Hellos & Goodbyes

Curtain call

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“The Runes and the Queen” by Brave Tomato

There are going to be points in life where you must make a very hard decision. And I don’t mean decisions like what to eat at a restaurant or, I don’t know, what to wear. Those are things that you simply do and forget about in a month or two.

And then there are the tougher decisions that will affect the rest of your life. Where to go, what to do, what do you want to do with your life—those are the hardest decisions that people will come across, and there must be a time where you’re ready to face it head-on.

So with that said, I’ve decided that, after six years, it’s my time to resign from the Poptropica Help Blog.

It wasn’t easy, but I do have a motivation as to why I’m resigning. Well, you probably noticed that I haven’t posted on here since Greek Sea Odyssey was announced (ironic, huh?). Over time, I realized that I wasn’t the same girl as I was six years ago. My interest in blogging started to fade away. When I first joined the PHB, I’d just started high school, and now here I am, approaching my third year of community college. I have a lot of other projects ahead of me now, and it feels time to step aside for another person, a person like the one I was six years ago, to enjoy what I had.

But don’t get me wrong—I’m not leaving the fandom. I’ll still make videos for my YouTube channel; I’ll still create things for people to enjoy. Poptropica as a game is still dear to me, and I will continue to follow its progress with Poptropica Worlds. Also, I’ve made several close friendships that I cherish deep in my heart. I’ll still be around; I won’t let myself fade away that easily 😊. Ā However, I really do feel like this is the perfect time for me to leave the PHB.

I could never be more grateful for the opportunity to be here in the first place. So, I want to say thank you. Thank you, past and present PHB authors, for working alongside me and being supportive on the journey. Thank you, Slanted Fish, for seeing something in that 14-year-old me; for bringing her over to the PHB.

Thank you to the Creators, old and new, for all the things you do for the game, with a special personal thank you to Jessica Devine (for being such an amazing community manager in the past), Mitch Krpata (for going out of his way to give me a shout-out in one of his Poptropica video walkthroughs), and Ashley Lange (for that drawing of the PHB crew she made a few years ago).

phb art
PHB team drawn by (Dr.) Ashley Lange, Poptropica Creator (2014)

Thank you to all my friends I’ve made through this fandom over the years, for being listening ears and sharers of happy memories. And thank you, the audience, for being a part of the show. Winning the PoppieĀ award for “Best PHB Author” really meant a lot to me, and I’m so glad that you saw something in my contributions over the years. So thank you ever so much for that.

And now the show, for me, has to end. The curtain call must be made; I’ll stand and take a bow one last time. Remember the good times we experienced during the performance. The decision to end it was inevitable, and the time has finally come. Here’s to the show going on for the PHB, here’s to everything that brought us together, and here’s to the next chapter of what’s to come.

With love,

Brave Tomato ā­ļø

Community Creations

Community Creations: July 2018

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Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you theĀ July recapĀ for Community Creations!Ā July’s themeĀ was blogs & fans 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?Ā Go see our intro post.

Top 5 Picks

Slanted FishĀ byĀ POP-whitewolf

Pop-whitewolf - Slanted Fish

Beautiful! The soft, but detailed coloring and shading makes this piece look marvelous. The sketchy background reminds me a lot the PHB’s very own wallpaper, as well as the styles incorporated into our headers! The brush strokes are smooth and I absolutely love the giant fish. Hopefully it’s a plushie? Anyway, Fishy looks fantastic! Find her DeviantArt here.

Spotted DragonĀ by Allisnn

Allisnn - Spotted Dragon

Am I biased in choosing this one? Maybe just a little, but can you really blame me? Either way, this drawing is also amazing! Again, very soft coloring and smooth strokes. The freckles in particular look really realistic. I love this so much, and I’m always honored to have SD drawn! If only I could make eyeliner and eyebrows look that good. Find her DeviantArt here.

#1 Fan by Creepingbear11

Creepingbear11 - #1 Fan

Cute! The Poptropica Community relies heavily on fan-art, so of course there are going to be talented artists that have big fans. In this piece, Poptropican Happy Stomper is Bashful Sword’s (BlazingAngel123 on DeviantArt) #1 fan! This was a totally cool, unique submission that stood out to me. Plus, I love the thin, kinda sketchy style (that can especially be seen in the hair and arms)! Where can I buy that shirt for myself? Find their DeviantArt here.

Blue Carpet Vlog by Fierce Flyer

Fierce Flyer - Blue Carpet Vlog

With July comes the Poppies, and with the Poppies comes fancy outfits! In this drawing, I love the inclusion of the blue carpet. The Poppies isn’t your average red carpet event, ya know! Additionally, the composition definitely stands out. The perspective of a vlogger is unique and adds a bunch of interest in the design! I mean, the Poppies do come with a livestream after all. The coloring, lighting, and overall piece is super cute. Find his DeviantArt here, and check out his posts right here on the PHB! No worries, I’m the only author that picks the art that’s featured. šŸ˜‰

Getting Ready for the Poppies byĀ xXLilAngel2004Xx

xXLilAngel2004Xx - Getting Ready for the Poppies (part 1)

Adorable! This piece is just the first part of a 4 part series of drawings showing off dazzling Poppies outfits. I like this one in particular because of how well each part of the outfit corresponds with one another, even the hair! Additionally, this style is just pretty darn cute. Reminds me of the Powerpuff Girls a bit! Can your fancy Poppies attire beat this? Find her DeviantArt here.


Honorable Mentions

 

Submissions, as always, were wonderful! (I always love some good PHB fanart… šŸ˜‰ ) Thanks to everyone who sent something in. I’m excited for next month!

 

I also wanted to feature these requests that Gentle Dolphin made during the Poppies! It was a cool way to show off some of the amazing outfits that Poptropicans attended the event in. Look! There’s even a drawing of me! šŸ˜€


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 toĀ show off your artwork, creepy fan-fics, Worlds houses, 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?Ā August’sĀ theme is…

Science!

August marks the start of school for many kids, and with school of course comes some core subjects. One of which is generally science! I don’t wanna bore you to death with this one, but science can actually be pretty cool. Not only am I looking for straight up scientific pieces this month, but sci-fi ones as well!

So what are some examples of things can you submit? They’re endless! Write a story of traveling through the body in Virus Hunter Island, draw some chemistry themed Dr. Hare fanart, or maybe make the most science-y costume in Poptropica you possibly can! Whatever you create is up to you.

scifi doctor

  • Submitting: Comment below with a link to whatever you’ve created OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) onĀ DeviantArt,Ā Twitter, orĀ 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.Ā 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

Pop 5

Pop 5: Best Poptropica Contests

Pop 5 Contests Header

Hey there everyone! SD here with another Pop 5 post. You know the drill! Today, I’ll be counting down what I think have been the best contests (both from the Poptropica Creators, and within the community).

A good contest’s goal should completely be about community involvement! The more fun it is to participate, the better it is. Simple, but that’s not all! Cool prizes are a great incentive, unique rules lead to an exciting competition, and annual events make for something to look forward to. So let’s get started!

#5: The PHB Halloween Costume Contest

phb 9th hallo

By now, this event is simply traditional, so it had to make this list. With 9 contestsĀ and counting, our annual sp00py competition continues to be a fan favorite. The name speaks for itself: Every Halloween, the PHB picks the best of the best costumes, made by you guys! I still remember loving it before I became an author, and participating every year!

Having this annual contest allows everyone to look forward to it throughout the year, especially those really into Halloween! It gets everyone in the community involved in something easy to participate in. However, it certainly doesn’t make the top of my list simply because of it’s repetitive nature. With Original Poptropica dying down, there are only so many new accessories to mix and match. But don’t worry to much, because Poptropica Worlds is offering a whole new array of clothing to compete with!

#4: The PHB Tribal Tournament

tribe opening

Though this event has only happened once, I have to say that it was a blast! Ever since Poptropolis Island rose out of the sea, tribes have been a pretty big deal within the community. Inspired by the Olympics, this contest brought together members of the same Poptropica tribe as they fought for glory through art, trivia, and medal collecting!

Not only was this contest completely unique in our community, but it also allowed for many different talents to shine. Yes that’s right, you could still easily participate if you weren’t an artist! Nanobots may not have come out on top, but everyone in every tribe put up an amazing fight, and it was exciting to see all the friendly competition. Are you hoping for this event to rise up once again?

#3: The Poptropica Costume Contest

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Sure, a costume contest isn’t completely original at this point, but this one definitely topped them all! Clothing and customization is a gigantic part of Poptropica, so this event was huge for the community. In this contest, fans got to create their very own Poptropica costumes and winners were promised to be put in the actual game! Who doesn’t want to brag that their outfit is actually in Poptropica? Though the runner ups have not had their costumes implemented in game yet (*cough* what’s up creators *cough*), the grand prize winners can continue to brag to all their friends.

Poptropica Worlds has started to introduceĀ a lot more modern clothing, and I personally think that’s super cool! It’s no doubt that some of these decisions had to have been inspired by contest entries, as submissions were really creative and diverse. I’m still bummed I won’t be getting to wear some of those great outfits! I’m hoping for another contest like this in the future, what do you guys think?

#2: The PHB’s Poppies

poppies 2018

Not to toot our own horn, but I totally love the Poppies, what about you guys? Similar to award shows like the Oscars, the Poppies presents various Poptropica-themed categories that the entire community votes on and announces the winners in an annual livestream. Like the PHB’s Halloween Costume Contest, it’s something to look forward to all year, and we just had a pretty good one!

The categories are always changing to keep things fresh, and I think it’s great that everyone in the community gets to decide on the winners! Since it’s not your average art contest or anything, it can be much more interesting to see the results. And as a cherry on top, it can be lots of fun to have everyone dress up for an awesome party! We always seem to come back to costumes, huh?

#1: The Create Your Dream Island Contest

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I’ll bet this top pick comes as no surprise! The CYDI Contest was a hit, with all Poptropicans dying to know who the winner was, as the Creators sorted through numerous submissions. Ever since Poptropica was born on the internet, fans were coming up with their own island ideas. So, of course a contest where Poptropicans had a chance for their idea to be made a reality was gripping!

This contest not only lead to the creation of Arabian Nights Island, a wonderful adventure, but also boosted Poptropica’s “Island Creator Kit” book. From start to finish, I think this event was amazing and I will continue to mourn those runner up island ideas that sounded spectacular. The contest allowed for the creative to let loose their imaginations in a way that we were all waiting for. In fact, I’m sure many Poptropicans hope to see this contest return!

Honorable Mentions

  1. The Hall of Fame Contest — This one almost made the list! Having your own PoptropicanĀ in the game is another big dream for many players. In this contest, all you had to do to achieve that dream was what we all always do: play Poptropica as much as possible! A great idea, and a tough competition!
  2. The #PoptropicaArt Contest — In the Poptropica community, art is a huge deal! With this contest, Poptropicans got to show off their art skills more than ever across all social media. I’ve got to say that every single submission was amazing!
  3. The Poptropica Sticker Design Contest — This one just recently closed submissions, but winners haven’t been announced yet. It couldn’t make the list, as we haven’t seen how it ends, but it’s without a doubt a cool, unique idea. Another way to show off artistic talent, but with a twist! Who wouldn’t want their friends constantly texting with a sticker thatĀ you made?

So… do you agree with my list? What have been your favorite Poptropica Contests? What kind of contests do you hope to see in the future?

~SD

Pop Fan Artist Spotlights

Pop Fan Artist Spotlight: NineTenOnetyOne

What’s up, Poptropicans? Another week brings another Pop Fan Artist Spotlight, and today I’ll be highlighting the work of NineTenOnetyOne.

Nine draws in a recognizable style that I just love—Poptropican-like, but still very unique, and with her own special touch. She’s very good with color usage and making her characters expressive. Check out this collection of her work below (click the images to enlarge them):

In addition to these eye-catching pieces, Nine makes goofy comics (which are so fun to read!), Poptropica memesĀ (though it’s been a while), and is also open to art trades, so you should really check her out on DeviantArt!

I hope you liked this look into a Poptropica fan’s artwork! Got any Poptropica fan art of your own? Share it onĀ our DeviantArt group gallery atĀ We-Love-Poptropica!

Thanks for reading… talk to you soon. Pop on!

– Lucky JokerĀ šŸ€

Contests, Poppies

Reflecting on 10 Years of PHB, and a Recap of Poppies 2018 šŸŽ‰

recap poppies2018

A message from Slanted Fish, creator of the PHB

Wow. Ten years. A whole decade of the PHB.

Ten years since a little girl of 11 (me from the past) discovered the untaken WordPress URL that started this blog — poptropica.wordpress.com. Ten years since the release of Super Power Island, the fifth Poptropica island, and the first island to get a guide on the PHB. Ten years since she started blogging about a then-small game and clicking publish, many times over—the words traveling from an apartment in Hong Kong to reach millions of kids all over the world. The rest, as they say, is history.

We’ve shared a lot of fun memories over the years—this blog has celebrated inĀ Poptropica parties like the one we just had, hosted contests (like the Poppies), and gotten to talk with some cool Pop Creators. We’ve brought you exciting news of island releases over 50 times and grieved with you when Poptropica wasn’t shaping up. And we’ve had the delight of sharing your amazing creations,Ā makingĀ meme faces out of your Poptropicans, publishing your guest posts, hanging out on the chat… and more.

Perhaps it sounds clichĆ©d, but it’s much more than I dreamed of when I first started blogging. I simply started out of a desire to write—to help others with the power of words, which I put into guides that, back then, didn’t even have pictures; to share a joy for a simple game that I watched become a pretty big and beautiful enterprise. I couldn’t imagine where it would go, and I still don’t know where it will go. And that’s okay.

Ten years ago a kid who’d just finished elementary school started a website for fellow kids to share in a common joy. Today I’m just a couple of semesters shy of an English degree, in part because this community gave me a platform to nurture a little creativity and love for the written word. And I hope it’s been a place of joy for you, too.

Thank you to every Poptropican out there who’s been a part of the PHB journey. It’s been pretty great, and 32 million views later, we’re still making history. There is good in the world, and we can all be a part of it. Here’s to a poppin’ decade. ā¤ļø

Slanted Fish
Editor-in-chief, Poptropica Help Blog


During the party, the PHB staff hosted a livestream to announce the winners of this year’s Poppies. You can revisit it in the video above, or look down for the results:

And the Poppies Awards for 2018 go to…

That’s 10 for 10 years, folks! Thanks for all your nominations, votes, joining us at the party—and, even if you didn’t do those things, thanks, at least, for being a part of the Poptropica community and our PHB adventures. We’re glad you’re here. šŸ’™

Best Fan Art nominee gallery

One visual representation of the wonder of the Pop community is the fan art it produces. To celebrate that, we’re including this gallery of this year’s “Best Fan Art” nominees:

Thanks for popping by on the Poptropica Help Blog!

Here’s to ten years. Cheers. šŸ»

— the PHB —