PHB Specials

Poetry ร  la Poptropica ๐Ÿชถ

Yo Poptropicans! LJ here with a new post. How are y’all today? (Read that intro again. It’s basically a haiku. ๐Ÿ˜‰)

Waterfalls: Follow this stream of consciousness.

A haiku, in my own words, is a traditional Japanese poem made up of 17 syllables spread across three lines. The structure requires that the syllables are arranged in a particular format: the first line contains 5 syllables, the second line has 7, and the final line returns to 5.

I was feeling sort of poetic recently while also feeling nostalgic for Poptropica’s glory days as I pretty much always am, so I decided to manifest that energy and take the time to write a bundle of haikus. In case the poems don’t convey enough, I also included an aesthetic graphic for each one, all made by me. I hope you enjoy!

๐Ÿ„ Scattering pieces ๐Ÿ„
๐Ÿ„ The sad loss of all magic ๐Ÿ„
๐Ÿ„ Heedless conquering ๐Ÿ„


๐ŸŒธ Elite ninja skills ๐ŸŒธ
๐ŸŒธ Sakura and bonsai trees ๐ŸŒธ
๐ŸŒธ Chaos in beauty ๐ŸŒธ


๐ŸงŸ Rising from the grave ๐ŸงŸ
๐ŸงŸ Exploring each spooky room ๐ŸงŸ
๐ŸงŸ The party begins ๐ŸงŸ


๐ŸŒŒ A man turned cyborg ๐ŸŒŒ
๐ŸŒŒ Trio of lost chevaliers ๐ŸŒŒ
๐ŸŒŒ One epic battle ๐ŸŒŒ


๐Ÿญ Gaggle of rugrats ๐Ÿญ
๐Ÿญ Lots of sour surprises ๐Ÿญ
๐Ÿญ Savor the sweet gifts ๐Ÿญ


๐ŸŽก Cometh the funfair ๐ŸŽก
๐ŸŽก Angst and dread loom over the city ๐ŸŽก
๐ŸŽก Secrets are revealed ๐ŸŽก


๐Ÿ– Earliest village ๐Ÿ–
๐Ÿ– Help out the 8-bit pilgrims ๐Ÿ–
๐Ÿ– Three missing items ๐Ÿ–


โšก Into the dream realm โšก
โšก Unravel threads of evil
โšก
โšก A giant shocker โšก


What are your thoughts? Poetry isn’t really my forte, and as far as I can recall, I’ve never written this many haiku in one go โ” so they might not be top-notch. Still, I had a blast creating them, and I may just write even more. If you’re feeling inspired, let your creativity flow and share your own Poptropica haiku in the comments! I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Until next time…

Pop on! ๐Ÿ€

PHB Series, Pop Fan Artist Spotlights

๐ŸŽจ Pop Fan Artist Spotlight: XMzhier

“Carnival” by XMzhier (Best Fan Art winner, Poppies 2022)

Howdy doodly, Poptropicanos! LJ here back with a Pop Fan Artist Spotlight, featuring the works of XMzhier on Tumblr (aka MN-XMPop on DeviantArt, or XM here for simplicity’s sake).

Okay, I have to confess that I first interviewed this artist for their spotlight almost three years ago (*slaps self*), but somehow overtime the draft got lost among my many unfinished projects. So, itโ€™s safe to say that this has been a long time in the making. Let’s waste no more time to showcase and enjoy the sensational works of XMzhier!

“Veuve Noire Valentine” by XMzhier

XM shared with me that their top picks for Pop characters to create fanart for are the notorious Black Widow and Dr. Hare, and it’s easy to see why! These two wicked yet charming characters have sparked countless stunning artworks within the fandom over the years, and X’s renditions of the infamous two are no exception.

XM also mentioned that they find these two quite easy to draw since their features are naturally captivating to them. Talk about talent! Feast your eyes on this gallery of pieces that just might leave you inspired to create your own. (click on images to see them in their full glory)

If you’re eager to see more, take a look at their creations on DeviantArt (even though it’s obsolete now) and Tumblr (where they’re more active)! Just a heads up, you’ll actually need a Tumblr account to view their content.

That wraps up our spotlight this time! I hope you had a great time exploring a fellow Poptropica fan’s artwork. If you’ve created any Poptropica fan art yourself, we’d be thrilled if you shared it on our Discord server, the PHC. While you’re here, be sure to take a look at all the other talented artists we’ve highlighted on the PHB. I promise it’s definitely worth it!

Thanks for reading as always and I hope to talk to you again soon. Pop on!๐Ÿ€

Guest Posts, Popspiracy Theories

Popspiracy: Mystery of the Mini Blimps

Hey Poptropicans, this is aย guest postย by Invisible Ring. Enjoy!

For years, Iโ€™ve wondered who shrunk the yellow blimp I was riding on, and I have returned once again to share my air-headed thoughts on such a small mystery.

For example, the first mini-blimp like this was on Shrink Ray Island, which leads me to believe that the culprit was armed with a shrink ray. After all, those ray-guns certainly flooded the market back in the dayโ€ฆ

โ€ฆBut if this is true, then who put those shrink rays to such a devious use?ย Some may automatically blame the classic ray-gun villains, like Dr. Hare or Director D. But I think that the most likely suspect would be Dr. Blandston, zapper of blimps! After all, I saw the doctor from Goofball Island with my own eyes; firing that blandston-ray at my blimp. Whoโ€™s to say they didnโ€™t fire a shrink ray too?

However, the blimp mystery may not be as simple as all that. For back on Home Island, I found not one, but TWO mini-blimps!ย  Almost as if someone used โ€œTwin Powerโ€ on them!

โ€ฆEither that, OR somebody mightโ€™ve found a way to split a large classic blimp into two smaller blimps! That doesnโ€™t explain where the โ€œPoptropicaโ€ logo disappeared to, though. (Unless those blimp vandals took the logo off first!)

But this isnโ€™t too much of a problem, because there are still plenty of classic blimps to go around, thanks to the Monkey Wrench Island monkeys.

โ€ฆAlthough, there are a few islands that donโ€™t have blimps at all! And those islands are the episodic adventures. Survival Island: Episode 1 is surely to blame for that. After that blimp destruction, thereโ€™s no blimp on that island, nor on any OTHER episodic adventure!ย 

Thank goodness for the Monkey Wrench monkeys, to have built us new blimps for the islands that came after those multi-part islands, like this one on Pelican Rock!

Of course, we canโ€™t forget the most common blimp Popspiracy out there: The mini-blimps are only on the newest islands, from 2021-now. Fairytale, Goofball, Jade Scarab, and the newest Home Island have the small blimps, and the rest of the islands have classic blimps.

Maybe Glowbhax shrunk the blimps! โ€ฆhaha, just kidding! Iโ€™m sure you all would rather say that the 2021 mini-blimp is just a modern design that’s only big enough for stuffed bunniesโ€ฆ but what if that modern design was ALSO done by the monkeys? Perhaps the Monkey Wrench monkeys were trying to keep up with the times, so they made big blimps for the old islands and small blimps for the new ones!

But one small catch… What if you travel from old islands to new islands, or vice-versa?

โ€ฆWell, THAT answer is probably as wild and crazy as all the Poptropica storms we fly through! Imagine crossing over a modern island like Fairytale, when a shrink ray hits you and turns your classic blimp miniature!ย Then when you fly on outta there and exit that atmospheric layer of shrink ray waves, your blimp turns back to normal! โ€ฆEither that, or Rumplestiltskinโ€™s magic is at hand. Who knows?

One thing I do know is that it’s lots of fun to formulate all these deductions like a detective from Mystery Train Island. The sky is literally the limit!ย  But regardless of whether youโ€™re on a train, in a blimp, on foot, or in the real world, my advice to you is to keep on adventuring, and keep your eyes to the skies. And keep asking questions and making guesses, too, because that is exactly how we all learn!

(This Popspiracyโ€”Poptropica conspiracyโ€”was brought to you by my early Blimpy Trance posts from Pop Fan Kids.)


Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Invisible Ring. If you did, you might also enjoy watching her full-length Poptropica fan movie, Battle Morale!

The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? Weโ€™d love to hear from you!

Creators, Hellos & Goodbyes

A Fierce Legacy

How’s it going, Poptropicans? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have a departure within the Poptropica community.

In early August, Jonathan Pitcher, a longtime Pop Creator who has left his stamp on the game, shared on X/Twitter that his time with Poptropica had come to a close. Considering Jon’s frequent appreciation for Poptropica and the fact he’s currently seeking work elsewhere, this sudden exit appears to be yet another layoff.

Jon Pitcher has worked at Poptropica for well over a decade. His duties included leading the charge in branded advertisement games, then later becoming an art director who contributed to creating new islands and managing the Poptropica store.

Jon leaves behind a legacy for the beloved game that simply can’t be overstated. His contributions to the community will forever be cherished and remembered — we wish him the very best! If you’d like to learn more about Jon’s work and impact, we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing him here on the PHB and have highlighted his Poptropica Portfolio from earlier in his career.

Sports Legends: Only the finest sports collectibles.

In a similar light, I too will be stepping away from blogging — on my own blog, Fierce Flyer Adventures, as well as here on the PHB.

As I’ve shared before, being asked to join the Poptropica Help Blog all those years ago is one of my favorite and most cherished moments, and this still holds true. The community I was able to be a part of and the friends I’ve met through Poptropica have changed my life for the better.

Fierce Flyer representing Tribe Wildfire

I sincerely believe I wouldn’t be where I am today without this chapter in my journey. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much for being part of it.

Fierce Flyer out, love y’all! ๐Ÿ’™โœŒ๐Ÿพ