser video in our previous post.

The next change is a nostalgic one: you can mix a drink at the Carrot King Diner to change your hair color! This hidden trick was in the original 24 Carrot that released in 2008, but had disappeared when 24 Carrot was re-released in 2013 as a sound-updated island. Seven years later, it’s back!

Characters on this island also now come with small speech bubbles with just an ellipsis (the three dots) to indicate they have something to say. Perhaps this will extend to other islands in Haxe?

Speaking of, well, speaking, some of the dialogue on this flagship Poptropica island has been altered. Overall, the new lines flow well and give the player a better sense of what’s going on. Even the homeless man gets to explain his circumstances: the closure of the carrot cake factory has put him out of work.

And, at least one store in Poptropica still has toilet paper. 😉

Anyway, that’s all for this post, but these aren’t the only updates from Poptropica this week! Stay tuned for our next post, where we’ll talk more on the new common room stores and the funky little droid powering them…

Stay awesome, Poptropicans! 😄

PHB Quickie, Reviews, Twisted Thicket Island

PHB Quickie: Twisted Thicket Island

LJ

Velkomin, Poptropican folk! (That’s Old Norse for ‘welcome’ 🤓)

It’s Lucky Joker popping in today with a truncated review of one of Poptropica’s recently withdrawn classic capers, Twisted Thicket Island — an early favorite of mine from 2012. Let’s flutter into it, shall we? (note: spoilers ahead)

Your initial task arriving on the island is to aide the construction crew in clearing the forest by ridding the “hindering creatures” occupying it in order to make room for their new developments.

In the end of it all though, it’s revealed that the developer, Burt Diamond, and the rest of the lumberjerks are in fact the villainous ones — not the inhabiting forest creatures. You realize the action of forcefully ejecting innocent beings from their sacred home is reprehensible, and that the critters were only acting hostile in self-defense. (What a concept, right?) And so of course, like the heroic Samaritan we are, we eventually save the day and the forest’s magic is restored in all its glory.

As an environmentalist and someone who deeply cares about animal welfare, I really like that Poptropica shed some light on this important real-life issue (even more so with the surprising plot twist).

And including Scandinavian folklore along with the bewitching landscape makes the whole adventure more enticing while still fostering the same core idea. The game-like stages are diverting and the final intervention sure is climactic. I find it satisfying when we end up utilizing the very powers of the creatures in peril to drive the pesky bullies away. Oh sweet poetic justice!

So with all that said, I give Twisted Thicket Island a rating of 4/5 rune stones! It’s the decent storytelling, fun and challenging obstacles, and stunning scenery that grant the island perfect score potential. However, I do feel that the gameplay was just a tad rushed and blandly straightforward compared to other islands. I would’ve appreciated a bit more depth and length, so to me a B grade seems reasonable. 🙂

And that concludes my analysis of Twisted Thicket Island! It’s fairy unfortunate it’s no longer playable on the official game, but thankfully we can still access the island here (courtesy of our resident glitcher, idk). I’m not trolling!

What are your opinions on this mystical quest? Share below in the comments!

Also, don’t forget to participate in our readers’ survey if you haven’t already. (It closes on the 18th.) Thank you for reading, and I’ll talk to you all soon.

– Lucky Joker 🍀