Hey Poptropicans, it’s been a hot minute since our last Popular Poptropican interview, but we’re back with a new one! ⭐️
Today’s guest is Dizzy Feather, whom you may recognize as the author of The Pink Knight fanfiction series, and whose My Place in Poptropica story you can read here. Welcome, Dizzy Feather! Let’s pop into it.
Dizzy Feather
What inspired you to write Poptropica fanfiction, and your specific stories?
When I first found the PHB, the first post I read was The Villain Saga fanfiction and I loved it! I wanted to try my hands at writing my own fanfiction. I created The Pink Knight after reading/watching Invisible Ring’s PoptropiConSaga comics on her YouTube channel. It heavily inspired me — in fact, if you would watch them, you’ll see a few similarities between the two stories.
What advice would you give to aspiring Poptropica fanfic writers?
Have a backup plan if your plot doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. Sometimes you’ll have a great idea for a plot, but once you finish writing it, you might realize it’s not all that good and have to scrap it. If you already have part of it published, and you don’t have a backup, you might have to have to end it on a cliffhanger. Anyway, on the backup plan, make sure you tie it into the preexisting parts of the story. For example, it’s going to look weird if one chapter you’re on the Great Booga Shark, and the next you’re on the Red Baroness, without any explanation.
Mount Improbable: Mountaineering is too dangerous these days.
What do you enjoy about the Poptropica community?
So many things to choose from! But I would have to say my favorite thing would be seeing other fans’ creations.
What do you hope for the future of Poptropica and its fandom?
I hope Poptropica will be able to have all the islands and mini-quests back, and that the fandom will continue to grow.
Soft Serve: We all scream for froyo.
What is (or was) your favorite Poptropica island and why?
Another hard one to pick. I would have to say Shrink Ray. Although I never finished it, it was fun to have my character shrunk.
Who is (or was) your favorite Poptropica character and why?
Why, Dr. Hare of course. The rabbit theme is hilarious, but I do wish we got more of him than a couple lines of dialogue.
🌟 Would you like to be the next Popular Poptropican? 🌟
Help us scout the next Pop star to feature! To nominate yourself or someone you know, contact the PHB with the following:
the name of your nominee (a Poptropica name or other screen name)
a reason why your nominee should be the next Popular Poptropican
Thank you for reading, and stay awesome, Poptropicans!
Hey Poptropicans, welcome to another Popular Poptropican interview! ⭐️ We have two guests today, Isaac and Theo, who together form the Dimension Bros. They’ve been making Poptropica (and other) fan videos (some of which are for ages 13+) on YouTube for over a year now, and are also known for heading up the Poptropica Month fan video event.
Welcome, Dimension Bros! Let’s pop into it.
Isaac (Zippy Stomper)Theo (Perfect Ghost) and Frank the goat
What inspires you to create Poptropica videos?
Before we started, the only Poptropica YouTube videos you could even find were all just playthroughs and walkthroughs, nothing but gameplay. So we felt like there was just a huge hole for content in that area. Being one of the only channels making Poptropica videos that aren’t just playthroughs is pretty inspiring just due to the fact that it’s our job to fill that void that no one else seems to be filling.
The Earth Poptropica Help Blog is pleased to share this Dimension Bros video of Theo reacting to players’ Poptropicans.
What advice would you give to aspiring Poptropica YouTubers?
Solid advice for any YouTuber is just to focus on making content you want to make, and whatever is fun for you. But if you’re interested in Poptropica videos specifically, you could consider taking part in our Poptropica Month 2021 collab this September. All you need to do is make your Poptropica video, let us know about it, and we’ll add it to our playlist! Last year’s playlist has over 1,000 views, so taking part in Poptropica Month is a great way to give your channel a little extra boost from the Pop fandom! There’s a video on our channel about how to join.
Shameless self promo aside, as long as you’re enjoying the video-making process, people should enjoy watching them! It’s not hard to tell when a lot of love went into a video, and that’s all that really matters.
What do you enjoy about the Poptropica community?
Theo: I enjoy everyone’s dedication to keeping the memory of Poptropica alive. You’d think for a game that had a majority of its content removed, fans would’ve left, and a lot did, but some fans have stuck around and are keeping the fandom chugging along! Like the PHB continuing to write posts and hold events, and fan artists continuing to draw their favorite characters, it’s nice to see a small but dedicated fandom still be so active for what little is left of the game.
Isaac: Having been a part of a lot of fandoms throughout my time on the internet, I’ve always found it interesting how close all the Poptropica fandom is. For better or worse, everyone in the fandom has had at least one interaction with pretty much everyone else. I feel like this creates a really good sense of unity. Every time the creators do something dumb (like forgetting the name of one of their own characters) the entire fandom unites to complain about it. And in a weird way, that’s kinda nice.
Publick House: This place on Cryptids Island could use some customers. Come right in!
What do you hope for the future of Poptropica and its fandom?
Isaac: My main hope for the future of the Poptropica fandom is that everyone on the Poptropica Help Chat will change their nickname to “#ISAAC4MOD” in an attempt to “vote” me into office as the next PHC moderator 😉
Theo: In an ideal world, Poptropica would port all of the old islands and the game would be fully restored, but it looks like that’ll never happen. All I can hope for now is that more people take part in the Poptropica Rewritten project as an attempt to save Poptropica. (You can learn more about that project in another DB video we have on our channel.)
World Warriors: Welcome back to the stage of history.
What is your favorite feature (still here or gone) from the many years of Poptropica?
Theo: Obviously the feature everyone misses most is THE ISLANDS, but another feature I really miss are the minigames you got from the store. I’m pretty sure I spent more time playing Shrink Shot than I did playing any actual islands as a kid. Another feature I miss dearly are all of the personality questions you could answer on your friends page, as well as that whole page in general.
Isaac: While it may have made little impact on gameplay, I really liked when you had to go to Early Poptropica during the events of Counterfeit Island. This along with details such as Zeus destroying a bunch of the other islands during the events of Super Villain really made Poptropica feel like one big cohesive game rather than a bunch of small separate ones. (And if you know me, you know I love theorizing on the connections of all the islands.)
What is your favorite Easter egg/reference in Poptropica?
Isaac: The entirety of Survival Island is a huge reference to one of my favorite short stories, “The Most Dangerous Game,” so playing through that is always enjoyable. I’m also a big fan of all the Marvel references in PoptropiCon, especially the Mighty Action Force card game, seeing as I’m a huge board/card game nerd. (Also, creators, if you’re reading this, you should make the MAF card game into a real thing!)
Theo: I really enjoy all of the references to Alcatraz in Escape from Pelican Rock. It’s no surprise that the island contains references to Alcatraz since the whole premise is based off the Alcatraz prison break, but having guards recite certain dialogue said in the prison, and having your Poptropican escape in almost an identical way to real escapees is cool. Also the PHB nod in that island is a fun easter egg too.
How do you feel about the Pop Creators fearing you?
Powerful.
On a Dimension Bros post on Instagram about the upcoming Pop Month being funeral themed, the Poptropica Creators jokingly called the duo “Dimension Foes.”
🌟 Would you like to be the next Popular Poptropican? 🌟
To nominate yourself or someone you know, contact the PHB with the following:
the name of your nominee (a Poptropica name or other screen name)
a reason why your nominee should be the next Popular Poptropican
Thank you for reading, and stay awesome, Poptropicans!
Hey Poptropicans, welcome to another Popular Poptropican interview! ⭐️ Today’s guest is Noveen, an honorary winner of the title in the 2020 Poppies. As a longtime member of the community, he’s served in roles such as mod on the PHC, admin on the Poptropica Club Discord server, as well as rep of the Black Flags in the PHB’s 2020 Tribal Tournament.
Welcome, Noveen aka Quick Sponge! Let’s pop into it.
Which Poptropica community events do you enjoy?
Maybe these are a bit more underground, but I like contests and puzzles that people come up with. In contrast to parties, these tend to go on for several days while simultaneously creating hype. They also give something for my brain to chew on. Contests are always a great time for people to create art and other works. Pop Month, an event the Dimension Bros started last year, is also fun because it brings more fans to the community and I like watching everyone’s videos.
What do you enjoy about the Poptropica community?
I like that there are all kinds of people from all over the world. I have learned a lot about society and different communities, both good and bad. I also think it’s a bit funny or unexpected that a game like Poptropica can bring together people who are just so different, which in my opinion isn’t the case in other communities that may have a more homogenous demographic.
Meeting new people always gives you a new perspective and a chance to reformulate your outlook on things (or simply become more knowledgeable and concrete in what you believe), so that’s a good thing, and I think the original Pop Creators would be happy about it.
De Plane: This is, at last, a paradise island.
What do you hope for the future of Poptropica and its fandom?
Poptropica certainly isn’t the same today as when I was 8 years old. the best thing that could happen for me personally is Poptropica redeveloping their approach to the game, possibly targeting an older demographic (considering many fans have aged) or maybe even a spin-off project specifically designed for older fans. The most important thing is to increase the quality of writing in islands because most people aren’t happy with recent developments.
As for the fandom, people come and go all the time, but the people who’ve stuck around are some of my closest friends. I’m confident that no matter what happens, there will at least be people having fun talking to each other and sharing creative works. I’m excited to see where everyone will go in life once we’ve all grown up.
Liftoff: Up, up in my beautiful balloon.
What inspires your Poptropica original characters (OCs)?
I only have pretty much 2 OCs, including Quick Sponge and Short Gamer.
Short Gamer
Quick Sponge
To be honest, I saw Short Gamer on an ASG page and kind of claimed her as my own, since no one else had. She was just sitting there like an orphan. I noticed she had a cybergoth look and went off that. My version of Short Gamer is a cute, short, goth Asian lady, like someone I would want to be friends with.
For Quick Sponge, I sort of based him off my personal style/interests without having a personality too close to my own. He’s supposed to be stupid, but in an endearing way. Not sure exactly when it started, but at some point I made him start dating Short Gamer.
How has Poptropica influenced you?
When I was a kid, a lot of my friends in the Pop community were developing artists and they really inspired me. Sadly I don’t talk to many of them anymore, but I’ll always remember their influence on me. The community in general has had a lot of people (mostly older than me) who have sort of acted like mentors to me. I’ve had opportunities to explore a wide variety of projects like helping with Bloody Shrink Ray (a fan-made island with lots of blood, and which was only playable with Flash) and watching the process.
Ready, Yeti?: An early sketch of Bigfoot for Cryptids Island. We decided to make him scarier!
As for the game itself, I learned a lot from the older islands when I was a kid. The goal was to educate kids in fun ways, after all. Some of it has stuck around, like having a basic understanding of Morse code in Shrink Ray or urban legends from Cryptids. There are probably a lot of things I know today that I don’t even realize I learned from Poptropica when I was young.
What is your favorite feature (still here or gone) from the many years of Poptropica?
There were a lot of fun features like the Costumizer, Colorizer, and Costume Closet, but if I had to pick one thing in Poptropica, it would be those little pop quizzes you took when you logged in and it showed up on your profile. I always thought it was a fun way to learn a little bit about other people while also sharing a bit about myself. Plus, it’s always fun to answer things about yourself.
Quizzical: Time for you to become a Poptropica icon.
What is your favorite Easter egg/reference in Poptropica?
I like the numbers you can call on the phone on Nabooti Island (911, 411, 1225, 1337).
(You can friend Noveen on Poptropica with the username partygame3)
🌟 Would you like to be the next Popular Poptropican? 🌟
To nominate yourself or someone you know, contact the PHB with the following:
the name of your nominee (a Poptropica name or other screen name)
a reason why your nominee should be the next Popular Poptropican
Thank you for reading, and stay awesome, Poptropicans!
Howdy doodly Poptropican friends! It’s LJ here with the final interviewee of the Popular Poptropican staff lineup. She’s the friendliest of fishes, the editor-in-chief, the very creator of this Poptropica Help Blog… it’s the one and only Slanted “Fishy” Fish! Does she really need an introduction, though? Let’s pop right into it!
1. What has it felt like to watch something you created grow so much and even get recognized by Poptropica themselves?
No doubt it’s been amazing! When I first started this blog, I couldn’t have imagined how big it would become. I didn’t really have any expectations — I just wanted to make a blog about something I cared about, because I had been inspired by fan blogs on the internet for other games I played, made by kids and young adults.
I remember the first time Poptropica made some kind of acknowledgement to the PHB, almost a year after it first began, it was just a feeling of surprise, awe, and excitement from me and others involved with the blog. Since then, it’s been nice to know the Pop Creators are keeping up with what fans are thinking, and to garner an occasional nod of appreciation!
2. What advice would you give to aspiring bloggers or writers in general that you wish you had starting out?
Looking back at some of my earliest posts, I’d say the biggest points I could have done better are writing more concisely and making the formatting more appealing. On the first point, remember that effective news writing is all about how well you’re able to get your message across, and you don’t always need a ton of words to do it. On the second point, it turns out there are ways to polish up a digital post, like making use of hyperlinks, bold text, and images.
Of course, these are things that take time and effort to figure out, and best practices will change over time. But the old adage remains: practice makes better!
3. What has been the biggest milestone for the PHB?
Just the fact that it’s been around for so long (12 years and counting), almost as old as Poptropica itself, is pretty phenomenal. The community definitely helps keep the spirit alive — without all of you, there’d be no blog here!
4. What sort of future do you hope the PHB will have?
I hope the PHB will continue to share Poptropica insights that are thoughtful, truthful, and tale-full for as long as we can dream of and grow from them. Nothing lasts forever, but why not enjoy the ride while we can?
5. Would you say the PHB is like a family? What do you think keeps everyone so involved and connected with the blog?
In a sense, yes! We may not know each other IRL, but we’re in touch with one another digitally and united through our common interest in Poptropica. I think new and solid quality content is what keeps people engaged and coming back — that’s true of any online space!
6. What is your favorite island and villain?
My favorite island is Shark Tooth, which may seem like an underdog choice, but it’s a classic (Poptropica’s second island!). The blue palm trees in the background are nostalgic Poptropica aesthetics, and despite the simplicity, there’s good story to explore.
And my favorite villain is probably Scheherazade from Arabian Nights. I love her many forms, with impeccable outfits in all and a compelling backstory that tugs at the heartstrings.
7. What challenge in the game has been the hardest to complete in your opinion?
Anything that’s dependent on game physics is quite the challenge — as in jumping platforms with the right timing or you’re toast. The volcanic platforms on the Fire Planet in Astro-Knights are a great example of this.
8. What is your favorite feature (still here or gone) from the many years of Poptropica?
The Costumizer, which allowed you to “steal” (well, copy) clothes off characters, was such a unique and fun feature in Poptropica. It’s a shame it didn’t carry over to the new Haxe version of the game (except for on PoptropiCon, where it’s essential to the quest).
9. What is your favorite Poptropica item?
It’s hard to pick! Maybe the boba tea, since I love drinking the stuff IRL. I also quite like the Rainbow Ride hoodie, which is a staple of my Poptropican’s wardrobe nowadays. And I have to also mention the Fireworks, which makes every PHB party pic so much brighter.
10. What is your favorite Poptropica Easter egg/secret/reference?
Besides having an incredible and friendly team, I just like being able to participate so much in this community! Many fans including myself have looked up to it as basically the center of the Pop Fandom, and I’m very honored to be a part of it now after years of reading it.
2. What advice would you give to aspiring bloggers or writers in general that you wish you had starting out?
This is definitely connected to my personal experience, but don’t be afraid of waiting a bit to achieve your goals — whether they be starting a fan blog, publishing a book, or anything of the sort. I really wanted to write Pop blogs during the time I was too young to be on social media, and it made me feel like a failure. If you start writing a series and it doesn’t get the attention you hoped it would, or life gets in the way of starting that really cool project, it’s okay to focus on smaller things to hone your craft until you’re ready.
3. What is your favorite island and villain?
Oh wow. This is a toughie. Hmmmm….HMMM…Okay, but in all seriousness I’m not exactly the most subtle about this on the PHC or even here! The answer is of course Astro Knights and Binary Bard! That part of Pop has continued to influence my interests and creative projects to this day, and I will fight for more Poptropica representation of Mordred because he is the most interesting and well-written and that is a hill I will die on.
4. What challenge in the game has been the hardest to complete in your opinion?
I’ve never been the best at puzzles. I had to rely on guides for basically every single island! That being said, Virus Hunterwas probably the most grueling. While Skullduggery had the repetitive trading and Astro-Knights the notorious boss battles, Virus Hunter had something they didn’t–really horrible glitches. I’m not sure if it was just me, but the bugs in that island nearly made it impossible for me, and ten times more frustrating than the usual hard island!
5. What is your favorite feature (still here or gone) from the many years of Poptropica?
I just love the little additions in different islands, such as the flying in Super Power or that sweet elevator music in Night Watch. And of course being able to just fly around in your rocket in Astro Knights even after completing the island. I wouldn’t say I have a favorite, I just like anything that makes the world feel more interactive, even if it doesn’t add much story wise!
6. What is your favorite Poptropica item?
I really like the Capes N’ Cowls costume set. It’s cool to see animated costume pieces, and I even have one on my character! (Honorable mention to the Mordred-Princess outfit because it’s perty.)
7. What is your favorite Poptropica easter egg/secret/reference?
Okay, I’m just gonna say the Mocktropica trash bin characters (actually scrap that how about just ALL of Mocktropica) because it’s obvious, but another thing I really enjoyed finding during my digging through the Creator’s blog was all the extra bits of villain backstories you can find during the 2011 Villain Showdown. It’s almost a bit sad how some of those parts of their stories usually never got brought up again.
(LJ: You can friend her on Poptropica with the username mdp686!)
🌟 Would you like to be the next Popular Poptropican? 🌟
To nominate yourself or someone you know, send me an email at [email protected] or a private messageon Discord with the following:
the name of your nominee (a Poptropica name or other screen name)
a reason why your nominee should be the next Popular Poptropican
As always, thank you so much for reading and I’ll see you in the next one. Pop on!
🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺 