Category: Mocktropica Island

Poptropica is under new management, and it’s falling apart at the seams! The newest Island isn’t finished, the staff is nowhere to be found, and you can’t take two steps without running into a game-breaking bug. Get ready to go behind the scenes for your most important adventure yet — because this time, you’ve got to save Poptropica itself!

Back Lot Island, Islands, Mocktropica Island, Night Watch Island, PHB Series, Pop 5, Virus Hunter Island, Zomberry Island

Pop 5: Ranking the Islands of 2013

LJ

Yoohoo Poptropicans, it’s LJ here. Today I want to turn the clocks back 10 years and revisit the islands of 2013 with a ranking to celebrate the anniversary. I can’t believe it’s been an entire decade!

I have an inkling my list will differ from most people’s opinions so I’m very excited to get into it and start discussing with you all. Let’s pop in.

(Disclaimer: This is not a full review for each island, so each analysis will be kept brief. Links to the synopses will be included throughout the commentary if you need more context.)

#5: Mocktropica Island 🖥️

Mocktropica Island was released for all players in January of 2014, but was first available to members on December 19, 2013, so it’s technically a 2013 and a 2014 island. With that said, I’ll be including Mocktropica in this list since 2014 has plenty of islands to rank as it is.

Now, don’t get me wrong ⎯ Mocktropica is a pretty neat island. The concept is wicked cool, and it was executed nicely in my opinion. I’m one to appreciate a good meta reference here and there, so without surprise, an island filled with them at every turn totally appealed to me. Initially, I found this island to be pretty cool and very funny. It’s not so bizarre like Timmy Failure Island, but I think it’s just zany enough to appeal to most players of all ages.

The reason I rank it last on my list, however, is because I’m pretty sure this is the island I’ve played the least from this year, so I don’t remember it as much as the other ones at this point. Plus, the main joke of the island ⎯ “Poptropica is under new management, and it’s falling apart at the seams!” ⎯ so heavily resonates with the current state of the game today, and it just hits too hard. It’s no longer tongue-in-cheek humor and retrospectively thinking, it just feels like a sad foreshadowing of what was to come.

#4: Night Watch Island 🛍️

Night Watch Island was the first official island released in 2013, and it was first available to members on February 21. It was released for everyone the next month on March 14.

I’ll be honest, Night Watch was never the most entertaining island (gameplay wise) for me back then. The back and forth travelling felt a little too redundant in this island specifically, and with being released right after Zomberry, this one didn’t feel as epic. The things I do like about the island, though, are enough to redeem it and to not put it in last place.

It was pretty cool having a job in this one, and although you’re pretty much in solitude almost the entire time, it doesn’t feel lonely. I think that has something to do with all of the signs, toys, pets, robot dummies etc. all around you in the mall. I also can’t forget to mention little Eddie, the coral snake. Somehow, he steals the show for me, and I think he’s hilarious.

Also, I just really like shopping and malls in general, and I’m practically obsessed with Scooby-Doo ⎯ so I greatly appreciated the reference at the end when the culprit says “And I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for this meddling security guard!” Speaking of references, there are loads of them throughout Nightwatch to other Poptropica islands & characters (similar to Mocktropica), but also to real life stores & movies as well! What the island doesn’t bring in gameplay it definitely brings in super fun reference hunting.

#3: Back Lot Island 🎬

Back Lot Island came out for members on April 4, 2013 and for non-members later in the month on April 25, 2013.

This island was fantastic to me since I’ve always been interested in movie & television magic. Every time I played it as a kid, I really felt like I was making a movie. There is a bit of that back and forth travelling like I mentioned in Night Watch, but I don’t think it’s as bad in this island. To be honest, I actually enjoyed driving the go cart in the Grand Majestic Studios lot (in aerial view) and running up & down Sunset Blvd. As fun as a mall can be, I think the scenery in this island is even more captivating.

It was also very satisfying seeing all of your work come together when the movie plays in the theater at the end ⎯ although it didn’t make much sense to me. 😂 On top of all that, the paparazzi photographing me like I was a celebrity when I first landed on the island gave me a huge ego boost. Just kidding!

#2: Zomberry Island 🧟

Zomberry Island was first released on December 19, 2012 for members but released for everyone a month later on January 10, 2013. Because 2012 is the year with the most islands to rank already, I’ll be including it in the 2013 list instead ⎯ kind of like I did with Mocktropica.

I recognize that I may be a little biased with this one, but I don’t think it takes away from the greatness that this island is. Zomberry is the first island I played with my little cousins when I introduced them to the game. It was a proud moment. I’ve lost count of the number of times I played through this apocalyptic adventure (and watched the trailer before its release) so it’s super nostalgic.

The atmosphere is dark and chilling, but the characters are quite colorful despite that. This is a nice contrast that makes for a nice setting. Samuel Brains’ look is a whole vibe and DJ Saturday Night is just as about iconic as Shark Boy Guy in my opinion. Abe may not be as quirky and lively as the others, but he’s certainly memorable, nonetheless.

For me, Zomberry definitely deserves the silver. In fact, it was almost first but that honor went to… 🥁🥁🥁

#1: Virus Hunter Island 🧬

Virus Hunter Island was released for members on August 29, 2013, and on September 26, 2013 for everybody else.

I’ll admit, the environment isn’t exactly the cure for queasiness (and I imagine anybody with anatomophobia ⎯ or anything similar ⎯ would really not like this one), but it is very unique; I’ll give it that. It’s almost otherworldly even with-it taking place inside a body and all.

Virus Hunter was notorious for many years to be filled with irritating glitches. I remember experiencing some myself, but luckily it wasn’t anything more than any other island, so for that I feel pretty lucky. In addition to the glitches, I think the island was pretty long and challenging as it is; I’m sure a lot of us got stressed out at the time. You’re probably even wondering why this is my top pick of the year.

Well, now that we see what the game has come to ⎯ with islands that feel more suited towards kids who are still learning their shapes and colors ⎯ that stress is sorely missed. I really want new challenging islands like this again! This one was overall very fun, adventurous, and exciting to me. A very grand experience I must say.

That concludes my ranking of these islands that are now ten years old. 🥺 It was bittersweet writing this one, I won’t lie. I’m the type of person who often gets emotional about the past and Poptropica is no exception. Anyway, what is YOUR ranking of the Poptropica islands of 2013? Please share your lists with me! Commentary or no commentary, I’d love to read them.

Pop on!

–LJ 🍀

Islands, Mocktropica Island, Social Media, Steam Bundle, Uncategorized

Mega hints for a mocking island

Smart Bubbles

‘Allo Poptropicans! We’ve arrived at the penultimate point of the Steam island hints! (Visit past hints: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.)

Here’s hint twelve: “Devise a plan to reverse a mega bot-ched op. Virtually everything is on the line!”

We’ve got a good hunch on this one, although the Creators’ Blog hints that this could “be applied to two other islands.” Besides the seemingly obvious, we might venture a guess for PoptropiCon, with its hench-bots serving the robo-suited Omegon, or Game Show, where we’ve got to reverse a robot domination.

However, the Mega Fighting Bots reference (“Mega Bot-ched”) points us right in the direction of Mocktropica, once again an AS3 island.

…wait. Mocktropica?

How A Bot That: Nobody told these guys about Asimov’s three laws of robotics.

While a cult classic, Mocktropica has become notorious for its unintentional prediction of what Pop was soon to become. Many aspects of the story take a jab at the obsession with surface-level gaming gimmicks like costumes and pets, as well as removing any challenging elements.

Adding on references to former Pop Creators who had been let go by management, this island may be an odd (albeit welcome) addition to the pack. At least we can enjoy the pretty musical theme in-game again!

“Max McPatrick” was based on then-Pop Creator Mitch Krpata.
Strap In: Concussion prevention starts with sensible headgear.

What do you think about the current Pop reviving this past island? Do you have ideas for other islands that could fit this riddle? Let us know, while I sulk in the corner about the Astro-Knights neglect!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Game Show Island, Island Flash-backs, Mocktropica Island, Uncategorized

Island Flash-back: Game Show & Mocktropica 💻

Smart Bubbles

It’s the end of the year, and we have two islands to mark it (totally not because I got so lost in the holidays that I forgot to make November’s post!). I’ll be highlighting both islands selected for the past couple months, which are…

Game Show & Mocktropica!!

While not often listed among the most favorite classic islands, many fans have good memories of Game Show Island, and it has a particularly unique design and setting! It takes the futuristic aspects of Astro-Knights and the apocalyptic ones of Steamworks, and fuses them together in an A.I.-takes-over-humanity story. Also includes the fun and games style of Reality TV, this time with more danger!

More Robots: It’s like they’ve taken over or something.

But unlike Sprocket and Merlin, these robots are not so friendly, all culminating to an epic battle against the evil supercomputer Holmes… who you defeat with a flash drive. Ahem. Definitely a brains-over-brawn island!

Deep Thought: Putting processing power to good use.

All jokes aside, this island does have a lot of fun puzzles, at times requiring players to test their real-world knowledge with fun facts! It also features several IRL locations, including Istanbul, Miami, and Buenos Aires.

Operating System: When technology meets talent, anything is possible.

For our second and final feature, Mocktropica Island is a special one that is not remembered so much for storytelling, worldbuilding, or puzzles, but for its humor that pokes fun at the game itself, and all the negative directions the game and its developers could turn… some of which are hitting a little too close to home now.

Also, the theme music is severely underrated.

Strap In: Concussion prevention starts with sensible headgear.

Mocktropica is definitely a cult classic. But will the devs ever re-release an island that would be even more self-deprecating now (especially considering the references to former employees)? Only time will tell. And let’s not forget the official Mega Fighting Bots website!

Let’s remind the Pop Creators why these islands became so memorable, and why the efforts that went to create them should not go to waste. Encourage them to preserve their past stories and their potential!

Until next year!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Creators, Mocktropica Island, Social Media

Poptropica’s Mocktropica story: how new management undercut its own game

Slanted Fish

Poptropica released a brilliant, clever parody of itself and larger forces in game design and management with Mocktropica Island in 2013.

Idea Generator: Spin to win. Try your luck.

But then, as players have witnessed, it became Mocktropica in many ways. This week, former Poptropica publisher Jess Brallier revealed some of the details surrounding the game’s paradigm shifts in a blog post titled “The end of the Poptropica I knew.”

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been following along as Jess shared his perspectives on building Poptropica on the premise of storytelling with gaming, making it the biggest kids’ website, until challenges cropped up in later years that his team was not given the opportunity to face (but they did get close to airing an animated series!).

Operating System: When technology meets talent, anything is possible.

The saga picks up with the Pearson CEO’s sale of Poptropica. Specifics aren’t mentioned, but we know that Poptropica was sold to Sandbox, a London-based “edutainment” company, in 2015. (Sandbox still owns Poptropica, along with other brands like Coolmath Games.) But it was more than the sale itself that changed things for Jess.

With Poptropica, sure, I was not always going to see eye-to-eye with the new owner regarding priorities, investments, staffing, technology, growth strategy, and so on and so on.  Yet decisions had to be made and they were no longer mine to make. Those were up to the new owner.  I got that.  Such is life.

But what I could not stand, and what I refused to further witness, was the dismissal of the team who smartly and lovingly built Poptropica.

Jess Brallier
Usual Suspects: This is where you line up for your turn.

Now, who was this new management who undermined the very people who had created so many Poptropica masterpieces? We’re not entirely sure, but we can piece together some details…

We know it was the then-new Pearson CEO, John Fallon, who didn’t see value in Poptropica and decided to sell it. He retired from Pearson in 2020. But Jess previously wrote that they only ever had one meeting about Pop, so it seems unlikely that Fallon would have been managing it.

New management invades Mocktropica. And Poptropica.

And Poptropica was sold in 2015, so current Pop CEO Abhi Arya would not have been involved, as he only began heading up Poptropica in 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile. Perhaps in between Fallon’s arrival as Pearson CEO and the sale, new management was assigned to Poptropica whom we don’t know about.

Whoever they were (or are?), they were allegedly undervaluing the rest of the Poptropica team as early as 2013, the year Fallon became CEO of Pearson, and the same year Mocktropica was created and released. This revelation sure brings a new light to this classic island — it wasn’t just a mockery or a prediction, it was already unfolding.

  • Some of the beloved crew after launch of Wimpy Boardwalk
  • Drones: Replaceable parts. Cogs in the machine.

From the team pic (left), we recognize Jeff Kinney (top center) and artist Abe Tena (bottom center).

They developed content and an experience that kids actually loved. For the user/reader/viewer it was an emotional connection unlike I had ever, or since, witnessed. Yet I wasn’t surprised, because the team’s hearts were deep into the work.

They were ready to address the challenges and make Poptropica bigger and better than ever. If only they had been allowed to.

It was an ugly thing to watch.

Jess Brallier

Again, specifics aren’t given here, but we can gather that Jess had a lot of respect for his team that the new management didn’t. So he made the difficult decision to resign on July 14, 2015, right around when Timmy Failure Island was in the works. And he never looked back — literally, he never clicked on Poptropica.com or its apps ever again.

For me, personally, it was over when its remarkable team was torn apart. They built Poptropica out of heart and smarts. They resolved every business challenge. When they were gone, Poptropica was like a treasured childhood house with a loving family no longer in it.

Jess Brallier
In Pop We Trust: The genuine article. Accept no substitutions.

Jess concludes the saga with a final hope that all the pain and pleasure of creating Poptropica was worth it:

I just hope, as we imagined from the beginning, that we inspired kids to care deeply about art and design, and storytelling. 

And that as they grow older, they’ll play it forward, making a difference in the lives of a next generation of good and curious kids. That would somehow make it all worthwhile.

Fingers crossed.

Jess Brallier

On that front, all of us at the PHB can affirm that Poptropica did inspire us, and likely all of you Poptropicans reading this too. We see it all the time in this community! And as we grow older, we definitely hope to keep building that blessing, whether here on the PHB or onwards.

Captains Courageous: Learning to appreciate poetry, one explication at a time.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won…

Poem by Walt Whitman (as featured in Mocktropica Island)

Jess’s blog post has attracted a few comments, including one from PHB guest writer Dangerous Dragon, who wrote that “Poptropica isn’t fun anymore.” Another comment from Kory (probably Kory Merritt, illustrator of the Poptropica comics and graphic novels) brought up how #Poptropica was trending on Twitter earlier.

“Poptropica” was trending a few weeks ago on Twitter. It was a bunch of twenty-somethings reminiscing about how much they loved Poptropica when they were in elementary school. I remember it being very popular with 4-6th graders when I first started teaching (2008-09). It was especially cool to see one amazing artist who posted art of a character she’d created, and then Tweet about how the character actually started as her Poptropica alter-ego.

It definitely made an impact.

Kory (probably Kory Merritt)
Scene from Poptropica comic illustrated by Kory Merritt

The PHB also sent a couple of tweets to Jess in response to his post, firstly to thank him for sharing and to let him know that all the heart that went into making Poptropica did in fact have the impact he’d hoped for. He responded: “WONDERFUL!”

We also asked if he’d be interested in doing another interview with the PHB, to which he declined, saying he was done with Poptropica. But he did appreciate our Poptropica Yearbook!

That wraps up this post, and perhaps all of what Jess Brallier will be saying on record about the universe of Poptropica that he and his team lovingly built for over a decade. It’s been good to hear from him. Catch up on the saga here, here, here, and of course, here in this post.

Jess Brallier was first a publisher (book and online), a role he held at Funbrain, Poptropica, Planet Dexter, and Family Education Network. He has also served on the executive team at Harcourt, Little Brown, and Abrams, and has written 40 books for kids and adults. You can read more about Jess on his website and his insights on his personal blog.

Fun fact: In Shrink Ray Island, the book in CJ’s bedroom which you push down to create a ramp for the toy car is Tess’s Tree, an actual book by Jess M. Brallier.

Let’s play it forward. 💙

Mocktropica Island, PHB Specials

Is Poptropica turning into Mocktropica Island?

Slanted Fish

Now there’s a question. Is Poptropica now fulfilling the prophecy about itself it set out in its own self-parody in the 36th island—and not in a good way?

I’m Slanted Fish, here to examine just how much Poptropica is falling into the traps it once warned about. Let’s take a look at the evidence.

For those who need a refresher, Mocktropica Island is a bit of a self-parody of Poptropica, imagining what things would be like when development of the game world goes haywire. It’s a fictional tale, but like many good stories, it does contain some truth.

And lately, it seems like Poptropica’s development is in crisis: we don’t hear as much from the Creators as we used to, and when we do, they’re tinkling with visual updates here and there, rather than the meat of the game: the story quests. In fact, it’s been a whole year since the latest island, Greek Sea Odyssey, was released on Poptropica Worlds, and Poptropica Original hasn’t had a new island since 2016’s Monkey Wrench. So, robot boss battles aside, has Mocktropica predicted the fate of the game?

Pets: the focus on aesthetics

photo credit: Maroon

One feature Mocktropica played with was the idea of pets for Poptropicans. Back when the island first came out in 2013, there weren’t exactly pets in Poptropica, though we did have “Followers” available from ads or in the store (such as the dragon in the picture above). But the Creators knew when they were making this island that pets were a popular requested feature for the game, so in the story, we have kids cheering for the introduction of pets.

And don’t get me wrong, Poptropica pets are great! This year the Pet Barn on Home Island finally opened, offering cute critters for players to adopt.

Pet lizards introduced to the Pet Barn in 2019.

But that’s just the thing, too: while the Creators focused on aesthetic updates like pets (not to mention the redesign of Home Island and various features like the Arcade, Clubhouses, Friends profiles, the upheaval of the store into a rotational system, and more), they neglected the heart of Poptropica itself… the island quests.

Coins: the allure of membership

Pop Coin currency is suggested on Mocktropica Island.

While Poptropica hasn’t gotten quite as extreme as Mocktropica when it comes to currency, the Pop Coin system does hint at something sinister: charging players to pay real-life money for basic features of the game. In Poptropica, we know it as membership.

Membership wasn’t always like it is now. These days, every update seems to come with a significant portion exclusive to members only: store updates, pets, the new friends profiles, and so on. But back when we saw new islands every once in a while, each update wasn’t so member-focused, in part because membership already had a big draw: early access to new islands. With no new islands, the Creators have to find more ways to make membership attractive for the sake of profits, but it’s only causing players—many without the means of purchasing power—to resent them for it.

Read more in this 2017 PHB article: Is Poptropica becoming pay-to-play?

Pop-ups: Achievements and Ad Units

Achievements? Well, Poptropica has had ways of marking a player’s achievements with features like island medallions and album photos, and fortunately, they’re not annoying pop-ups like on Mocktropica—in fact, they’re pretty creative.

But not so fast. Remember the ad sales lady on Mocktropica and the obnoxious pop-up ads she made float around on your screen? While Poptropica hasn’t quite reached that level of distaste, it has since introduced a pretty off-putting pop-up ad at the bottom of the screen that re-appears whenever you change scenes. Sadly, it’s been there for a while and looks like it intends to stay. As if the banner wrapper ads weren’t enough!

Advertising your own game on your own game? Not exactly effective, either.

Developers: Where have they gone?

On Mocktropica Island, Poptropica developers were fired by new management.

A year ago, Poptropica inexplicably let go of some valuable senior-level employees who had contributed to the game for about a whole decade. A former Creator, Jessica (aka Skinny Moon), even confirmed in March 2018 that “most of the company is gone,” referring to employees she’d worked with prior to that point. Since then, we haven’t had names—not even aliases!—to connect us with the Poptropica team.

On this front, Mocktropica definitely predicted a bleak turn for Poptropica. These days, Poptropica rarely updates their official blog, on time if it all—even for bigger releases—and as outlined above, game updates are not only fewer and farther between, but when they do occur, they’re not what anybody really asked for. Sure, releasing some new items and redecorating some interfaces is mildly interesting, but they’re not going to keep anybody’s attention for long. But you know what will, Poptropica Creators?

Stories—specifically, islands!

Former president of Poptropica, Jess Brallier, says it best in this video from 2013, recently discovered by Osmium and re-posted from “Future Think” by idk:

Right out of this publisher’s mouth: “We’re not doing a virtual world to create a social networking opportunity, not to house games, not to host a virtual economy, but to tell stories… the point of Poptropica is to tell kids stories in the literacy of their choosing.“

Does that sound like the Poptropica of the present to you? Well, I’ve been following Poptropica through the years, and let me tell you: the success is in the stories it tells. The most anticipated updates have always been the islands—those quirky quests were what made Poptropica “Poptropica.” Pets, member perks, fun items—those are best left as secondary.

I think it’s pretty clear that Poptropica has, in not all, but some ways, followed right into the footsteps of Mocktropica Island. An island created as a cautionary tale is unfolding right before us, and the Poptropica Creators of the present would do well to pay attention and revisit what the Creators of the past have tried to warn us all about when they created Mocktropica.

What does Poptropica need right now? Well…

I think I speak for many Poptropicans when I say that I truly hope to see Poptropica return to what made it successful: the stories, or in other words, the islands. Oh Poptropica, where will your yellow blimp take us next?

—Slanted Fish 🐠