Category: PHB Series

Pop 5

Pop 5: Tear-Jerkers in Poptropica 😢

LJ

How’s it going, Poptropicans? I’m Lucky Joker and today I’ll be counting down the top — or should I say pop — 5 most tear-jerking moments in Poptropica! Keep in mind that this list represents my personal opinion, so your list may differ from mine. Anyway, let’s get right into the waterworks! (**Warning: Spoilers ahead)

5) The Wreckage of Poptropica (Super Villain Island)

After the job of collecting the totems from Poptropica’s most evil villains is done, it’s revealed that Dr. Jupiter (the person who sent us on this journey) was really Zeus all along! He betrays us and steals the totems we’ve retrieved in order to make himself the most powerful villain who’s ever lived, and to take over all of Poptropica.

Once he gets away, a cutscene plays out showing Shark Tooth, Mythology, and Mystery Train Islands completely destroyed. There’s something tragic about seeing the beloved past islands we’ve once explored and saved laying in ruins. I could imagine if this island was sound updated and had a sad piano or violin track playing over it, it would make the scene even more dramatic.

4) Count Bram and Annabelle’s Reunion (Vampire’s Curse Island)

Unlike all the other picks for this list, this moment is actually not a sad one, but still manages to get you emotional. After years of being cursed as a vampire and having Katya — who he believes is his wife — not want anything to do with him, Count Bram is finally happy when we break the curse and reunite him with the love of his life, Annabelle. We witness a very heartwarming moment as he finally is able to rest in peace.

3) Scheherazade’s Confession (Arabian Nights Island)

Scheherazade demanded Samhal the genie to relinquish his magic abilities to her, and after, went on a rampage ignited by her hunger for power — becoming a mere reflection of her father, the sultan. It’s later revealed that she was only acting up because she was yearning for something she missed greatly: her father’s attention. After he became sultan, he rarely showed her any affection because he was too concerned about his riches. When she opens up about her feelings, he begins to cry. That’s a sentiment everyone felt in that moment. I mean, c’mon, just look at her adorable little drawing of them happy together.

2) The Destruction of the Magic Orb (Twisted Thicket Island)

At the climax of the island — after you’ve gotten past all of the creatures and into the center of the forest — you encounter the Elf Queen and discover that the woodland creatures have been the victims of this story all along. All they want is to live in peace. The Elf Queen explains the orb’s importance to us when all of a sudden, the developer and his construction crew raid the forest and destroy the magic orb, leaving the woodland creatures in a vegetative state. Tsk tsk, greedy Poptropicans.

1) Ringmaster Raven’s Story (Monster Carnival Island)

Though this one is more of a series of moments, there’s no doubt that it’s a very sad tale: that of a boy who just wanted to feel welcomed and accepted by those around him, but wasn’t because he was different. Sure, he went about coping in the wrong way as he sought to seek revenge on the citizens (most of whom were innocent) by making them his servants through hypnosis — but really, all he wanted was acceptance, and I think that’s something we all can resonate with.

At the end of the island, we turn him into a laughingstock of a circus act through more hypnosis. So it’s on with the circus life for Raven, now dubbed “The Incredible Chicken Man.” The poor bullied bird boy never got his happy ending. 😢

Need a tissue? No judgment. Anyway, that’s it for this Pop 5! Do you agree with my choices? What other moments from Poptropica do you think deserve to be on this list? Sound off down below! Pop on…

– Lucky Joker 🍀

Pop Petitions

Pop Petition: Bring back old features

LJ

What’s up, Poptropicans? Lucky Joker here popping in with a brand new Pop Petition! Here, I’ll be listing what I would like to see added (or in this case, re-added) into the game to make the game even more enticing. Let’s pop right into it, shall we?

1) Multiverse

In my opinion, Multiverse was one of Poptropica’s best features. It was first introduced to the game in the summer of 2009 and offered a great hangout-with-friends experience in the largely single-player-based game that Poptropica was and still is.

Sure, we have our common rooms. However, they’re not as good for meeting up with specific friends (and even posed a challenge for us when organizing our most recent Poppies party). If that’s not bad enough, most of the minigames were withdrawn along with the removal of Multiverse. These include: Paint War, Hoops, Pathwise, Soupwords (one of my favorites), and Sudoku (my absolute favorite!). I hope Poptropica can convert Multiverse into AS3 (their newer game engine) soon.

2) Friends Page

“LJ, there still is a friends page, silly. What are you talking about?”

Right you are, anonymous reader — and I really like it too! The wallpaper and sticker wall customization is a plus, and the friendship interaction options such as the like button and message board are things we didn’t have before. On the downside, though, there’s a ton of stuff missing that I took for granted on the original friends page.

Firstly: pop quizzes (Tall Melon also talked about this in his Pop Petition guest post last year). These have been gone a while — even before the old friends page was replaced. It was nice to be able to show a bit of your personality through answering various things about yourself, and it was just that little extra something to do when you were bored.

Second: in-game stats. On the current profile page, it displays how many islands a person has completed, but not which ones exactly. It was really convenient to see which islands you’d completed by viewing your medallion collection. Now, you have to go to the map and check more carefully… oh wait, some of the islands aren’t even there anymore (more on this later). Also, the battle ranking and tribe tiles are completely gone. Not to mention only 25 of your friends will show up on your friends list at a time. If you have any more than that, sorry!

3) Costume Collector

screenshot from Magic Heart in Poptropica

Although this feature at face value may seem pointless considering we have a costume closet with a much larger capacity of outfit space, it actually had some good use, and it’s sad to see it gone.

For one, who wouldn’t want three extra costume slots, am I right? Also, I know a few people who had rare pieces stored in their costume collector from years ago. They were pretty upset when those were suddenly gone. Creators, please bring this feature (and our costumes) back if at all possible! 🤞

4) Original Islands

graphic from Reddit

This is probably the feature that everybody definitely wants back. Just recently, many of the older islands were removed.

Some of Poptropica’s greatest adventures — the ones that shaped most of our childhoods and made Poptropica what it is today (like Counterfeit, Nabooti, and Cryptids) are no longer playable. It just isn’t the same without all of our beloved islands on the map, and in fact, it feels like a huge part of the game has disappeared (after all, 29 of the 42 islands are gone!).

I can only hope the Poptropica Creators are actively working on bringing these islands back, and all of the other features for that matter.

As some of you may know, these features are still accessible through idk the glitcher’s teleporter link, but Poptropica’s vast majority of players are unaware of this and don’t have that option.

I’m sure there are more features we’d all like to see make a comeback in the future, but that’s for another Pop Petition. So, what do you guys think? Do you agree with my list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Thank you all for reading, and I’ll talk to you in the next one. Pop on!

– Lucky Joker 🍀

Pop Places IRL, Red Dragon Island

Pop Places IRL: Red Dragon

Spotted Dragon

Welcome back to “Pop Places IRL!” Miss the series? Today I’ll be taking you to Red Dragon Island and comparing it to its counterparts in real life. And if you like the sound of that, be sure to check out other Pop Places IRL posts.

So… where in the real world is Red Dragon based off of? Well, we already know that the island is based on the Magic Tree House books, so where is that based off of? The answer to that question is right in the novel’s description!

“Jack and Annie are headed to a land of fierce samurai and great beauty, the capital city of Edo (now the city of Tokyo), in ancient Japan in the 1600s. They bring only a research book to guide them and a magic wand with three special rules.”

Japan it is, Poptropicans! Wait, wait, wait, hold on… what about Main Street? What about Jack and Annie’s hometown? Well, “Frog Creek, Pennsylvania” is sadly a fictional city, but Pennsylvania’s neighborhoods match up pretty well anyway!

  • photo: Shadyside Pittsburgh (wikipedia.org)

Okay, now we can head over to Old Japan. We have many sites to see here, foremost being the imperial garden that our Poptropicans come across during our adventure. Basho’s Garden, which we visit later in the game, offers a similar setting. At both locations, we see beautiful Japanese trees, flowers, and huts over water. Looking at the IRL version of the scene, things seem pretty accurate!

  • photo: Best of Old and New Japan (kimkim.com)
  • photo: Exteriors of Japanese Houses (pinterest)

Moving on, we come across the Great Bridge before truly entering Edo! The resemblance of the bridge is uncanny to the Shin-kyo Bridge in Nikko Japan, which demonstrates very similar architecture and color.

  • photo: Nature & Nikko (tokyocheapo.com)

Next we have East and West Edo, which then lead to the fortress and the secluded lake. Red Dragon shows us a marketplace, paired with a stunning landscape, bonsai shop, and more. Though times have greatly changed since the days of Ancient Japan, its rich history can still be seen in the distinct architecture and environment.

  • photo: Sawara (japan-guide.com)
  • photo: Old Edo (muza-chan.net)

Even the Fortress in game mimics the classic Japanese architecture used in palaces and castles. Perhaps some stylistic choices were taken in Poptropica to add some more pops of color?

  • photo: Himeji Castle (japantoday.com)
  • photo: Imperial Palace Tokyo (japanvisitor.com)

Before we wrap up our trip through Tokyo, who could forget about the unique apparel and characters that we come across on the island? Geishas, sumo wrestlers, and ninjas alike are memorably encountered.

  • photo: Culture of the Kimono (tsunagujapan.com)
  • photo: Geisha in Kyoto (pinterest)
  • photo: Sumo Legend (asianews.it)
  • photo: Ninja (jpninfo.com)

Pretty cool, right? Many people in the community agree that Red Dragon Island has some of the most beautiful scenes in Poptropica. Makes me want to go visit Japan! 🙂

That wraps up our post, so what do you guys think of the comparison? Does Poptropica accurately capture Japanese culture?

Sayonara, Poptropicans!

~SD

Community Creations

Community Creations: July 2019

Spotted Dragon

community-creations-logo

Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the July recap for Community Creations! July’s theme was technology & social media and the featured work is not in any particular order. Be sure to check out all the featured artists!

No clue what’s going on? Go see our intro post.

Top 5 Picks

Sing Your Heart Out by Magniventris

Magniventris - Sing Your Heart Out

What an interesting color scheme! With islands based on many different decades, the world of Poptropica gives us a glimpse of technology’s evolution over the years. Social media isn’t a tool for every Poptropican, wouldn’t ya know it! This drawing of Ringmaster Raven implements our theme of technology in a period accurate way, which is super cool. The bold contrasting colors are captivating (one might even say hypnotic), particularly when paired with the desaturated figure. Perfect for Monster Carnival! Find her DeviantArt here.

Entangled by epiphxny

Epiphxny - Entangled

Oooh, pretty eerie, huh? This Poptropica fan villain, aptly named Static, communicates through electronics and thus fits perfectly into our theme. Feeling trapped in life due to her dark past, Static’s predicament can reflect how “tangled” technology can make us feel at times. Though social media can be fun and useful, we need to recognize our limits! Anyway, the composition in this piece is wonderful. The details in the character are fantastic and the static texture is striking! Find their DeviantArt here.

Shark Boy Balcony Insta Pic by Maroon Raptor

Maroon Raptor - Shark Boy Balcony Insta Pic

Cute! Ever wonder what a Poptropican’s social media feed would look like? Who knew Shark Boy’s Instagram would be so aesthetic! The beautiful Back Lot Island background makes for a great snapshot opportunity, as all those likes show. Still, no one is without a few haters! I’m looking at you Dr. Hare, c’mon man… Anyway, I totally love the format of this piece! Very interesting to see Shark Boy out of his suit as well. Find their DeviantArt here.

An Intro to Technology by ray-of-flight

ray-of-flight - An Intro to Technology

What did I say about social media not being available on every island? Well, this comic strip displays the issues of that exact dilemma. How would each villain fare if they had access to modern, or even sci-fy level, technology? Either way, the humor in this submission is fantastic. The various reactions to technology show many different personalities and the facial expressions are priceless. Great results! Now I just want to see how other villains would fare… Find his DeviantArt here.

They About to Wreck This City by WitchyArtistGal

WitchyArtistGal - They About to Wreck This City

Another cute pic! Who could forget about the importance of selfies on social media? I’d like to thing that our gang of super power villains here would be avid Snapchatters. I love how each character is posed in the photo, showing differing expressions and a good handle on composition. A simple design, but a super fun concept! Makes you start to imagine what each of their feeds would be like, right? Find her DeviantArt here.

Honorable Mentions

Surfing the Web by Criaha
Temper Tantrum by NineTenOnetyOne
Social by xXLilAngel2004Xx

Everyone had such unique takes on our theme this month! Super fun to see everyone’s ideas. Keep it up!

August: 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 August’s theme? August’s theme is…

Movies & TV

With the release of the Reality TV Island sequel, isn’t this theme appropriate? From Game Show to Back Lot Island, we can see how the world of cinema has influenced the world of Poptropica. Whether we’re filming in sunny California, or, well… the sunny safari, there is a lot to work with here!

Draw your favorite scene from Reality TV! Make Poptropica costumes of your favorite movie stars! Maybe write up a critique of Bucky Lucas’s latest blockbuster? What do you think a Poptropica TV show would look like? Your creations are up to you!

rtvws1

  • 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 3 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 always be sure to let you know I have seen your creation. Bonus points if you make a compelling description for your piece! 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!

~SD

Contests, PHB Parties, Poppies

Recap: Poppies 2019 Awards and Party!

Sporty Boa

How’s it going, friends and Poptropicans?

It’s Sporty Boa here to recap what’s been another memorable Poppies awards show and PHB birthday party. The Poppies are our annual community awards event, where we celebrate Poptropica, the PHB, and the community as a whole. We thank all who nominated, voted, and celebrated with us! 🥳

It was a pleasure to announce this year’s winners alongside my brother and co-host, Fierce Flyer, as well as fellow PHB authors Gentle Dolphin, Lucky Joker and Slanted Fish via our YouTube livestream! If you weren’t able to catch us live, you can hear the full recording down below:

Without further ado, let’s recap and take a look at our official Poppies 2019 award winners and runner-ups! (You can find the full breakdown of the results in our livestream slideshow.)

Gameplay Awards

Community Awards

Congratulations to all the winners, runner-ups and nominations!! 🏆

“Best Fan Art” Nominee Gallery

We’re always impressed by what this fandom produces. To celebrate that, we’re showcasing our top nominees for this year’s “Best Fan Art” award:

Once again, a huge thanks goes to the Poptropica Creators, the PHB staff, and most importantly, the community for making this possible.

Thanks for sticking around to see the Poptropica Help Blog reach 11 years! We hope you continue to be a part of this incredible journey for years to come.

🔹 See you next time on the blue carpet! 🔹