Congrats, GreedyShadow! May your new membership allow you to attain all the cool items of your heart’s desires. By the way, if you need a refresher on what membership has to offer, check out our Membership Tour page, updated for 2021.
One of the perks of membership in the age of Haxe is access to Time Tangled Island, which is currently available to members only. Here on the PHB, we recently updated our Time Tangled Island Guide with tons of new pics — check it out if you need help or just want a throwback!
Anyway, in case you missed the announcement earlier, our membership giveaways are a new monthly occurrence here on the PHB. It’s easy to enter the giveaway, so why not give it a try?
To enter for your chance to win, comment on the Free Poptropica Membership page and leave at least two other comments around the PHB within the month to be entered into that month’s giveaway.
We’ll announce a winner sometime in the final week of each month. If you don’t win, you can always try again for the next month!
For the full details, including all caveats and the philosophies behind these giveaways, head on over to the PHB’s Free Poptropica Membership page. That’s also where you get started on entering the monthly raffles!
Thank you all who have been participating, and regardless of the outcomes, we hope you’re having fun interacting with the PHB. Let’s keep the comments coming for all Poptropicans to enjoy! 🥳
Howdy, Poptropicans! It’s LJ and today I’d like to talk about the 12 astrology zodiac signs and the characters that I believe embody them. Let’s pop right into it! (disclaimer: dates may vary depending on the source)
♈ If you were born anywhere between March 20 and April 19, you are an Aries. Aries are said to be direct and confident leaders — and because he operates the infamous Sea Chicken ship and commands his very own pirate crew, I think Captain Crawfish best fits this description.
♉ Next are Taurus, which are those born from April 20 to May 20. Just like Aphrodite, Taurus are known for their relaxed and loving nature, and are extremely loyal as well.
♊ For the people born somewhere between May 21 and June 21, you may share a lot of similar traits to the intelligent CJ from Shrink Ray Island. Geminis are usually very intellectually curious and immersed in many hobbies. It takes a really smart cookie to invent a shrink ray!
♋ Elf Queen represents the Cancer sign. Cancers, born between June 22 and July 21, tend to be compassionate and caring individuals who carry a gentle demeanor. You may seem distant at times, but that’s just because you sometimes need your own space.
♌ Next are the Leos. Like Flashy Florian Fosbury, you’re most likely vivacious and proud. You might even come off as a diva every now and then. Leo birthdays range from July 22 to August 22.
♍ Virgos are born anywhere between August 23 and September 22, and are often logical, systematic, and diligent just like the supercomputer Holmes. He may be the villain of Game Show Island, but really he was just misguided. No one can deny his superb coordination skills.
♎ If you were born somewhere between September 23 and October 22, you belong to the Libra sign. I reckon you’re a charming, intuitive, and luxurious chum just like Mr. Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory island! I mean, who else can dazzle a group of kids in their very own whimsical chocolate factory?
♏ All hail the mighty and powerful Zeus — the representative for Scorpio! Born from October 23 to November 21, Scorpios are absolutely fearless and passionate in everything they do. Just look at how Zeus attempted to take over all of Poptropica not once, but twice! I suggest using your strengths for good instead of evil though.
♐ For those born between November 22 and December 21, you are a Sagittarius and are most like Harold Mews. Similar to the businessman, it’s likely that you’re a wild and adventurous explorer type who loves to tell stories about your discoveries.
♑ Next up is Capricorn as best portrayed by Oliver. Capricorn birthdays range from December 22 to January 20. Capricorns are known for their youthful and playful nature and are always ready to take on whatever steps in their way. They have a can-do attitude, optimistic outlook, and can sometimes be a little mischievous.
♒ All Aquarius, rise, for you share characteristics with possibly Poptropica’s most iconic character, himself — Dr. Hare! People born from January 21 to February 19 are rebellious, eccentric, and unusual (in the best possible way of course) in the way they carry themselves. Keep doing you!
♓ And finally, Pisces! Pisces, born between February 20 and March 19, are recognized for being visionaries. They are greatly imaginative and even a little mysterious on occasion. You’re just like the brilliant engineer Nikola Tesla from Mystery Train island.
And there you have it folks — the 12 zodiac signs as represented by your favorite Poptropica characters! I hope you got a kick out of this post. It was a pleasure writing it for you guys. Thank you for reading and I’ll talk to you in the next one. Pop on!
As you may have gained from the title of this post, I’m here to discuss a Poptropica island that, although it had lots of great potential, is often overlooked by fans, and was even erased from the map altogether two years ago. Yes, I’m talking about Monkey Wrench.
Monkey Wrench was the tutorial island released in 2016.
It’s easy to see why this island is so frequently forgotten, as it was only a tutorial island; incomparable to greater classics such as Astro-Knights or Skullduggery. But, even though it was only invented to teach new Poptropicans how to play, I still felt that Monkey Wrench was quite a bit more than that. To better understand what I’m on to, take a look at the following reasons for why I think Monkey Wrench should be brought back.
One of the biggest things that made me get so attached to this short but sweet island is the lore it provided. You’re probably wondering what I mean; Monkey Wrench didn’t give us a full, thoughtful story to think over, unlike other islands that centered on their storytelling. But it did give us something I never expected to have a real answer for, least of all from a tutorial island; where the iconic Poptropica blimp came from.
Who knew that the great Poptropica blimp would come from a pack of monkeys?
I’m sure many of us wondered how one of Poptropica’s most well-known features, the golden blimp, came to sit on Home Island the moment we created our Poptropican avatars. And it was a big surprise when the answer to this longstanding question came in the form of a tutorial island! Besides, learning where your blimp comes from is a perfect introduction to Poptropica. In my opinion, Monkey Wrench succeeded all expectationsof what a tutorial should be.
You may still be slightly doubtful about how important Monkey Wrench really was. I know one thing that bothered a lot of players about this island was how many game controls were taught during it, interrupting the experience; but, after all, Monkey Wrench is a tutorial. If it didn’t teach you how to control your avatar, speed up the dialogue, and use items from your backpack, that would have ruined the whole point. (Although I do think it would be interesting to see Monkey Wrench expanded into a full island.)
Another reason why I think Monkey Wrench should return is the amount of design that went into it. The visual scenery, character design, and audio soundtracks were all amazing, and I don’t think such beautiful work should go to waste so quickly. A couple of my favorite scenes from Monkey Wrench include Amelia’s airplane soaring over the majestic Poptropican sea during the Flying Ace Race, as well as all of the lush tropical scenery on Crusoe’s island.
And the visual design isn’t the only ‘wow’ factor in this island; I truly mean it when I say Monkey Wrench’s soundtracks were some of the best in Poptropica. (You can listen to them on SoundCloud.) Each music piece sets the mood perfectly, with the right amount of action, calm, and fun. Not to mention that there were at least four separate soundtracks created all for this one smaller island!
And we haven’t even reached the character design yet. The Red Baroness, Monkey Wrench’s main villain, had a spectacular outfit going, and I was always very intrigued by her. If only Monkey Wrench could be returned to the map and possibly expanded on, it would give us a chance to delve deeper into her back story; and find out just where she got to when her plane crashed in the ocean! Does the great Red Baroness live on?
After all that, Poptropica’s current tutorial island, Snagglemast, pales in comparison to Monkey Wrench. While Monkey Wrench provides story, suspense, scenery, music, and even an explanation for Poptropica’s iconic blimp, Snagglemast gives us a much shorter quest of collecting coins from across the small island. Let’s not forget that the tutorial is also very important because it’s most new players’ first impressions of Poptropica. If the tutorial island is made carelessly, than new players probably won’t want to stay around for long.
Although I had already played Poptropica for a time before Monkey Wrench was released, I would have been glad if Monkey Wrench were my first impression of the game, because it truly shows what Poptropica is all about; storytelling. Even though Monkey Wrench’s story is short and doesn’t reach as deep as other, bigger islands, it still has a small amount of lore, and that’s what counts. Whereas if a new player plays Snagglemast as their first island, they would most likely think Poptropica was nothing more than several short fetch quests.
To conclude: if the Creators are reading this post, I hope you’ll take into consideration what I’ve said. Monkey Wrench will always hold a special place with me, and it would be all for the better if it returns someday.
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.
Welcome to the second ATJ where you will be learning about the Joker himself! (Whether you want to or not 😂). These three questions were actually asked by the same person, Pegs. So thanks for taking an interest in me! And if anyone wants to mention their answer to any of these in the comments, go ahead. 😁
What is your favorite island? ~Pegs
That is a bit hard to pick between. You might guess 24 Carrot and yeah that one makes me pretty hoppy to play it, but each has its moments. I like ones with multiple parts like Arabian Nights and PoptropiCon. I liked on Counterfeit having to travel to another island and wish they had expanded on that idea. I did get really spirited about Ghost Story Island, for a few reasons. To be a stereotype, I am from a relatively haunted state and I have heard many, many ghost stories over the years so I like that type of thing already. I was pretty excited when they announced the island.
Who is your favorite villain? ~Pegs
Binary Bard. 😐
How many medallions do you have? ~Pegs
If I counted it up right I would say 48? That is not counting any I may have replayed, or the slightly modified 24 Carrot Island. The two islands that I have not completed are Back Lot Island and Lunar Colony, so maybe if they do add the old ones back then I can bring my count up to a perfect 50. Of course hopefully that count will go up soon anyways with two winners of the Dream Island contest being announced so far! Fairy Tale and Goofball Island! Unless I procrastinate and never finish the new islands. 😅
And that’s it for the second Ask the Joker! Remember to ask more questions and I’ll get to each one when I can. If this gets more popular, I may do more than three per post. More work for me but more fun for you all. 😅👍
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.
Welcome back to “Pop Places IRL,” Poptropicans! Today, we’re visiting ye olde times and heading to Astro-Knights Island. Enjoying the series? Be sure to check out other Pop Places IRL posts.
Astro-Knights Island takes place in Medieval Europe, but obviously includes a sci-fi twist. Though its exact location is never specified, we’ll assume the kingdom of Arturus has British roots, given its repeated connections to Arthurian legend.
Before we launch our rocket and start soaring through the stars, we get to explore the kingdom a bit to kick off the mysterious story of this island. The Castle is definitely the largest structure in town, and an iconic element of Medieval Europe to say the least.
photo: Dover Castle (historyextra)
Besides the castle, however, we get to see a medieval aesthetic all throughout Arturus, particularly when looking at Main Street. Er… save for those sci-fi elements we talked about earlier. I don’t think we would be able to find a glowing rocket statue in the Middle Ages…
photo: Small Towns in England (planetware)
The Ye Olde Rumour Mille is another major location in town. The name might be a bit of a joke, but the actual structure is pretty similar to its IRL counterpart!
photo: Stembridge Tower Mill (picturesofengland)
General town aside, let’s step back inside the castle. That’s why we’re here, aren’t we? Cool castles!!! Though many castles in Europe have been refurbished in one way or another, it’s nonetheless interesting to still see them standing at all. You can even tour some!
photo: Medieval Castles in the UK (jebiga)
Continuing inside the castle, I think the most important room to talk about is the Throne Room. Gotta have a center piece for the whole castle! The room we have pictured is from France, but you get the idea. Quite ornate!
photo: Throne Room (wikipedia)
On the opposite side of things, however, we have the Dungeon. These sorts of cells, including “oubliettes,” are often associated with with the Medieval era (though its correlation with torture more accurately pairs with the Renaissance period). Too bad there weren’t any mysterious robots IRL to keep prisoners company!
photo: The Castle Dungeon and the Oubliette (exploringcastles)
The last room in the castle is the Library. Art history buffs will certainly be familiar with some illuminated manuscripts from this era, though we don’t have much time to stop and study anything in Poptropica. Gotta love that Old English, right? Unfortunately the library in Poptropica is, er, in a bit disarray…
photo: The Golden Haggadah (khanacademy)
photo: Royal Manuscript (thebritishlibrary)
photo: Medieval Manuscripts (mymodernmet)
While in the castle library, we could also glance at some references Poptropica makes to Arthurian legend (as I mentioned earlier). Though the legend primary features King Arthur, we learn from the Astro-Knights novel that the King of Arturus is actually named Richard. As in Richard the Lionheart!
photo: King Arthur (ancienthistoryencyclopedia)
photo: Richard the Lionheart (historyonthisday)
Similarly, the knights have ties to legend: Pelasus (named similarly to Pelleas, a knight of the round table), Gawain (another knight of the round table with the same name), and Cador (Duke of Cornwall, related to Arthur). Cador may not be a knight of the round table like his comrades, but the ties are there nonetheless! So… have a photo of Sir Lancelot in his place.
RedKnightSirPelasusASG
BlueKnightSirGawainASG
GreenNightSirCadorASG
photo: Pelleas (wikipedia)
photo: Gawain (wikipedia)
photo: Lancelot (everworldwiki)
Another good comparison to legend: Merlin! Other than sharing the name with a wizard, our “feathered” friend also shares his name with a type of falcon.
photo: Merlin Bird (wikipedia)
photo: Merlin (wikipedia)
Last but not least… Binary Bard! Or Mordred, to be clear. There are various depictions of him in legend, but as Modredus, he is Arthur’s traitorous nephew.
photo: Mordred (wikipedia)
Alright, I know we strayed away from “places” for a bit there, leaning more towards “people,” so let’s get back on track! Other than Medieval Europe, the other dominant setting of Astro-Knights is, of course, space! The real moon may not have an AstroZone like the Pewter Moon in Poptropica, but maybe we’ll get to that point someday.
photo: Lunar Surface (interestingengineering)
If you recall, the three main planets we visit on our space adventure include the Ice Planet, Fire Planet, and Jungle Planet. Wellllll, those planets may not be in our solar system, but we can still compare them to what we have IRL! Based on their distance from the sun and atmosphere characteristics, Uranus is our coldest planet while Venus is our hottest. Does that make Earth our Jungle Planet then?
photo: Uranus (wikipedia)
photo: Venus (wikipedia)
photo: Earth (npr)
Phew, now that was a long trip! I guess space is a pretty far off flight, huh? But anyway, it’s no wonder that Astro-Knights won “OG Island We’ll Miss Most” in the 2020 Poppies. It’s quite the adventure!
Aside from the sci-fi elements, how well do you think this island holds up to IRL Medieval Europe? How much do you know about Arthurian legend? And what other islands would you like to see in this series? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in a comment below!
Until next time, Poptropicans, I’m blasting off for now!
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