Surveys

It’s time for the 2019 PHB Readers’ Survey!

How’s it going, Poptropicans? It’s Lucky Joker here, and this year, we’ll be continuing the tradition of connecting with our readers with our annual PHB Readers’ Survey!

This year’s survey will contain questions similar to those from previous years to help us see the changes that have transpired in our reader base over the year.

There are 14 questions in this year’s survey, all pertaining to your experience with Poptropica and its online community. Your identity is kept anonymous, unless you choose to share it in the comment box at the end.

The survey is up now and will remain open for three whole weeks (till Saturday, April 6) so be sure to fill out before then! We’d really appreciate it. We want to better serve YOU!

The results will be posted here on the blog probably sometime in April as well (no exact date is definite yet), so stay tuned for that! Now go take that survey! You can click the button banner at the top of this post to get started. 😉

– Lucky Joker 🍀

Guest Posts, Pop 5

Pop 5: Most Overrated Characters

This is a guest post written by Red Tomato, a Poptropican who’ll be sharing a “Pop 5” list of Poptropica characters who take up too much of the spotlight among the fan community. Enjoy!

Hi everyone! It’s Red Tomato and today I have the sequel to my Pop 5: Most Underrated Characters from last week. This list is all about the overrated characters—the ones who get a little too much attention. Let’s go!

#5: Zeus

Zeus aka Spruce aka Moose aka Santa Claus is the Greek god who is the main villain of Mythology, Super Villain, and Greek Sea Odyssey. This deity is probably one of the most popular characters in the fan community. It’s easy to see why, though! Just look at that beard!

#4: Balloon Boy

No, not the one from “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” but the kid from Counterfeit Island! Ever since you gave that a boy a balloon and he floated away, we’ve caught glimpses on him, still in the sky, in the island adventures that followed. Is he still up there? We may never know….

#3: *gasp* Your character?

Think about it… most of the fan art and fanfics in the Pop fandom are about somebody’s own Poptropica character! (Also known as someone’s “Popsona,” or Poptropica persona.) Anyway, my Poptropican (Red Tomato 🍅) is very happy to make it on this list!

#2: Dr. Hare

Ah yes, the first Poptropica villain besides the Early Pop spiders and Booga shark. This furry—I mean, mad scientist—gets second most overrated because, well, he’s everywhere! His hometown island, 24 Carrot, was re-made twice: once for SUI format on Pop Original and more recently on Pop Worlds. He also appears on the Daily Pops, in countless fan art pieces, and even Super Villain Island!

And now… the number one most overrated Poptropica character is…

THE CRAB FROM TIME TANGLED!!!

JUST KIDDING!

#1: Shark Boy (aka Shark Guy)

It was tough to pick between this guy and Dr. Hare, but I think Sharky deserves the #1 spot because this guy has been around longer than Dr. Hare. And don’t forget the whole Mystery of Shark Boy drama! Shark Boy, do do do do do do do…

Well, that was my Pop 5 list of most overrated Poptropicans! This post is not meant to be negative, but rather to point out some of the more popular characters. Bye!


Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Red Tomato! If you did, you may also enjoy her other post Pop 5: Most Underrated Characters.

The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. You can find some tips and guidelines on our Write for the PHB page. We also encourage sharing blog posts on the PHC.

If you have an idea for a PHB post, send it in!

Guest Posts, Pop 5

Pop 5: Most Underrated Characters

This is a guest post written by Red Tomato, a Poptropican who’ll be sharing a “Pop 5” list of Poptropica characters who don’t get much attention in the fan community. Enjoy!

Hi everyone, I’m Red Tomato! I haven’t been around for about a year, but now I’m back! Anyway, here’s my list of Pop 5 most underrated Poptropica characters. If I missed anybody, let me know in the comments!

#5: Joe Stockman

Not your average Joe.

You gotta love this guy and his love for Chinese food! This Joe Schmoe was just an average guy until he became Patient Zero on Virus Hunter Island, but he could use a little more appreciation. You never see any fan art of him; poor dude, he’s been through a lot… plus, he’s my Poptropica crush.

#4: Poseidon

Poseidon helped you defeat Zeus in both Mythology and Super Villain Island! (Plus, not Poptropica-related, but he is Percy Jackson’s dad.) He also rocks a cool mustache! Anyway, this Greek god deserves some more attention compared to his bros Hades and Zeus! (Also, that is a cool trident. I want it.)

#3: Mr. Silva

Probably the most underrated villain, Mr. Silva is the evil science teacher from Shrink Ray island. He shrinks you and CJ so that he can steal CJ’s shrink ray and pass it off as his own invention. Pretty devious! For all the villain fan art we see, though, he’s not often among them.

#2: Dr. Lange

Another one from Virus Hunter Island, Dr. Lange wants you to stop a deadly virus. Plus, you can take some funny pictures with her in the Photo Booth. She definitely deserves more love, because she discovered the virus. Without her, Poptropica would be plagued with a pretty serious virus!

#1: Harry Houdini

From Mystery Train Island, Mr. Houdini helps you capture the thief with his expert lock-picking skills. Plus, he is based off one of the most skilled magicians of all time! This guy should get some more love. Other Mystery Train characters get more fan art than he does, but in the end, it’s his water tank that saves the day.

Well, that was my Pop 5 list of most underrated Poptropica characters! As for honorable mentions, pretty much every character on Steamworks Island would fit this list, too. Until next time.

—Red Tomato


Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Red Tomato! If you did, you may enjoy some other “Pop 5” posts here on the PHB.

The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. You can find some tips and guidelines on our Write for the PHB page. We also encourage sharing blog posts on the PHC.

If you have an idea for a PHB post, send it in!

Guest Posts, Pop 5

Pop 5: What would happen if there were no villains

This is a guest post written by Quick Fang, a Poptropican who’ll be sharing a “Pop 5” list of what Poptropica might be like without its villains. Enjoy!

Poptropica is known for its island storylines — and one of my favorite plot twists is whenever someone you had known to be a good person turned out to be the exact opposite (take Black Widow from Counterfeit Island, for example).

Other islands simply identify who the villains are right from the onset. Whichever the case, villains bring a fun flavor to Poptropica, and to highlight that, here’s my list to show what would happen if there were no villains in all of Poptropica.

#1: Super Villain and Super Power Island would not exist

On Super Villain Island, you have to go into the dreams of four super villains and remove the sources of their evil. Without them, the island would not have existed at all. And the same goes for another island based primarily on its crooks, Super Power Island — your motive, pretty much, is to capture the loosed criminals.

#2: No boss fights

On many Poptropica islands, there are final showdowns between good and bad. For example, in Mythology Island, you battle Zeus, and in Spy Island, you face Director D and his army of mini-robots. But if villains didn’t exist… well, there’d be no one to fight!

#3: Less snark from sassy scoundrels

With every villain comes their own personal quirks. Who could forget Mademoiselle Moreau from Mystery Train and her overly fierce allegiance to France, or Ringmaster Raven from Monster Carnival and his sad story that pushed him towards his mania? Without these colorful characters, life on Poptropica might be kind of dull.

#4: No heroism

Your main role on Poptropica islands is to get rid of the problems that each island is facing. But if there are no villains running around causing problems, how can you be the island’s hero? The storyline would have to come from elsewhere. It’s been done (take Mission Atlantis as an example), but to me, it feels less exciting.

#5: No prisons

Prisons in Poptropica, such as Erewhon Prison in Super Villain Island, or the facility in Escape From Pelican Rock, would simply not need to exist. After all, there would be no criminals to put behind bars!

My point in making this list is to show that, without the villains, Poptropica wouldn’t be nearly as interesting as it is. Quick Fang out!


Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Quick Fang! If you did, you may enjoy her post about two female villains or other “Pop 5” PHB posts.

The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. You can find some tips and guidelines on our Write for the PHB page. We also encourage sharing blog posts on the PHC.

If you have an idea for a PHB post, send it in!

Community Creations

Community Creations: February 2019

community-creations-logo

Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the February recap for Community Creations! February’s theme was pets 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

His Universe by pinklasgne

pinklasgne - His Universe

This amazing redesign plays around with colors and blending in a super interesting way! Binary Bard’s “pets” show a unique interpretation of this month’s theme and I am all for it. The sketchy but detailed style heavily focuses on realistic, yet slightly fantastical elements for one eye-catching piece. Stunning composition and color! Find his DeviantArt here.

Ziggy and Fearless Popper by criaha

Criaha - Ziggy and FP

Precious! This piece is simple but super heartfelt. The cute theme perfectly shows the love between FP and her new feline friend, even showing a bit of movement in the otherwise straightforward pose. Plus, I love how the cat emphasizes the lack of a neck that the Poptropican has. Love it! Find her DeviantArt here.

Black Widow and Her Spider by Quick Fang

Quick Fang - Black Widow and Her Spider

How cute! It’s always fun to showcase the softer sides of villains, and this drawing does just that. Even a cold-blooded thief can love a pet with all her heart, right? A spider is definitely an appropriate companion for our infamous artist. Adorable! Find Quick Fang in the comments section.

Pets Dance Party by Poptropica Girl

Poptropica Girl - Pets Dance Party

Haha, cute! View the entire dance party animation here. Though simple movements, the use of animation in this submission is a creative, fun idea. I like the diversity of pets that was showcased and the humor is perfectly cheery. The bright colors portray a very happy, energetic mood! Nice! Find Poptropica Girl in the comments section.

My Pets in Poptropica by Howlarmoon

Poptrop - Howlarmoon

Interesting! View Howlarmoon’s entire pet collection here. This series of new pets is full of creativity, leaving us to question what other pets we will get to see in Poptropica’s future. The fun facts make each pet a little more personal, and they definitely add humor to the set of submissions. Very cute! Find Howlarmoon in the comments section.


Honorable Mentions


March: 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 March’s theme? March’s theme is…

GAMING!

Poptropica is, of course, a video game, but has it been straying from its roots lately? In a recent post comparing our beloved game to Mocktropica, Slanted Fish explains how Poptropica has seemingly been more focused on aesthetic updates recently rather then feeding us what we’re all here for: stories. Poptropica’s gameplay is largely based on storytelling and quests, of which have been honestly lacking. Sooo, let’s return to those roots!

We all love Poptropica, but many fans aren’t strangers to other games as well! Whether that be MMOs, big-name story games, arcade games, boardgames, you name it… there are games out there for everyone. And yes, battle royals have recently taken the internet by storm, huh? So that leaves you with tons of options! Maybe create costumes in Poptropica for your favorite characters from other franchises? Or draw some sort of crossover between Poptropica and another game? Oh! Maybe write a story that drops your Poptropican in the middle of another virtual universe! I know that you guys can come up with some crazy ideas.

game1

  • Comment below with a link to whatever you’ve created OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) on DeviantArtTwitter, 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