Category: Islands

Poptropica is filled with a variety of islands, each one unique with its own stories and characters. Explore island tips, trivia, and other extras through our blog archives!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Island, Labs (Land)

Charlie post, Pop birthdate, more Land & music from Jeff Heim

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! This is going to be another mega-post on the many Poptropica-related things happening recently – but while you’re reading the PHB, don’t miss out on the new BoxTrolls ad, Survival Ep. 5 for members, the upcoming “Home” feature, and more news from the posts below! 😀

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Poptropica: A Story You Can Play

catcf 50th

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s beloved story, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Poptropica has been revealing some of their creative process in turning the timeless tale into one of its many Islands. The second post of what will be a three-part series is now up on RoaldDahl.com, so click here to check it out the whole thing – and here’s a little excerpt from their post:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a beloved story. No wonder it’s been made into two movies and a stage musical (and even other video games). Because we consider story to be the most important part of a Poptropica Island, this, too, was both a challenge and an opportunity when bringing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Poptropica.

How do we re-tell a familiar tale, full of beloved characters and situations, while adding an unpredictable new character: the player? How do we make the player a part of the story without changing the story, but allowing the player the sense of freedom and control that a video game requires?

[To read the rest of Poptropica’s entry, click here!]

If you haven’t seen their first post, you can click here to read it, and check out their gallery of behind-the-scenes images on the Creators’ Blog or right here on the PHB. A great story complemented by a great island adventure with its own unique spin – and if you’re planning on playing it, our Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Island Guide may come in handy! 🙂

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When exactly is Poptropica’s birthday?

Since its third year, every year, Poptropica has celebrated its birthday in the month of September – but never with an exact birthday date mentioned. This year will be Poptropica’s 7th year, and in response to a question from Slippery Raptor, Poptropica revealed over Twitter that Poptropica’s birth took the entire month of September (2007) — hence the celebrations being not on any one single day.

pop 7th bday date

This year, however, they’re planning to have their festivities on the 18th – which is this Thursday! We can probably expect a birthday costume with a “7” b’day balloon, and maybe some balloons in the common rooms. In the past, they’ve also re-released retired items — we’ll just have to wait and see what’s in store for this year’s party! :mrgreen:

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More featured Land creations

Poptropica Land: alpha version 2 may have been around for a while now, but the Creators are constantly being impressed by all the elaborate creations Poptropica members are making. Here are the latest to be featured on their official Twitter (click to enlarge images):

Cool Speck: crystal home
Golden Leaf: ship
Messy Lion: not quite sure what this is, but it’s cool!
Prickly Clown: medieval castle
Serious Bird: sub-pool theater
Skinny Sponge: desert town

If you just can’t get enough of looking at other Poptropicans’ Lands, then check out the PHB post featuring the winners of our Land Construction Contest! And for some tips on getting started with Land, check out our Poptropica Labs/Land guide.

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More Poptropica music from Jeff Heim

The PHB has previously mentioned Jeff Heim, Poptropica’s resident (and very talented) music composer — and while the recent release of Poptropica’s first ever music album may be unavailable to some due to cost, listening to Jeff’s Soundcloud tracks is totally free!

If you haven’t checked out his Poptropica collection in a while, you may now notice that he’s added several new tracks, mostly owing to the recent Survival and Mission Atlantis episodes.

In the comments of the “Science Fair” track, you may even notice Jeff’s response to HPuterpop saying that he “uploaded this track in part because I noticed you used it at the end of your Survival 3 Walk-through video”! Awesome.

One of my personal favorites, though, is the jaunty little tune that is PoptropiCon’s main theme. It just builds up to sound really epic as you get into it, plus it can get pretty catchy. 😀

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Don’t miss out on all the other cool things happening in Poptropica lately — you can catch up with all the PHB posts below! Keep on popping on, Poptropicans.

Advertisements, Galactic Hot Dogs Island, Merchandise, PHB Sneak Peeks, Shark Boy Mystery

Home, Cosmoe, Shark Boy, Thinknoodles, & more of Nate’s pics!

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Survival Ep. 5 released to members this past Thursday (and to the disappointment and outrage of non-members everywhere, PoptropiCon Ep. 1 has not come out for all) — but epic as MVB’s defeat may be, interesting developments in Poptropica don’t stop there! Read on for more! 😀

Home: medallion & sneak peeks

Some Poptropicans have noticed that, in their medallion collections, a new blank medallion has been inserted between those of Survival: Episode 1 and Mythology. If you hover over it, it says “Home not yet completed.” But what exactly is ‘Home‘?

home blank medallion

Well, a few recent Daily Pop sneak peeks might give us a hint — and from the looks of it, it’s a “hub” area that involves character customization!

Over on Poptrickia, Nice Hawk has uncovered that this “Home” world will be for Poptropica’s mobile app (currently available on iOS), and you can see the design still follows the “sky island” theme of the app’s “tutorial” island. Here are some sneak peeks, courtesy of Poptrickia:

In the first scene with the blimp, the blue box is for the logo of the island you last traveled to, and from here, you can enter the two customization buildings: the Bundles Shop and New You.

The Bundles Shop sells gold card costumes and items from the Store, but whether this will cost real money on the app remains to be seen. New You contains a barbershop with a Colorizer, where presumably you can change your hairstyle and colors. There are also three pedestals — perhaps a costume closet of sorts? We’ll have to wait and see!

Cosmoe on Main Street

Remember Cosmoe from the Funbrain graphic novel Galactic Hot Dogs? (By the way, GHD is publishing its first book in May 2015!) Anyway, Cosmoe has appeared a few times on Poptropica before, but now he’s here on Main Streets of islands like Mythology! If you click on him, you can chat with, Costumize (works for boys only), or friend him. (The Princess Dagger prize pack has also returned in places like 24 Carrot!)

If you chat, you can ask him a few pre-scripted questions: who are you? (Cosmoe) what’s in your hand? (my Goober Sword) and why are you standing here? (I’m waiting for Princess Dagger)

cosmoe on main street

Earlier, we found that Cosmoe’s username was npc:cosmoe, but this doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. If you add npc:cosmoe now, you’ll find a random character wearing a birthday cake (was the account hijacked? however, it still shows as Cosmoe on the Avatar Studio).

New PHB page: Mystery of Shark Boy

Remember the PHB posts about the disappearance of Shark Boy? Well, now all the data we’ve collected regarding this strange case has been compiled into a new page, so you can get the whole story all in one place! Click here to check out our new article, also found under the “Cool Stuff” tab!

shark boy mystery

Poptropica vs. Thinknoodles

Recently, Poptropica has decided to create their own video walkthroughs narrated by Captain Crawfish — but what’s interesting is that, despite advertising on the Creators’ Blog and even the Poptropica homepage itself, the “official” walkthroughs are still not as popular as those of Poptropica player Thinknoodles, who also narrates his guides, but has videos for every island on his YouTube channel. Check out the view counts of both their PoptropiCon Ep. 1 walkthroughs — the numbers don’t lie!

think vs crawfish

The Creators only have video guides for PoptropiCon Ep. 1 and Survival Ep. 5 so far, and for both, it looks like Think is still in the lead, despite both being released on the same day! Noodle on, I say! 😛 (Also, doesn’t anyone else wonder why Crawfishy doesn’t use his own peg-legged avatar in his videos?)

By the way, we here at the PHB have some video walkthroughs too, which you can check out on our Poptropica Help Videos channel or HPuterpop’s channel. 🙂

More Poptropica pics from Nate Greenwall

You may remember when the PHB posted some highlights from Nate Greenwall’s Poptropica portfolio earlier, but over on his Facebook profile (that is his personal account, so be respectful if you choose to contact him!) are a few interesting glimpses into life at Poptropica HQ! (Click to enlarge pics.)

The white board we have at work hasn’t been erased for about 7 years.
Practicing my Hadoken skills.
Lunch with some of my fellow Poptropica co-workers.
Some of our Poptropica merchandise hanging around our office. Now we just need to build a ball pit and fill it with plush toys.

Isn’t that little doodle of Binary Bard cute? And that’s a lot of Poptropica toys – I don’t think some of it has even been released before, like those badges in the corner or the big print of the pink rocker girl! 😮

On a similar note, some other Poptropica Creators are on Facebook too: to name a few, Justin Lacy has Hazmat Hermit as his profile picture (and complains of having his corner of Poptropica’s office replaced with plush toys), and Jon Pitcher‘s icon is, of course, the “Jon” pitcher from Survival Ep. 4. Clever. 😉

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That’s all for now — hope you enjoyed this post! Keep on poppin’ on, Poptropicans. :mrgreen:

Survival Island

Survival (Ep. 5: Escape!) for members, but nothing new for non-members?

Samwow5

Hey everyone! Quick post to let you guys know that Survival (Episode 5: Escape!) is now out for members! If you need help, click here for the PHB’s Survival Island Guide, which includes all five episodes and plenty of pictures. Or, check out our full video walkthrough series. 😀

survival5 carousel

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! 😀

PoptropiCon Island, Survival Island

Thurs, Sept 11: Survival Ep. 5 for members & P-Con Ep. 1 for all (?)

Samwow5

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!

f5b66-survival

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!

0186b-poptropicon

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!

~SW5~

Arabian Nights Island, PHB Sneak Peeks

BTS Overview & Theory: Arabian Nights, Ep. 1

Slanted Fish

Arab1 BTS

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):

(The corner with the crystals also looks like a Daily Pop sneak peek that we originally thought might mean the return of Legendary Swords. Looks like that theory’s out, sadly! 😛 )

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):

arabian nights palace

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!

palace interior

Among Poptrickia’s uncoverings was this snippet of conversation you have with the Sultan:

sultan
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.

bazaar

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.

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!

:: theory ::

Looking back to the original island pitch from Sarah S., the winner of Poptropica’s Create Your Dream Island Contest and brainchild of Arabian Nights Island, here’s what we know:

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.

How bizarre, indeed.