Howdy, Poptropicans! It’s LJ here with another Pop The Difference special. It’s been nearly 3 years since the last one, so to say this is overdue is putting it mildly. Let’s not waste anymore time and pop right into it!
So here’s how the game works: Down below are five pairs of Poptropica images, each containing five differences. Some differences are easy to spot while others may be tougher. Are you up for the challenge?
The first two people to correctly spot all 25 differences (5 in each) will receive a drawing of their Poptropican by me. (Check out my DeviantArt page to get a glimpse of what you’re in for. :P)
Answers and winners will be revealed at some point in the next coming weeks. That’s it for now and I’ll talk to you all in the next one. Pop on!
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.
Early concept art for Monster Carnival (and its ringmaster?)
“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!
Ask the Joker is a Q&A segment here on the PHB where you, dear readers, are invited to send in your Poptropica questions to have them answered, with wit, wisdom, and wisecracks, by one Incredible Joker.
Name any weird Poptropican names! ~Cheerful Comet
Not exactly a question but here you go 😜. I mean, most names are pretty unique on Poptropica to begin with. Especially now that we have a bit more choice in the matter with the Custom Name Genie. But I guess the weirdest one to me would have to be Lizard. I know that may seem like an odd choice, but there use to be a glitch that I have not checked out in a long time with that name. Every now and then I would make a character just to look at all the different names, but sometimes I would come across ones with only a single name. Whenever that happened, it filled in the last name as ‘Lizard’. I still have an account I never used with that as the name 👍.
How do you think the devs would react if they found out about glitches and our poptropicans with uncustomizables? ~Silver Horse
And speaking of glitches, onto our next question. Honestly, I am not certain how they would feel. With all the other things they have on their plate, I do not believe they would fix anything as soon as it was seen. It would probably take some time to find out how it was done and how to keep it from happening.
And even then, there will always be people who find ways around it all to do things that nobody expects or has thought of before. I myself found two glitches recently (unless someone else has talked about them and I just live under a rock 😂😅):
1) If you have the Poptropica app, you can still spin the daily wheel there and then get your login bonus on Haxe, and both will count towards your account.
2) On Kira’s Island’smatching card game, I accidentally won with only two cards 🤣. I found one match and kept spamming it, and it counted as all the matches I needed, and gave me the reward for the game like it usually would. And for anyone still curious, we do have a page for this type of stuff with glitches and secrets on it!
I see you’re a permanent author now. How do you feel being a part of the PHB? ~Soda
Weird. (Honestly I make most of this stuff up as I go 😛). I am pretty sure that as of now I have written every post of mine the night before it was supposed to go up 😅. It is nice to be a part of it and help out fellow fans even if I have not actually given out too much advice yet. And to any aspiring writers reading this, remember that all it takes is a thought! I sent in an idea to the PHB and was invited to make it myself. So don’t be afraid to send in an idea or submit a guest post or just ask about tips to write an article. Personally I thought some of my ideas were stupid or not original, but I have been told otherwise so 😂😅 if I can do it, then anybody can.
The two incredibly lucky Jokers of the PHB, drawn by Lucky Joker
And as they say, third time’s the charm! Thus ends part three of (to be determined). I’ll see you all next week (or sooner? Hint hint?) and I will try to answer more of your eager questions. Now take whatever advice you will from this, and hop to it! 🐰
How can you send in your questions to Ask the Joker?
That’s a great question! You can use the following methods:
📧 Send an email to justaskthejoker (at) gmail (dot) com. This way, you’ll get to keep your questions a surprise when they get answered on the blog.
💬 Comment on the latest Ask the Joker post. Your questions will be publicly visible before they appear in a Q&A post, but this allows others to interact with your question if they so choose. If you don’t have an email address, you can enter a fake one in the email field when you post your comment.
See you all next time, and remember: You can’t spell Poptropica without letters.
Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the January recap for Community Creations! January’s theme was Doctors (and the featured work is not in any particular order). Be sure to check out all the featured artists!
Kicking this month off, we already have such a wide range of Poptropican-doctors to feature! It seems that Dr. Lange is certainly a fan favorite among the community, but it’s nice to see so many other characters here too, especially since they each have their own unique color scheme. I love the four figure composition and posing! But I have to be honest… I would be a little nervous walking into Dr. Romero’s office. Unfortunately, a blueberry a day does NOT seem to keep the doctor away. Find her DeviantArt here.
Dr. Hare by Fierce Flyer
Ah, a classic doctor and quite the hare-raising villain we have up next! Though this design is fairly simple, the energy in the pose and the distinct texture in the colors make it really interesting to look at. It definitely matches a “pop” aesthetic, and the scraggly whiskers paired with the bright green goggles certainly give me some crazy doctor vibes. Find his Twitter here.
Poptropica Doctors by GEAR
Heh, now I think we all knew we couldn’t get through this post without seeing this trio in particular! Dr. Hare aside, I think that Dr. Beev and the fan-created “Dr. Nyah” are real proof of the influence and creativity of this community. And how cute is it to feature these guys as a little family? Dr. Nyah may be a little young here, but I can imagine her all too soon taking over the world. Find their Instagram here.
Baby Doctors by AdventurersNHunters
Okay, and here I thought we couldn’t get any cuter. These little critters may not have gone to college just yet, but they still seem professional enough to me. Featuring these characters as babies is quite the creative take on this month’s challenge, and I think a lot of their energetic personalities really shines through. I can’t take my eyes off of, well, Dr. Beev’s goofy little eyes! Find her DeviantArt here.
Glow Rave Dr. Hare by thehypercutter
Ooh, now this is also an interesting take! We see Dr. Hare time and time again in Poptropica, so it’s quite bizarre to see him with such a different design. I love the hypnotic, neon colors! And like many of our other features, Dr. Hare’s crazy energy really shines through. And I like that he’s still got on some pink and green! Find their Twitter here.
Honorable Mentions
the Beev by happyclonetrooper
Dr. Hare Hoodie by Midnightoilstudios
Dr. Beev by PegaKidTheArtist
CC13 (Poptober Day 6: Doctor) by Lucky Joker
Doctor Trio by Sporty Boa
Wow, who knew Poptropica had so many doctors? I wonder how much work it is to earn your PophD… *ahem* Anyway, top notch submissions this month!
February: How Do I Participate?
Community Creations is a cool series for anyone in the Poptropica community to join in on. To sum up what it’s about, it’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 month’s theme. So what is February’s theme? February’s theme is…
Pretty in Pink!
With February upon us, I can think of no better color to embrace this month than all pink! Now, I know what you must be thinking: doesn’t this theme entail more Dr. Hare art? Well, yes, he does certainly pair well with this hue. BUT, just think of what and who else you can use as your muse too! Gretchen Grimlock, Betty Jetty and Moreau come to mind right away. Or even the Heart Astro Knight costume or pink Dark Knight costume!
But even with all these pink-centered Poptropicans, you don’t have to limit your subject matter to just them! Maybe draw something completely unrelated to the color, but only use a pink monochromatic color scheme? Or if drawing isn’t your thing, maybe write a story where the color pink plays a very important role. Maybe create your prettiest all pink costume? The choice is yours, as long as I get sick of pink after seeing it!
Just be sure to get creative with it, because we have already had “monochromatic” as a theme in the past. Though we’re focusing on pink this month, your work does not necessarily have to be ALL monochromatic pink!
Comment below with a link to whatever you’ve created OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) on DeviantArt, Twitter, or Discord.
Results: I will feature 5 of the submissions as well as some honorable mentions.
Limitations: Nothing NSFW, and make sure you relate to the theme.
Due Date: I will take any entries before the end of this month. Submit as many things as you’d like!
I will be sure to let you know I have seen your creation. While quality counts, I’m mainly looking for something to simply catch my eye, so don’t be afraid to join in!
So what are you waiting for? Go make something awesome!
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!
🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺 