Guest Posts, Popspiracy Theories

Popspiracy: Poptropicans as futuristic hybrids of humans and aliens ๐Ÿ‘ถ๐Ÿ‘ฝ

Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Silver Horse. Enjoy!

Hello, fellow Poptropicans! When you see a Poptropican, with their large head and noodly limbs, what do you think about its biology and anatomy? A bird, plant, maybe a robot? Well, I have a theory that makes a lot of sense as well, at least to me. Here it is…

Part 1: The anatomy of a Poptropican

Now, as my theory goes, Poptropica takes place in the 4200s, on a future earth. (For this to work, Astro-Knights would have to take place in an alternate dimension.) Yes, you heard that right. 4200s.

Back during the 2200s, a society of aliens from Astro-Knights on the moon accidentally opened a portal to our dimension, ending up on a tropical island in Hawaii, which is where the “tropican” in the “Poptropican” species name comes from.

When they first found Earth, the aliens didnโ€™t know English or any other human language, so they communicated with body language before they started learning ways of speaking and writing. After finding other intelligent life on Earth, the aliens ended up having kids with humankind, creating the first generations of Poptropicans. The aliens had three fingers per hand, so averaging out with the humansโ€™ five fingers, Poptropicans ended up having four fingers on each hand, and for some reason only had one oval toe on each foot.

A Poptropicanโ€™s average height would be around four-and-a-half feet tall, between a humanโ€™s six feet and an alienโ€™s three feet. Their head and eye shape was inherited from the aliens, able to breathe despite having no necks or noses, by having a really thin piece of skin in their faces that allowed air to trespass. The necks are anti-gravity, having a wormhole between the bottom of the head and the top of the body, with the vocal chords in the top front of the body. 

The authorities on Earth had not realized the aliens and their half-human children, dubbed โ€œPoptropicans,โ€ were a threat, but conflicts grew into a worldwide war between humans who sided with governments and humans who sided with the aliens and Poptropicans. By the time the war was over and the Poptropicans survived, the humans were very few, and had no choice but to reproduce with the aliens and Poptropicans. A few generations later, and humans went extinct.

Belt It Out: Someone get Kuiper on the line.

Part 2: A rough Poptropican timeline

Now, maybe youโ€™re wondering, โ€œBut Silver Horse, Poptropican technology looks just like present-day tech!โ€ Well, I have an explanation for that, and there are a few high-tech things.

Firstly, going back to when the humans went extinct, the Poptropican officials vowed to start over from the year 0 and follow in humans’ footsteps. To keep the new order of the universe, they formed the secret organization “โ€˜Tropicans in Black,” which are the spies from Spy Island.

During World War P, as I like to call it, a combination of climate change and bombs and the like caused most continents* to split apart, forming Poptropicaโ€™s current islands. Mythical creatures and beings also revealed their existence, which explains islands like Fairytale, Mythology, and Realms. (*An exception is Africa, which stayed intact, as canonically seen in Nabooti Island.)

By the time of current Poptropica in the 4200s, time travel and alternate universe travel had been invented, as seen in the likes of Time Tangled Island. The โ€˜Tropicans in Black were compelled to take more extreme measures and invent the PoptropiLens, an equipped device that allows Poptropicans to see all humans and animals in the past as Poptropicans and Poptropican-like animals, without altering anything else, and without explaining what this technology was for.

Whattya Buyin: Got some good things on sale, stranger.

There were some mess-ups, though, such as a few statues in Time Tangled being humanoid, and handprints in Mystery Train and Back Lot having five fingers and not four. Other high-tech devices include the Colorizer, a permanent, automatic skin and hair dyer; CJโ€™s shrink ray; and the aforementioned time and dimension travel.

Print It: The marks of a legend.

There was also the introduction of sapient animal-like Poptropicans, which are either half-Poptropican hybrids (Silver Horse is one of these, albeit ยผ Poptropican) or through a Frankenstein-like surgical process, enlarging an animalโ€™s head, transplanting a Poptropicanโ€™s brain into it, removing the Poptropicanโ€™s head, and sewing the animalโ€™s head to the Poptropican, similar to deities of Egyptian mythology.

Other than these, the tech and life of Poptropicans is almost exactly like ours as humans, except for things accommodating their four fingers, like musical instruments for example. 

Finally, Poptropica’s Amelia was the actual, human Amelia Earhart. During her disappearance, she accidentally flew into a portal that turned her into a Poptropican, crashing on Home Island, leading to the events of Monkey Wrench Island.

Your Poptropican is a secret agent working with the โ€˜Tropicans in Black to save islands, and is actually a 20-something adult. Since your older self in Time Tangled (50 years into the future) looks at least 70, this seems to check out. Plus, correct me if I’m wrong, but the only times your Poptropican gets called a kid appear to be in the sponsored islands, which mostly take place in alternate universes where you would seem the size of a child, because the average height in those universes is taller than in the Poptropican universe.

With that, my theory is done! Let me know your possible explanations for why Poptropicans look the way they do, and how that might relate to future Poptropica. See you next time!


Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Silver Horse. If you did, you might also like another post of his: a Clubhouse Tour with animals galore!

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! ๐Ÿ“ฐโœจ

Island Flash-backs, Uncategorized

Island Flash-back: Ghost Story ๐ŸŽป

Time for spooky season, Poptropicans! ๐ŸŽƒ While there are several contenders for creepy Poptropica Islands (including Vampire’s Curse and Virus Hunter), I decided on one that, in my opinion, is the absolute peak of Pop’s storytelling. Many people know I love a good bittersweet tale, and this island is exactly that…

Ghost Story!!

Repent: Or theyโ€™ll lock you up and throw away the key.

While naturally family-friendly, Ghost Story takes on some deep topics compared to past islands, notably death, betrayal, and the difficulty to forgive and find peace, both from the actions of others and yourself.

I actually did cover this island before in the PHB’s Ramble Review series, and you can read it here!

Spooky Scenes: Could this be a scene for a new Poptropica Island?

Ghost Story also has some quite impressive art and background design, and also included the 3D sailing map seen in Skullduggery! This is used to go from island to island in this… island. In each area you learn about the different characters, and eventually how they are all connected, from the lighthouse to the prison.

Stringing Along: Play the music if the spirit moves you.

Ghost Story is also one of the first islands (pre-SUI, i.e. pre-Sound Updated Island) to include sound! Many Poptropicans remember the shock of hearing the voice of a character, Fiona โ€” something that wasn’t done again until Survival Island and PoptropiCon. Along with that, there’s also the short but very sweet violin song you get to play.

Ghost Story also has some soundtracks made and released by Jeff Heim! They appear to be for whenever it would be updated to SUI or ported to Haxe, although this has yet to happen.

So let’s continue Fiona’s legacy! Ghost Story and other classic islands were rendered unplayable in the Flash-Haxe transition, but it should not go to waste. Let the Poptropica Creators know what you appreciate about the island to encourage them to preserve it!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Goofball Island, Guest Posts, My Dream Island

Inside look at Dream Island winner: Goofball Island ๐Ÿ๐Ÿคช

Hey Poptropicans, we have a very special guest with us! Thirsty Flame (aka Blank Slayte, or BigMarioFan99 on DeviantArt) is one of the winners of Poptropicaโ€™s 2020 Design Your Dream Island Contest. In this post, heโ€™ll be sharing about his winning idea, Goofball Island. Smile and wave!

The first glimpses of Goofball Island were revealed in September 2021.

Hello, this is Thirsty Flame, and I’m glad you asked me for an inside look about my island idea: “Goofball Island.”

I want to get this out of the way first, to those Poptropicans who are aged 13+ and seen some of the NSFW stuff I post on Twitter or DeviantArt, this island will have none of that. I mostly try to be safe for all ages, and most of the stuff I post is alright.

Crazy Club concept for Goofball Island from the Poptropica Creators

Now onto the island! To be honest, I haven’t really thought about how the island will be played, like levels and all that. All that I submitted was a visual (see below), and the basic plot of the island:

In a colorful and bizarre-looking town populated by joke-loving and silly citizens, the evil scientist, Dr. Blandston, has invented a device to take away the town’s color and goofiness. It’s up to you to defeat Dr. Blandston and destroy his machine before he can turn the entire island into a dull, gray, land.

Plot of Goofball Island by Thirsty Flame
Goofball Island concept art by Thirsty Flame

I would like to imagine the island would play similarly to something like 24 Carrot Island, Mythology Island, or Monster Carnival Island. But, considering how new island quests like Fairy Tale Island use “side missions,” I’m not sure how Goofball will play out.

Still, I can tell you how I came up with the idea for Goofball Island. It was around the time the first Dream Island contest was happening in 2013, and I had gotten the Poptropica Island Creator Kit book to help me draw and write ideas that I had. My only problem was that I didn’t know how to send it, so I never entered my original idea.

See what other books Poptropica has released in our Merchandise Guide.

My original island was called “Toon Island,” and the plot was mostly the same one I used for Goofball Island, except someone was stealing Poptropicans’ sense of humor and you would find who’s doing it and stop them. I came up with ideas for the visuals, such as what the island would look like on the map

…as well as the medallion, two versions of the villain, and how Poptropicans look before and after their sense of humor is taken. Basically, for Goofball Island, I reworked my “Toon Island” idea and renamed it to “Goofball Island,” since I doubt they would’ve accepted an island named “Toon Island.”

Shortly after it was announced that my island won, I came with ideas on what I thought the logo for island would look like and reworked the medallion idea as well. I hope I’m close to being right with what Poptropica ends up creating.

With the official sneak peek of the island that was shown recently (and at the top of this post), I can say that it was exactly what I was hoping for, and I’m excited to play it when it comes out.

I do want to point out something in that sneak peek, specifically the building labeled “Bosko’s Car Fixing & Embroidery.” Coincidentally, I have an original character named Bosko, who is a mechanic. I made this character well before the second contest was announced. I’m not sure if this was a coincidence, or if they found my DeviantArt page and are using some of my characters.

“Bosko is Toon City’s best toon auto mechanic and can fix any toon car that rolls into his garage. Sometimes he’ll have some strange cases, but he will always get the job done.”

Either way, thank you for your interest in how I came up with Goofball Island! I hope it will be one of Poptropica’s memorable islands.


Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Thirsty Flame/Blank Slayte. If you did, you might also enjoy other posts in our My Dream Island series, including an inside look at another Dream Island winner, Secret of the Jade Scarab.

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! ๐Ÿ“ฐโœจ

Fanfiction, PHB Series, The Villain Saga

“The Villain Saga” – Episode 2, Part 3

(Table of contents) (See previous)

INT. PRISON HALLWAY – AFTERNOON

DIRECTOR D. and MADEMOISELLE MOREAU are leaving their office, both looking rather pleased and excited.

MOREAU

Iโ€™d say after that, I deserve a relaxing break for today. A nice bath, and perhaps they have some decent food hidden away here…

DIRECTOR D.

Hey, youโ€™re not the only–

DR. NYAH

(from down the hall)

Oh! Hi there! Could I bother you for a moment?

Continue reading ““The Villain Saga” – Episode 2, Part 3″
Community Creations

Community Creations: September 2021

community-creations-logo

Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the September recap for Community Creations! September’s theme was Punk, so be sure to check out all the featured artists (not in any order)!

No clue whatโ€™s going on? Go see our intro post.

Top 5 Picks

Copy Cat and Speeding Spike by bunnies_n_bowties

Starting things off with a punch! ๐Ÿ‘Š These two cool cats are definitely rocking their punk outfits. And those outfits actually come from an outfit meme where fans request an artist to draw characters in specific outfits. Very creative! The fits seem to suit this criminal coupling, right down to the punk piercings and makeup. And I love those dynamic poses! Find her Instagram here and her Tumblr here.

Chaos Club by Lucky Joker

Oooh, now we’re getting into the more spooky side of punk. ๐Ÿ’€ As the Poptropica Creators said regarding this work: Gothtropica all the way! The super dark color scheme really lets those neon colors pop. And, of course, it can’t be punk without a little darkness! Who’s your favorite goth-tropican? ๐Ÿ‘€ Find his Instagram here and DeviantArt here.

Pumpkin Punk by Gentle Dolphin

Hey, doesn’t this outfit feel a little familiar? ๐ŸŽƒ Well it should because it was one of the winners of the Red October Halloween Costume Contest! So get ready to see this pop-tastic punk design in-game soon. Not only is it perfect for September’s theme, but it is also quite appropriate for the fast-approaching spooky season. The Jack-o-Lantern inspired face paint is to die for. Anyone else as excited for Halloween as I am? Find her Instagram here and DeviantArt here.

Villain Fan Girl by BrittScarlet

As if our first three features weren’t punk enough, this submission rocks our socks off. ๐Ÿค˜ Nothing more punk than a villain, after all! The ripped pants, fingerless gloves, dyed hair, and dramatic makeup all scream punk rock. I could definitely see someone wearing this outfit at a concert, which is appropriate since punk culture has such strong ties to music. Keep rocking it! Find her Instagram here.

Betty Jetty in Punk Form by Friendly Feather

Lastly, we have a Betty Jetty piece soaring in. โœˆ It seems that the Super Power Island villains really fit our theme, huh? But this rendering stands out because of its ties to Fairy Tale Island as well. Cinder, after all, is basically the punk rock queen of Poptropica. I love seeing this sort of crossover happen in art, and that outfit is definitely on brand for a punk concert. Find the artist in the comments and on Discord.


Honorable Mentions

Now I’m not punking you guys when I say that those submissions rocked. I loved seeing that fiery spirit in all your work! Let’s bring that passion into next month too.


October: How Do I Participate?

Community Creations is a cool series for anyone in the Poptropica community to join in on. To sum up what itโ€™s about, itโ€™s basically a chance to show off your artwork, creepy fan-fics, Pop clubhouses, costumes, and anything else that pops into your mind.

If we really like the piece you submit, we will feature it here on the PHB! As long as it relates to that monthโ€™s theme. So what is October’s theme? October’s theme isโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ‘ป Ghosts & Ghouls! ๐Ÿ‘ป

As we enter spooky season, it is only appropriate that we begin celebrating Halloween immediately. So for this month, you may also want to take inspiration from trends like Inktober or happyclonetrooper’s Pop-tober prompts.

Fear not! There’s so much you can do with this prompt. Ghost Story Island is a good place to start, but you could even make your own ghost costume or your own, well, ghost story fanfic! Take inspiration from Daphne Dreadnought or even the Haunted House mini-quest. As long as your work includes a spooky specter or fearful phantom, it’ll fit with our theme.

And on a similar note, be sure to check out the upcoming PHB’s annual Halloween Costume Contest for more fall fun!

This is Ghost Story by Hfevra
  • Submit: Comment below with a link to whatever youโ€™ve created, email it to the PHB team on our Contact page, OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) on DeviantArtTwitter, or Discord.
  • Results: Next month, I will feature 5 submissions that stood out to me the most as well as some honorable mentions.
  • Limitations: Just make sure you relate to both the theme and Poptropica (and nothing NSFW or otherwise inappropriate).
  • Due Date: I will take any entries before the end of this month. Submit as many things as youโ€™d like!

I will be sure to let you know I have seen your creation. While quality counts, Iโ€™m mainly looking for something to simply catch my eye, so donโ€™t be afraid to join in!

So what are you waiting for? Go make something awesome!

~SD