Category: PHB Series

Here’s where you can browse through the many posts we’ve shared on the Poptropica Help Blog, sorted by series.

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! 🔹

Poppies

You’re invited to the 2019 Poppies awards party!

Fierce Flyer

Salutations, fellow Poptropicans!

For those who’ve been keeping up, we’ve counted your Poppies nominations and voting is well underway. There’s still a bit of time to punch in your votes to help dictate the victors of the 2019 Poppies! Voting ends on Wednesday the 24th, so cast your votes while the ballot is open.

Per tradition, there’ll be a party on the PHB’s birthday, July 26 (Friday), in which we’ll announce the winners. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Poptropica and its incredible community. Below are the details of the event:

🥳 WHO: Every Poptropican is invited! PHB staff will be there too!

🏆 WHAT: Hanging out in Poptropica clubhouses and arcades, chatting and cheering on your picks for the awards on the PHC, and tuning in to a livestream on the PHB’s YouTube channel co-hosted by Fierce Flyer and Sporty Boa, where we’ll be revealing the winners of this year’s Poppies!

🕖 WHEN: July 26, 2019 (Friday) @ 7 p.m. Eastern / 6 p.m. Central / 5 p.m. Mountain / 4 p.m. Pacific. If you live in a different timezone, you can use a time zone converter to see what the time will be where you live.

💻 WHERE: The Poptropica Help Chat (PHC), our moderated chat server on Discord. If you’ll be on the go, make use of Discord’s mobile apps! The livestream will be on the PHB’s YouTube channel, MyPoptropicaHelp.

🎉 WHY: To announce the winners of the 2019 Poppies, have fun, and celebrate 11 years of the PHB!

Again, go vote if you haven’t already! And if you have, perhaps tell some friends and family to join in on the fun this year. The poll closes Wednesday, and the party is Friday, with a recap post to follow the event.

Remember to bring your snazziest outfit, your most exciting attitude, and maybe a bag of popcorn as we announce the winners for this year’s Poppies! Stay tuned, and until then…

🔹 We’ll see you on the blue carpet! 🔹

– the Poppies Help Blog team –

Poppies, Surveys

Poppies 2019: It’s voting time!

LJ

Welcome back, Poptropicans, to more Poppies fun! Now we’re getting into the full swing of things as we commence the second round…

The voting round!

Not sure what’s going on? Catch up on what the Poppies are all about!

We’ve read and tallied up all of your nominations and narrowed them down to the most popular for each category.

This round will determine the winners of the 2019 (5th annual) Poppies, so cast your votes before Wednesday, July 24 in our survey!

We’ll be announcing the winners live at our PHC party later this month on Friday, July 26, the PHB’s 11th birthday! We’ll let you know the rest of the party details next week, so stay tuned. For now…

✅ Keep calm and vote on! ✅