Category: Sneak Peeks

Advertisements, Counterfeit Island, Labs (Land), Sneak Peeks, Social Media

Return of Balloon Boy, Tweets on Tumblr, Monster High ad, Best of Land Villages, & more!

Spotted Dragon

Hey guys! There are a lot of recent tweets and posts to cover, so let’s get started! First off, I want to emphasize this new video that has been added to the Creator’s “Inside Poptropica” YouTube playlist:

…Does this mean that Balloon Boy, who has been floating aimlessly since the release of Counterfeit Island, may be returning soon? Part of me is thrilled and part of me is sad that we may not be able to look in the sky and find him there any longer. Here is what has been said on the subject:

balloon boy talk

As you can see, Balloon Boy may soon become a Balloon Man…

In other news, Poptropica is still buzzing about Tumblr! The awesomeness has even spread to classrooms, and look, even the PHB’s 1D costumes are in the mix! (Click to view full images!)

Ugh, I hate it when I’m stuck on the loading page with a ton of vines across my screen. 😛

Plus, some more concept art has been released! The first two shown in the gallery are for the current Monster High: Freaky Fusion ad (see below). There’s also a just-for-fun sketch captioned “tongue tied” where a Poptropica artist experiments with crazy tongues on characters, and another of a boy Poptropican shooting hoops on the moon (and here they link to the Lunar Colony trailer).

For girls only, a Monster High: Freaky Fusion ad is available on Night Watch Island (there’s even an icon on the Map you can use to get there). Inside, along with a quiz game and the promo posters, there’s a freaky portal on the right – it doesn’t have a purpose, but it does look cool.

You’ll find two prizes on the top floor: Sirena Follower and Fusion Power (see below for images – thanks to Scary Plug of PWSP for the pics and insight!).

monster high freaky fusion

The Poptropica mobile app has gotten a couple of updates: first, Survival: Escape! (episode 5) is now available for 99 cents. (Although, of course, you can just play it for free online! Plus, if you need help, check out our Survival Island Guide.) Also, 3 free Halloween costume packs have been added to the Shop on your home island, and the app icon has even gotten a Halloween makeover! Cute.

The Best of the Land: Villages have also been announced! Check them out:

“From Cool Sponge, an old-fashioned village that looks like the perfect place to hold the inaugural constitutional convention. (Cool Sponge also made it into Monday’s Dream Homes!)”
“From Creepy Goose, how clever is this? She zoomed way out for a blimp’s-eye view of her village.”
“From Friendly Heart, imagine waking up to that giant shrubbery every morning. It wouldn’t be terrifying at all.”
“From Ice Age, an intricate desert setting. Unfortunately, Ice Age wasn’t a registered user so we can’t share their avatar with you! Always a good idea to save your game.”
“From Mad Comet, here’s a medieval village that seems to be struggling with a dragon problem. (Mad Comet, too, was featured on Monday!)”
“From Neat Tiger, we can see why they needed to build this village above the flood plain. Looks like they’ve got everything up there!”
“From Popular Shadow, it’s another dragon! Let’s hope this one is a protector. If not, we know exactly what to do (Red Dragon Island reference).”
“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 Silver Lightning, another underwater-themed world! We’ll take the raft, thank you very much.”
“From White Flyer, it looks like a Poptropica Main Street! Even without the blimp it’s a dead ringer. Well done.”

Click here to go vote for your favorite! The poll, from now until Monday, should be to the right of the page. As of now, these are the results:

  • Cool Sponge (14%)
  • Creepy Goose (4%)
  • Friendly Heart (9%)
  • Ice Age (6%)
  • Mad Comet (8%)
  • Neat Tiger (13%)
  • Popular Shadow (3%)
  • Serious Bird (23%)
  • Silver Lightning (7%)
  • White Flyer (7%)

The next theme in the contest, which runs from October 24 to 26, is Obstacle Course. Check out our Poptropica Labs (Land) walkthrough for help. Good luck everyone!

As for The Best of the Land: Dream Houses, Zany Clown’s treehouse ended up as the best of the best according to readers’ votes. Congrats, Zany Clown! 😀

From Zany Crown, this is a treehouse that stays true to its roots. Just beautiful.
From Zany Crown, this is a treehouse that stays true to its roots. Just beautiful.

~SD

Arabian Nights Island, Labs (Land), Sneak Peeks

Best of Land’s Dream Homes & Arab genie sketch

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! The Creators have posted their top ten entries for the Dream Homes portion of the Land challenge, and I’m honored to be listed among them! ❤ In fact, you can check out the PHB post below for an in-depth tour of my “slanted fish” Land. :mrgreen:

However, I don’t want to detract from the glory of the other picks (and there are some pretty great ones!), so here’s a gallery of the chosen Lands, along with their witty captions (click to enlarge):

From Cool Sponge, here’s a Victorian-style mansion that looks like an absolutely gorgeous place to live, provided the Bates Motel is not located just down the hill.
From the one and only Friendly Fish, an abode that lives up to her name.
From Golden Lightning, a period piece that wouldn’t look out of place on Mythology Island.
From Golden Lobster, a dream home of biblical proportions — inside the belly of a whale!
From Hyper Fire, the great thing about a houseboat is that if you don’t like your neighbors, you can just pack up and leave!
From Mad Comet, a gorgeous fusion of old and new, built into a hillside. Does the League of Shadows have meetings here?
From Red Sun, a nicely organized, wonderfully appointed home. It’s move-in ready!
From Small Tiger, this one has it all: a lovely garden, comfortable accommodations, and a storeroom that will guarantee you outlast the apocalypse.
From Striped Fox, this home is distinguished by a massive telescope in the observatory, which fortunately is pointed away from the bathrooms.
From Zany Crown, this is a treehouse that stays true to its roots. Just beautiful.

Great entries, guys! And don’t feel bad if yours isn’t up there: the Creators received thousands of entries over the weekend, and they promise that they looked at every submission. The next/current theme until Oct 23 is Village, and the Creators will be announcing their favorites on Friday.

By the way, for more details on making the most of this sandbox feature, do check out the PHB’s Poptropica Labs (Land) Guide, now with a detailed chart for what you unlock at each level and how much Poptanium you need to get there! 😀

There’s also a poll on the sidebar of the Creators’ Blog asking “Who created your favorite Dream Home?” and so far, Zany Crown and her treehouse is taking the lead! These are the results:

  • Cool Sponge (7%)
  • Friendly Fish (that’s me!) (12%)
  • Golden Lightning (5%)
  • Golden Lobster (7%)
  • Hyper Fire (6%)
  • Mad Comet (10%)
  • Red Sun (4%)
  • Small Tiger (11%)
  • Striped Fox (2%)
  • Zany Crown (31%)

Also, is it just me, or are the Creators deliberately avoiding words like “contest” and “winners” for this “challenge”? Not that I have a problem with it; just an observation. What do you think? 😛

—

Another behind-the-scenes sketch has popped up on Poptropica’s Twitter, and this one’s an early character sketch for the unreleased Arabian Nights, Ep. 3! From the looks of it, it’s a female genie – perhaps the one from the Sultan’s lamp? We’ll have to wait and see.

arab3 genie sketch

Speaking of Arabian Nights Island, friendly reminder that Episode 1 will be available to all this Thursday, October 23 (at least according to one of Poptropica’s tweets)! And while we’re talking about upcoming releases, Poptropica has also tweeted what’s to come for ads:

Anyway, that’s all for now! Keep on popping on, Poptropicans. 😀

Advertisements, Glitches, Labs (Land), Sneak Peeks, Social Media

Poptropica has Tumblr-ed over and can’t get up (plus more!)

Spotted Dragon

Hey guys! The Creators have been checking out micro-blogging site Tumblr recently, taking screenshots of specific posts they liked and re-tweeting them (they even re-tweeted the PHB’s tweet about this post after it was published!). Check them out! (click to enlarge)

Cute! Sadly, there haven’t been any behind the scenes images for any islands recently. However, they did post these random sketches (made by bored Creators in their downtime):

Also, the Creators’ “Inside Poptropica” YouTube playlist has been updated with another video, in which a “QA tester” has found a bug in the most recent unreleased update to SUIs – not being able to swim in the water on Mythology Island.

Meanwhile with the Land Public Preview Challenge, the Creators have already tweeted a couple of their favorite Dream Homes so far (click to enlarge).

For help with Land, check out the PHB’s Poptropica Labs (Land) Guide, which was recently updated to reflect some new changes: now including a detailed chart of what you unlock at each level (as well as how much Poptanium is needed per level, which is no longer the standard 15 – it now varies)!

They’re also seeking advice for the future of the Land project over on Twitter, and so far suggestions have included changing the health effects of water in different biomes, plus the ability to name your own Land and have it seen by people on the Map. Both sound pretty neat! 😀

Heh. Well, good luck in the Land contest, everyone! 🙂

Lastly, on Night Watch Island for a limited time, there is is a dance party for girls only (sorry guys). It’s an ad for Lalaloopsy Girls, which was covered a bit more in-depth on the PHB last week. You can chat, battle, make friends, and get two costumes and a Dance Party power. Visit it before it’s gone!

sparkle

Umm… sparkly… 😛

~SD

PHB Sneak Peeks, PoptropiCon Island

BTS Overview & Theory: PoptropiCon, Ep. 2

Spotted Dragon

BTS - Poptropicon 2

Hey everyone, and welcome back to our BTS Overview & Theory series! This time, we’ll be covering PoptropiCon, Ep. 2: Spoiler Alert, written by myself, Samwow5, and HPuterpop (thanks to Fishy for writing the last BTSO&T). To read our BTSO&T for the first episode of PoptropiCon, click here.

(By the way: PoptropiCon, Ep. 1 is now available on the Poptropica app for 99 cents!)

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW (but that’s what you want, isn’t it?)

—–

Overview of evidence

In the last episode of PoptropiCon, we broke into the building by using a catapult (which went along with what we predicted). Sure, this got us in to the building… but what next?

Card Deck
Card Deck (see card images below)

The winner of the PoptropiCon costume contest will earn a one-of-a-kind prize. See if you can put together the ultimate villain outfit, but beware — the action at this convention is about to get real!

From the synopsis of the episode, we can already tell that we will be competing in a costume contest (the recently posted Poptropicon 2 poster also supports this).

Anyway, let’s first take a look at some of the major Spoiler Alert themed Daily Pop sneak peeks. As with all images in this post, please click to enlarge the pictures.

As you may be able to gather yourself, there will also be some sort of card contest. That’s two contests already… could there be any more? Below are what the cards will look like.

Phew, I think we got them all! I also want to mention (from the Daily Pops above) that the last two images hint at us having to avoid surveillance or something to that effect. Now let’s take a look at some behind-the-scenes dialog and text:

Well, we seem to have clarified the card game, which is related to the Poptropica-invented franchise “Mighty Action Force”. The dialog also tells us that we will be looking for an Elf Archer costume. Could the card game be related to this? Maybe what we have to accomplish in this episode is just to collect the perfect items for the perfect costume.

We also wanted to mention how this episode will in fact have a common room! If you didn’t know already, episode 1 was updated with a common room (after its release, strangely enough).

In the “Demo Hall” image, you can see the edge of the “Showdown” Daily Pop. In the last image, you can see the edge of the “Galaxy Litigation” (poster) Daily Pop. In multiple images above, you can see posters for the costume contest. Nothing else is really given away, but it gives us a good sense of what we will see.

There isn’t anything else worth showing to determine the plot, so here is our final theory! 🙂

Final theory

In PoptropiCon – Episode 2: Spoiler Alert, we will put together the best costume possible to win the costume contest. To do this, we go around doing certain tasks, such as winning a Mighty Action Force card game. But before we can win, we have to collect all the best cards.

That may not sound like the deepest theory ever, but hopefully it sparks some ideas! Are you excited for PoptropiCon: Ep. 2? We definitely are! 😀

~SD, HP, SW5

Comics, Labs (Land), Nintendo DS Game, Shrink Ray Island, Sneak Peeks, Virus Hunter Island

Shrink Ray reborn, comic surprise, & more!

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! There’s lots going on over on Poptropica’s official Twitter, especially with behind-the-scenes peeks and info, which will be covered below. For the latest in Pop, follow the PHB on Twitter! 🙂

Shrink Ray Island: the remake!

Among the many projects Poptropica is currently undertaking, Shrink Ray Island is being remade into an SUI (sound-updated island) – but not just that, there are going to be new characters/costumes! Like all the classic islands, it will still be a full island, rather than an episodic one. Poptropica tweeted this screenshot of a couple of characters wearing recycled trash:

shrink ray 2 chars

That’s not all – they’ve also created a new YouTube playlist called “Inside Poptropica”, and of the clips currently in there, two now three of them are new! The first one shows Creators attempting the audio for different weird voices for “I’m a skull in a jar” (for the Lockwood & Co ad), another one shows the rendering of the Milk Box Head character depicted above, and the last video is just a silly ten-second clip of a Poptropican with a disco afro affected by the Big Blue Zomberry power dancing inside the Club Nouveau Riche on Game Show Island. Watch the playlist below:

Behind-the-Scenes: Dr. Lange rejected art & Poptropica comic book?

Poptropica continues to tweet more behind-the-scenes images, as they have been doing recently. Check out this cute doodle of Dr. Lange from Virus Hunter Island! (It wasn’t quite the look the Creators were going for, though, so it was rejected.) Still, what a cheery doctor. 😀

dr lange rejected art

Another sneak peek they tweeted was this illustrated comic page (not strip!) of an untold Jorge & Oliver adventure with Vikings – and apparently, it’s coming January 2015! The colors are more saturated, too, so if this is what it looks like, perhaps they’re planning to make Poptropica comic books available in print! (They didn’t exactly confirm this yet, but that’s my guess!) It would be pretty rad. 🙂

jorge oliver vikings

Forgotten Islands to 3DS next week

Some time ago, we mentioned here on the PHB that Forgotten Islands, the fetch-questy Poptropica game currently available on iOS, will be made for the Nintendo 3DS as well. Well, this upcoming video game has a release date now: October 14th, which is next Tuesday!

The storyline of Forgotten Islands is not the same as any island on the online version of Poptropica, and if you’d like to check out what it’s like, take a look at the PHB’s Forgotten Islands Guide under MiniQuests! The 3DS version is likely to be the same as the iOS version, however.

Poptropica app to Kindle Fire

Poptropicans with a Kindle Fire, there’s good and bad news: Poptropica is working on an app for this device, but it won’t be around until early next year. (If everything goes according to plan!)

Poptropica Land “WOW!”s

Poptropica has tweeted some pretty cool Poptropica Land creations just in the past week or so (they’ve been calling them “today’s Poptropica Land WOW!”). Here’s a gallery of the latest “WOW!”s:

Speedy Cactus’s water monster
Magic Spider’s humble abode
Cheerful Turtle’s big house
Serious Bird’s communal living quarters
Nice Ghost’s divided house
Messy Lion’s “WOW-WOW!” to Poptropica

Great uses of the new Props feature! For more tips and tricks on making the best out of Poptropica Land, be sure to check out the PHB’s Land guide. 🙂 Stay popping, Poptropicans.