When you’ve escaped from the dastardly Myron Van Buren, be sure to check out your ranking on the World Champions Map to see how you stacked up with other Poptropican competitors across the globe! Tell us what you thought of the final installment of Survival in the comments and on the PHC!
By the way, there’s nothing new for non-members today, despite hopes for PoptropiCon Ep. 1 (currently out for members only). Sorry, guys — maybe next time! 😛 But if you are a member and need help on the island, do check out the PHB’s PoptropiCon Island Guide! 😀
Hey everyone! I have some big news: the Creators just announced that Survival, Ep. 5: Escape! will be available this Thursday, September 11 for members!
There’s been no official word yet whether PoptropiCon, Ep. 1: Line Forms Here comes out to non-members the same day, but if Poptropica is sticking with recent episodic release trends, it seems quite likely. If you’re looking for some extra help on this little quest, be sure to check out our PoptropiCon Island Guide, complete with lots of pictures!
In other news, I just wanted to let you guys know that since school & sports have started for me (sadly), I may be less active, but I’ll try to find time to write the Survival 5 guide with HP. Anyway, look forward to a post from me this Thursday!
I can show you the world… — “I DON’T WANT TO SEE IT!” Oh, but you’ll want to see this!
Hey Poptropicans! So last week’s buzz was about the release of PoptropiCon Ep. 1 for members, and Mission Atlantis Ep. 3 for everyone — but looking ahead, let’s see what we can find out about the upcoming Arabian Nights Island — in particular, the first episode: “How Bazaar”!
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW (but that’s what you want, isn’t it?)
:: overview ::
About a month ago, the PHB posted sneak peeks of some backgrounds of places we’d be visiting on the island, which had some rough notes on them. These have since been updated with backdrops, foregrounds, and the like. (Special thanks to Poptrickia for putting these together into corresponding images and allowing them to be used in this post!) First, here’s a look at the Cliff area (click to enlarge):
To the right of the cliff image with the notes, it says “to cave” — that’s because we’ll be venturing into one! Here you can see the updated Cave scene (where the bag of salt lies in a lower corner):
Anyway, at some point (perhaps the beginning), you’ll speak to the Sultan, who resides in a beautiful palace (with its lovely exterior illustrated by Nate Greenwall):
It’s not so pretty on the inside though — that’s because, as per the episode’s plot, it’s been ransacked by the Forty Thieves! The palace is in disarray, but more importantly, the sultan’s precious lamp has gone missing… and as those who are familiar with Arabian legend know, that lamp is supposed to contain a genie that has now disappeared!
image of the Sultan from Nate Greenwall’s portfolio site
You: What happened here? Sultan: The forty thieves happened! They ransacked my palace and left me with nothing.
You: You mean, you’re broke? Sultan: Money can be replaced, but the thieves took one precious thing from me: a lamp that is like no other. Find it, and I will grant you a fabulous reward.
You: How can I find the lamp? Sultan: I don’t know. But perhaps you can start your quest with this. It is my last jewel. Trade it wisely.
So, remember Blake’s post showing the items you’d obtain in Arabian Nights? You’ll be trading some of these in the Bazaar (a Middle Eastern market), and based on the above, it looks like you’ll be starting off with the Sultan’s crown jewel.
Inside these pretty patterned stalls, you’ll get to trade/barter with the store owners, which may or may not involve the items pictured below, placed in the various stall scenes:
And we can’t forget the Daily Pop sneak peeks! These can give some insights to the island as well, like the fact that the oasis may just be a mirage, that the palace is heavily guarded, and that the telescope item can be found atop a palace minaret. The Creators even referenced CliffsNotes! Oh my.
Open Sesame: Into the jaws of defeat.
Cliffs Notes: There are no shortcuts to knowledge.
Spelunky: At the end of our rope.
The Saddest Snowman: Think chilly thoughts, think chilly thoughts…
Camp Value: The pup tent sleeps one.
Missing: This place is a shadow of its former self.
Sleep Tight: Don’t let the desert locusts bite.
In Spired: I can see my house from here.
Whattya Buyin: Got some good things on sale, stranger.
The Sting: Watch your step.
Hump Day: Dromedarius to the maximus.
Shuttered: This place looks deserted.
Crystallized: The caves have come around again.
Palace Intrigue: Don’t let your guard down — or, better yet, do.
Mirage: Don’t trust what you see in the desert.
How Bazaar: Every time I look around.
By the way, for more Poptropica behind-the-scenes, particularly files and music, check out the PHB’s Behind the Scenes page, which includes part of the soundtrack for Arabian Nights Island and more!
On Arabian Nights Island, Poptropicans go on a quest across the desert to rescue a sultan’s genie from the Forty Thieves.
Now, onto the theories! From what’s been gathered here, it looks like the Sultan’s palace has been ransacked by the infamous Forty Thieves, and his most precious belonging — a lamp containing a (wish-granting?) genie — is now missing. Once you get past all the palace guards and manage to talk to the Sultan, he asks you to help him retrieve it. He gives you his last jewel to trade in the bazaar, in the hopes that you’ll eventually win his lamp back. Along the adventure, you’ll venture into a cliff, cave, and desert to look for various items requested by the barterers at the bazaar.
Hey Poptropicans — friendly reminder that the PHB’s Land Construction Contestends this Friday, Sept 5th, so if you haven’t sent in your greatest Land creation to us yet, get building and click here for the post with instructions on how to enter! Or, if you’ve made something that caught the Creators’ eyes like Magic Fire‘s self sculpture (she’s a PHB reader too – hi MF!) and Young Fish‘s panoramic port city have, you might even be featured on the Creators’ Blog! (click to view full images)
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Have you ever wondered why Poptropica tends to release islands on Thursdays? While this doesn’t explain why Thursday exactly (Friday in some time zones), they did recently address the question (brought up by Poptrickia) via their official Twitter:
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PoptropiCon (guide here) had its first episode debut just last week for members, but if you’re wondering what’s up next, a good place to look are the Daily Pop sneak peeks. Let’s take a look at what we’ll be seeing inside the convention center (click to enlarge images):
Collect Em All: Keep them in the original packaging and they may be worth dozens someday.
Victory: It’s in the cards.
Hall Pass: Low-pill carpet for a high-traffic area.
The Help: With an attitude like that, you’ll go far.
Look Closer: It’s what’s under the cap that matters.
Silver Age: This archer gets right to the point.
Marvelous: A real stand-up comic booth.
History Lesson: Golden age, silver age, outrage… we’ve got it all.
Brony: Don’t say no, here we go, off across the plain.
You Hall: The swag bag is loaded, but where’s the exit?
Off-Screen: But we’re monitoring the situation.
Among all the random tidbits, it looks like there’ll be a booth for a comic hero called Elf Archer — created by some guy called “Stan Ditko”: a reference to Marvel Comics co-creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Plus, there’s even a Balloon Boy collectible that can be seen on a table!
And not far from the My Little Pony mimicry (“Pony Bros”… even the Daily Pop’s caption is “Brony”), there’s a poster for “Lava Twins” — it may be a long shot, but could this be a reference to a film called The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl? Yes, you read that right, “Shark Boy”: like the beloved Poptropica character who no longer is. (You can read all about the Shark Boy Mystery here!)
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Although it’s been about two years and ten islands since Super Villain Island, Brave Tomato recently uncovered this little snippet of Poptropica Creator Jeff Kinney working on it on a computer. It may not look like much, but it’s a pretty neat find nonetheless:
This came from a “making of” bonus feature on the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days DVD, where they talked briefly about Jeff and Poptropica. (Jeff is also the author of the Wimpy Kid series.) Speaking of Jeff Kinney, I wonder if/when we’ll get to see his ice bucket challenge? 😉
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In other news, issue 19 of the PHB magazine, The POPCORN, releases this Sunday, Sept 7th, so be sure to have your creative entries sent in to phbpopcorn(at)gmail(dot)com before then! That’s all for now (or TAFN, as HP the hip one likes to say)! Keep on poppin’ on, Poptropicans. 🙂
What’s popping, Poptropicans? Blake here, with a bizarre (you might even say bazaar) sneak preview of items for episode 1 of the upcoming Arabian Nights Island! (Thanks to Nameless UnDEFiNed for the linksand Giant Rock for providing full views!) Click to enlarge the images, or scroll down for file links:
camel harness
cloth
crown jewel
grain
ivory camel
lamp
pearl
salt
telescope
Down on the right is a sneak peek of one of the island’s areas, which you can find more about in this earlier PHB post. Also, here are the original links to the SWFs:
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