Island Flash-backs – Page 2 – 🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺

I ought to explain myself, shouldn’t I?

As some of you have noticed, there was no Island Flash-back in May. Mostly because of IRL things getting in the way ~~and my poor planning~~. I’m sorry, as I did say this would be a monthly thing, and I’ll try to be more consistent in the future! To make up for this, TWO islands will be announced, one for May and one for June…

Twisted Thicket and Skullduggery!

While not the most popular, both of these islands have their fans! Skullduggery (2010) is known for its iconic villain, Captain Crawfish, as well as its focus on trading and travelling over action and boss fights. On the other hand, Twisted Thicket (2012) is most remembered for its references to Norse mythology and its beautiful scenery and designs!

🌳 Twisted Thicket was very much a story about environmentalism, though the fantasy elements helped the point feel more natural rather than forced (as is common in children’s media with moral messaging).

The island is on a medium difficulty level, balancing the twisted and dangerous forest with fun puzzles and, once again, amazing scenery. The Poptropica Creators have consistently gone above and beyond with their art design, even with such a simple art style!

Rare Bog: But will it be a rattlin’ bog?

🏴‍☠️ Skullduggery revolved heavily around an archipelago map, where you could travel to other mini-islands within the island’s storyline using a boat. (The same feature was later to get around Hemlock Harbor in Ghost Story Island.)

While Skullduggery’s main plot is about the evil pirate Captain Crawfish threatening the peaceful islands, the focus of the gameplay is on trading goods and basic economics of saving for bigger and better ships, until you can finally buy the beautiful Phoenix Warbird. The Creators’ Blog has an interesting series of articles on the design process for this ship! Though some players found the cycle of trading and buying and selling tedious, others found it to be an educational experience, unique from that of previous islands.

Sea Power: The stormy seas of Skullduggery Island began as a simple sketch.

To wrap up, I’m going to showcase some awesome past fan art for these two islands that are no longer in the official game. And let’s encourage the Creators to preserve these stories with more!

“*Skullduggery Island” – by Miss Eligon on Twitter*

Until July (hopefully 😅)!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Island Flash-backs

Island Flash-back: Astro Knights 🚀

April 15, 2021April 15, 2021 Smart Bubbles

We are now well into springtime (at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere), and I hope the weather has been more pleasant for you than the pre-summer heat that’s happening in my local desert!

I apologize for the delay in this post, and I hope there is still enough time to pay homage to an island that many of you know is very important to me…

Astro-Knights!!

There is no shortage of things I or a giant portion of this fandom could say about this island. It’s easily one of Poptropica’s most remembered, and many consider it to be the pinnacle of the game’s storytelling abilities. Compared to islands that came before it like Shark Tooth or 24 Carrot, the world of Poptropica suddenly felt expanded and full of undiscovered potential.

While less remembered, a short book was also made based off this island, among a series of four others. It can still be bought, but hasn’t been mentioned by the team for a while, nor have any other islands ever been added to the series.

The villain, Mordred/Binary Bard, is also quite iconic, to the point of being featured in the spin-off island Super Villain. He also has a fair share of fans, art, and a cameo in a dating sim.

An old version of the Binary Bard, where he was intended to be a simple background character.

There is no shortage of love for this island. That being said, it is hardly mentioned by the current Pop team anymore. While the development of Fairy Tale Island is probably the most pressing thing now, it would be nice to have it remembered by the future island pantheon.

Very nice, as a matter of fact. I don’t think many fans (including myself) would have any more interest in Pop if they completely discarded the stories that got us into it in the first place.

Before I conclude this post, I would also like to highlight some fanart made for the previous Island Flash-back, Wild West. Here is some fanart of El Mustachio Grande made by Dangerous Dragon!

Now here comes your part, Poptropicans! Astro Knights and other classic islands were rendered unplayable for most people in the Flash-Haxe transition, but the months of work that the artists and writers put into it should not go to waste! Make fanart, fanfiction, videos, and guest posts. Let the Creators know what you appreciate about their past work to encourage them to preserve it!

Until May!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Island Flash-backs, Wild West Island

Island Flash-back: Wild West 🐎

March 4, 2021March 4, 2021 Smart Bubbles

The months seem to be going by faster and faster for me, and we’re already at the next island! Before we begin, I would like to thank everyone who participated in last month’s Monster Carnival Island Flash-back—we had guest posts analyzing characters and presenting hopes and ideas for the island that had been years in the making.

And now for March’s Island…

Wild West!

While not as popular as others like Super Villain or Mythology, Wild West Island is still beloved and remembered by many. It is another great example of Poptropica’s ability to simplify backgrounds based off real-life locations while still keeping a certain charm. And I won’t deny that one of the most memorable parts for me was our Poptropican being able to ride the horse, Elmer.

Concepts for the horse’s design and animation

Wild West also incorporated a similar map style as Skullduggery (later used in Ghost Story), where you could travel between ports or locations from a bird’s-eye view, while sailing your ship or in this case, riding your horse. It also incorporated 3D elements!

Part of the map used to travel between different towns in the island!

I also cannot legally finish one of these posts without mentioning any villains. El Mustachio Grande is well-recognized for his flashy design, and while lacking in backstory, he manages to make up for it in personality!

Now here comes your part, Poptropicans! Wild West and other classic islands were rendered unplayable for most people in the Flash-Haxe transition, but the months of work that Poptropica’s artists and writers put into it should not go to waste! Make fanart, fanfiction, videos, and guest posts. Let the Creators know what you appreciate about their past work to encourage them to preserve it!

Until April!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Island Flash-backs, Monster Carnival Island, Uncategorized

Island Flash-back: Monster Carnival 🎡

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021 Smart Bubbles

Here we are Poptropicans, with the first Island Flash-back! And this time I didn’t stall on the post until the end of the month! But in all seriousness, this island was high on my list, and considering this is its release month, it’s the perfect time. I know I already spoiled it in the title, but I’m going to do a dramatic reveal anyway! February’s island is…

Monster Carnival!!

I would be lying if I didn’t say this island has a very complicated history. It was actually planned to be released alongside Poptropica’s very first islands, but was delayed for years. Even some Creators seemed to think it was never going to be completed, as evidenced by the description for this old concept art found in the Daily Pop archives.

“The Wayback Machine: An early sketch for a long-rumored, never-completed Island.” -The Daily Pop

Monster Carnival takes its inspiration from many sources, from the horror genre, to the at times creepy atmosphere of circuses, and even the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe, referenced by both the main villain and the trainee Edgar. Possibly over time the island’s story and atmosphere became more complex due to new inspirations over what appears to be many re-writes.

*A really good example of how “creepy” and “pretty” can be conveyed in the same image*

Of course, no Monster Carnival discussion can be made without mentioning it’s villain: Ringmaster Raven. This character has stirred many responses from fans, due to his tragic backstory that held so much potential, and his unfortunate (and quite ungraceful) end. That all being said, he is still much-loved, and like many other villains is one of the main reasons this island is so remembered.

It’s just the story of a boy who lost his way, into shadows strayed–wait wrong “Nevermore”

Now here comes your part, fans! Monster Carnival and many of its peers were the first to go in the Flash-Haxe transition, and the months (or in this case, years!) of work artists and writers put into it should not go to waste! Make fanart, fanfiction, videos, guests posts, ~~chicken memes~~ and essays on why Ringmaster Raven deserved better. Let the Creators know what you appreciate about their past work to encourage them to preserve it!

Until next time!

Corvus honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Island Flash-backs, Uncategorized

Announcing Island Flash-backs (and honoring a special fan creation)!

February 1, 2021February 4, 2021 Smart Bubbles

Hello Poptropicans! With Adobe Flash having officially shut down, we have finally seen the loss of many beloved classic islands. However, there is hope with the Haxe conversion of these old favorites. Still, the Creators have A LOT to go through, so we thought we’d do something special in the meantime to remember some of the best islands that were in the game. Announcing an upcoming PHB series: Island Flash-backs!

The goal of this is simple: We’ll dedicate each new month to celebrating a classic island from the Flash era, encouraging the Creators to bring them back through all of your fan creations and a special post here on the PHB.

Through this we hope to honor beloved, awesome islands, whether well-known or maybe less popular, showing our love and support for these stories to the Creators! While I have several islands planned for the upcoming months, if there’s significant demand for one I haven’t listed, I will certainly consider it, so feel free to make suggestions!

I had Mocktropica planned for this month (January), but due to personal reasons I wasn’t able to fulfill that post on time. But I will be announcing February’s Island Flash-back soon, so stay tuned!

Before I leave, I would like to quickly direct you to one more thing: a fan project that deserves WAY more recognition: The Poptropica Dating Sim! It’s created by Jia/Magniventris from the PHC, our Discord server, and will continue to be updated.

Including music (lovingly) ripped off from Jeff Heim

It’s exactly what it says on the tin: You date some of Pop’s most infamous villains! It’s got awesome art, witty dialogue, voice acting ~~including yours truly as Ringmaster Raven~~, and the most attractive Poptropica OC I’ve ever seen…I mean–

Please join us in supporting this fan game ~~and begging for Dr. Morrigan to be an option~~!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles