Category: Sneak Peeks

App, Comics, Cryptids Island, Popstorms, Sneak Peeks, Social Media

Android app finally here & monstrously cute art

Blake

What’s popping, Poptropicans? Blake here, with a round of the Poptropica Help Blog’s Punch Out!!!

Has everybody gotten their retro video game references out of the way? Yes? Good. In all seriousness, Blake here, with a recap of Poptropica’s latest Twitter posts. First up, for all you Android fans out there, the Poptropica app is finally available for Google Play!

Screenshot 2014-11-20 at 5.54.25 PM

Yes, now you can frolic in Poptropica wherever you go! And all for the price of — wait, there is no price. It’s FREE! Just download the app from Google Play to get started.

By the way, this image was posted on Poptropica’s Instagram. Yes, after lots of retweeting other players’ Instagram posts, they’ve joined in on the Insta-bandwagon! You can follow them at PoptropicaCreators.

Next up, let’s take a look at the latest new doodles Poptropica’s been tweeting. Here’s PopStorm #6, which explores what Poptropicans would look like with shoes:

Screenshot 2014-11-20 at 5.54.07 PM

This is a great addition to the PopStorm series, and the one in the middle with the glasses reminds me of Groucho Marx. Oh Groucho, why did you have to go? D:

This next one is another possible teaser to an Island based on the Poptropica comics. What’s going on with these balloon animals, you ask? Well, as a hint, the tweet links to Funbrain’s page for the official Poptropica comics…

Screenshot 2014-11-20 at 5.53.52 PM

And finally, we have a blast from the past. Close your eyes. Are you closing them? Of course not, you wouldn’t be able to read this post otherwise! Anyway, just imagine the monsters from Cryptids Island back in kindergarten. Do you see it? No? Maybe this doodle from Poptropica artist Jon Pitcher will help. Who knew little Chupa had a secret crush? 😉

Screenshot 2014-11-20 at 5.53.30 PM

This has been “Let’s Imagine!” with Blake. *little rainbow star thingy from The More You Know pic floats above head* Enlightening, was it not?

Well, that’s it for the Poptropica Help Blog’s Punch Out!!! today. I just defeated Tyson by a series of button-mashing combos, so it’s time for me to go soak my thumbs in ice! Stay popping, Poptropicans.

Galactic Hot Dogs Island, Sneak Peeks

GHD Island possibility & animation preview

Spotted Dragon

Hey everyone! The Creators recently tweeted another behind-the-scenes picture relating to Galactic Hot Dogs. However, it’s not the usual GHD update… in fact, the Creators claim that this blueprint for the GHD crew’s Neon Wiener spaceship is “VERY, VERY behind the scenes.” Click to enlarge:

ghd neon wiener

Do we have a new island upon us??? Hmmm??? Plus, it links to this video trailer for Galactic Hot Dogs.

Yeah, I’m kinda getting a new island vibe. Especially since the Creators have mentioned that GHD may become an island in the future!

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There is another behind the scenes image on Twitter, but this doesn’t reveal much. Here’s Poptropica’s description for it: “tools being built for more refined character animations in Poptropica’s videos.”

pop animation bts

Hey, still pretty cool. 😉

I also want to mention that the Creators have been tweeting a lot of Poptropica related Instagram posts lately, along with Poptropica-In-School moments, Poptropica related Tumblr posts, and more. Keep an eye out for them on Twitter!

~SD

Labs (Land), Popstorms, Sneak Peeks, Social Media, Vampire's Curse Island

Treehouse tour, a popping 3D effect, & more art

Spotted Dragon

Yep, the updates just keep on coming!

Best of Land winner: Zany Crown’s treehouse tour

The Public Land Preview may be over, but the hype isn’t! Captain Crawfish filmed a quick tour of Zany Crown’s treehouse, the winner of the “Best of the Land” readers’ poll. 🙂

Pretty cool, huh? I definitely think the basement with the tree roots was the best part of the Land. It was super creative, so congrats, Zany! (Plus, Land will be released as a full version early next year!)

Popping 3D on Forgotten Islands

Plus, the Creators posted a reminder that Poptropica: Forgotten Islands is now out for Nintendo 3DS. (Well, actually, it has been out for about a month now.) You can buy it from Amazon or a local toy store if they have it. Just in time for the holidays!

This game marks the first time Poptropica has been presented with stereoscopic 3D, and you don’t even need overpriced 3D glasses!

More behind-the-scenes art

Of course, as is the trend these days, more behind-the-scenes art has been released on Poptropica’s Twitter and also their new Tumblr. (Click to enlarge the images.)

Check out PopStorm #4 – deviating from the “hair” themes of the first three, this one demonstrates the squash and stretch theme.

popstorm 4

Next we have Jeff Kinney’s rough castle sketch for Vampire’s Curse Island, which was drawn on a huge piece of paper. Looks like it didn’t deviate too much from the end product!

vampire early art

Finally, here is a sneak peek of a palace interior scene for an upcoming, unannounced island. Apparently the island will be coming in January 2015, so that’s not too far away!

sneak peek island

Any theories, guys? I may be way off, but this image kind of reminds me of the underground cave Daily Pops that surfaced throughout 2013. Some people even thought they could be for the return of Legendary Swords. Check out this or this PHB post for some of these sneak peeks, or see some of the images below from our Daily Pop sneak peek archive.

Shroom Available: Looks like a fungal infection has gotten out of control.
Gate Crasher: You came to the wrong neighborhood.
Hot Springs: Nothing like a relaxing dip in some molten lava.
Down Under: Nope, not Australia. It’s even under there.
Undercurrents: Like this water, you may eventually find your own level.
The Glow Pt 2: A light in the darkness is helpful no matter where it’s from.
Spelunky: Gear up before you go down.
On the Edge: Don’t go overboard.
Fossil Fuel: The soil holds many secrets.

The images seem to have a similar style, right? Then again, at a second glace, the old Daily Pops remind me of Arabian Nights too. Well, hopefully you guys have some better theories than I do. 😛

Last but not least, PoptropiCon, Ep. 2: Spoiler Alert releases to everyone tomorrow! Get ready for a big plot twist – and if you need spoilers, check out our PoptropiCon Island Guide. 🙂

That’s all for now! Comment your thoughts below. 😉

~SD

Labs (Land), Popstorms, Shrink Ray Island, Sneak Peeks, Store

Best of Land: Haunted, Shrink Ray re-release, & hair PopStorms

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Now that the final “Best of Land” challenge has ended, the Land public preview is now over (alpha version 2 is back to being members only). On Halloween, while we here at the PHB announced the winners of our 6th Annual Costume Competition, the Creators featured the best “Haunted” Land entries they received – and here they are (click to enlarge):

From Brave Owl, this is one forest we wouldn’t want to walk through at night.
From Cuddly Ring, a house of horrors with three levels of thrills.
From Dangerous Tooth, a classic haunted mansion.
From Fast Lizard, an amazing paranormal panorama.
From Fearless Lizard, a floating fear factory.
From Friendly Raptor, these are two great tastes that taste terrifying together.
From Invisible Octopus, this is one great pumpkin.
From Popular Fish, it’s a ghost ship adrift on a sickly sea.
From Prickly Fish, we’re just going to assume this gargantuan skeleton creature is reaching out for a big hug.
From Red Singer, there’s a surprise around every turn in this haunted house.

Captain Crawfish sure enjoys incorporating alliteration in his captions. 😉 You can vote for your favorite over on the poll in the sidebar of the Creators’ Blog. Right now, Brave Owl’s intricate tree and Fast Lizard’s grass monster are in the lead. Here are the results thus far:

  • Brave Owl (24%)
  • Cuddly Ring (4%)
  • Dangerous Tooth (5%)
  • Fast Lizard (24%)
  • Fearless Lizard (10%)
  • Friendly Raptor (3%)
  • Invisible Octopus (3%)
  • Popular Fish (3%)
  • Prickly Fish (10%)
  • Red Singer (11%)

Also, congratulations to Silver Lightning for being the readers’ choice for best “Obstacle Course” Land!

From Silver Lightning (another repeat Land challenge champ), this multi-screen course is truly a-maze-ing!
From Silver Lightning (another repeat Land challenge champ), this multi-screen course is truly a-maze-ing!

Poptropica Land is currently no longer available to non-members, but the Creators have stated that, with the help of our feedback and Land creations, they’re preparing for an official launch early next year – which may even be available to everyone (we’ll have to see)! 😀

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As mentioned earlier, Shrink Ray Island will soon be re-released as a SUI (sound-updated island), with bigger screen, sounds, and all the gimmicks of the newer islands! According to an official tweet, this update is coming in November – sometime this month! The official Tour page has even been given a makeover, now with a desktop wallpaper and printable poster (see below):

Oh look, it’s the protagonist CJ, from whom my Poptropican got that awesome striped hoodie! :mrgreen: And… I know we’re miniature, but that’s a creepily big cat. 😮

Also, Members can now claim two new free Store costumes: the Milk Box and Bottle Cap!

(Maybe you recognize them from a sneak peek related to one of the “Inside Poptropica” videos. Speaking of videos, they’ve also re-uploaded the Shrink Ray Island trailer, but it is basically the same as the previous except for the “now with sound” emphasis and new soundtrack composed by Jeff Heim.)

As a classic island, Shrink Ray will come as a one-part story, rather than episodic (multi-part) – and according to Poptropica, more one-part islands will be released for both online & mobile starting January 2015. However, whether this means new one-part islands or just old ones re-hashed into SUIs remains to be seen. Hopefully it’s the former. 😛

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Over on Poptropica’s Twitter, two new sneak peeks called PopStorm (Poptropica brainstorm) have surfaced – perhaps a continuation of the Hair Potion idea? I still think it’d make a cool gold card item or something, and these sketches look goofily grand. 😀

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Last but not least, plans for an Android app are looking steadier! According to this tweet, it will be ready in just 5 more weeks, which at this point means it’ll be available in the first week or so of December.

That’s all for now – be sure to catch up on the posts below for all the latest Poptropica news and more! And here’s the popping bad pun for this post: Pop on like popcorn, Poptropicans. 😀

Labs (Land), Sneak Peeks

Best of Land: Obstacle Courses, Racer Island, & monkey ruins

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! The Best of Land: Obstacle Courses have been announced on the Creators’ Blog, and without further ado, here they are (click to enlarge and view captions):

From Comical Ant, here’s an ant farm maze. Mr. Silva from Shrink Ray Island would feel at home here!
From Dangerous Fox, a very spelunky obstacle course.
From Fast Lizard, it looks like Myron Van Buren has another devious challenge in store for his, er, houseguests.
From Prickly Fish, this one packs a lot of gameplay into a small space.
Serious Bird’s Village won the readers’ poll. He’s still climbing the ladders of success.
From Shifty Bubbles, this one takes you up, down, and underwater.
From Shy Paw, this intricate course will take you to every corner of the screen!
From Silly Whale, it’s nice to see someone who just wants players to have a bouncin’ good time.
From Silver Lightning (another repeat Land challenge champ), this multi-screen course is truly a-maze-ing!
From Silver Sun, we would have liked this no matter what, but the sword-wielding statue certainly made its point.

Cast a vote for your favorite on the poll in the sidebar of the Creators’ Blog! As of now, Silver Lightning’s maze in the lead by a fair bit. These are the current results:

  • Comical Ant (14%)
  • Dangerous Fox (2%)
  • Fast Lizard (7%)
  • Prickly Fish (4%)
  • Serious Bird (5%)
  • Shifty Bubbles (6%)
  • Shy Paw (5%)
  • Silly Whale (8%)
  • Silver Lightning (37%)
  • Silver Sun (7%)

Also, congrats to Serious Bird, who was not only featured among the best Obstacle Courses above, but was also the readers’ poll winner for his fast food Village! Delicious.

"From Serious Bird, you don't have to go far for a bite to eat in this town. Does the building on the right shake in an earthquake?"
“From Serious Bird, you don’t have to go far for a bite to eat in this town. Does the building on the right shake in an earthquake?”

The next and final Land challenge is the theme of Haunted House, and the Creators will be featuring the best ones on Halloween (Friday, Oct 31)! Remember, the Land public preview itself ends on the 30th, so if you’re a non-member, be sure to make the most of this cool feature while you can. 🙂

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Poptropica has continued to tweet behind-the-scenes pics, and fresh from this pile are these monkey ruins, with no further explanation. Just speculating here: perhaps these are related to the monkey sneak peeks we saw earlier, which may mean an island based on the Poptropica comics with Jorge and Oliver. We’ll have to wait and see! 😛

monkey ruins

Here’s another behind-the-scenes look at something called Racer Island. As cool as this sounds, though, it was an island concept that has been abandoned (much like WaterThrill Island). 😦

racer island

In other news, don’t forget to enter (if you dare, that is) the PHB’s 6th annual Halloween costume contest! Fourteen winners will be announced this Friday in time for Halloween, and if you win, your costume will be featured on the PHB! Pop to the top, Poptropicans. :mrgreen: