Category: Social Media

Creators, Social Media, Uncategorized

Seeking Your Questions for a Pop Interview with Former Storytelling Creator ✏️🎤

Smart Bubbles

Henlo, Poptropicans! I’m happy to announce a special upcoming PHB post: an interview with former Pop Creator, Mitch Krpata!

While the PHB has covered and even hosted interviews with this senior story developer in the past, this time we’re reconnecting with ol’ Captain Crawfish to talk about the development process for Poptropica. And you’re invited to join!

In the comments of this post, bring your unanswered questions regarding the stories and characters of past islands, pertaining to content made before 2018 (when Mitch departed the team). This interview will not cover the current state of the game, and Mitch cannot speak for the current team. That being said, ask away!

Mitch Krpata wrote three of the four Poptropica graphic novels, among others.

Before I close off, here are Poptropica’s latest Instagram stories, including an animation of Monkey Wrench Island some rockin’ Zomberries by the PHB’s Lucky Joker (LJ)! (…ok I’ll take my leave now.)

Maroon by @cnp_1022
Pop OCs by @happyclonetrooper
Dr. Hare by @nightmaresnyx
Memories of Pop by @nyankokokokokoko
Memories of Pop by @nyankokokokokoko
Zomberry rocks by @howdyitslj

Make sure to check out these artists, and don’t forget to submit your questions in the comments of this post! I’ll see you soon for the next Villain Saga episode and the completed interview!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Social Media

Pop Pinterest: Island Aesthetics 🏝🖼

Slanted Fish

Poptropica islands each carry their own unique visual vibes — and some creative Poptropicans have found a way to express that beauty through curated collections on Pinterest, the image bookmarking site! 💫

We’ll be sharing a sampling of these artful assemblages below, from fan designers g_eese, tinyprologue, haunteddisco, and gallifreyanfairytale. (Thanks to Jumpy Knight for sharing these links.) Enjoy, and be inspired!

Let’s start with a classic for both old and new players alike: 24 Carrot. 🥕 From the island’s rustic fall colors, we’re loving these interpretations filled with fuzzy creatures, simple diners, and of course, sketchy corners. (Protip: Click for full size, and click the artists’ names for the full board!)

by gallifreyanfairytale
by haunteddisco
by tinyprologue

Next up is another familiar one: Mythology! ⚡️ While the current remastered version is missing some classic sights, at least we can recall their memories with these visions of starfish and ancient architecture.

by gallifreyanfairytale
by haunteddisco
by tinyprologue

For an island with a wide spectrum of colors, from bright playgrounds to dark woods, try Monster Carnival! 🎡 This lost island rumored to return offers sparkles of light amid something sinister…

by gallifreyanfairytale
by g_eese
by haunteddisco

Going further into the archives, let’s revisit the lost island of Skullduggery! 🏴‍☠️ With its bounty of sailor’s maps, treasure chests, and ship struggles, we’re in for a wild adventure at sea.

by g_eese
by gallifreyanfairytale
by haunteddisco

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! You can view tons more Poptropica inspired Pinterest boards by clicking on the artists’ names above, including throwbacks to many more classic islands.

Enjoyed this post? Check out our post on Poptropica mood boards inspired by NPCs and OCs! Or take a stroll through our Pop Places IRL series, where we pair island locations with their real-life roots. So much to see — soak it all in and find the ones you vibe with!

~🐠

Islands, Mocktropica Island, Social Media, Steam Bundle, Uncategorized

Mega hints for a mocking island

Smart Bubbles

‘Allo Poptropicans! We’ve arrived at the penultimate point of the Steam island hints! (Visit past hints: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.)

Here’s hint twelve: “Devise a plan to reverse a mega bot-ched op. Virtually everything is on the line!”

We’ve got a good hunch on this one, although the Creators’ Blog hints that this could “be applied to two other islands.” Besides the seemingly obvious, we might venture a guess for PoptropiCon, with its hench-bots serving the robo-suited Omegon, or Game Show, where we’ve got to reverse a robot domination.

However, the Mega Fighting Bots reference (“Mega Bot-ched”) points us right in the direction of Mocktropica, once again an AS3 island.

…wait. Mocktropica?

How A Bot That: Nobody told these guys about Asimov’s three laws of robotics.

While a cult classic, Mocktropica has become notorious for its unintentional prediction of what Pop was soon to become. Many aspects of the story take a jab at the obsession with surface-level gaming gimmicks like costumes and pets, as well as removing any challenging elements.

Adding on references to former Pop Creators who had been let go by management, this island may be an odd (albeit welcome) addition to the pack. At least we can enjoy the pretty musical theme in-game again!

“Max McPatrick” was based on then-Pop Creator Mitch Krpata.
Strap In: Concussion prevention starts with sensible headgear.

What do you think about the current Pop reviving this past island? Do you have ideas for other islands that could fit this riddle? Let us know, while I sulk in the corner about the Astro-Knights neglect!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Social Media, Steam Bundle

Small Clues, Mighty Implications

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Another day, another Steam island clue. 🤔

The fifth hint comes to us in a mystic language of dots and dashes. Can you crack the code? 🔢 (Plus, for those following along: we’ve got takes on previous hints so far here: 1, 2, 3, 4.)

This hint comes with a little nudge: unscramble the letters below and you’ll get Morse Code. Only one island uses Morse code: Shrink Ray! The dots and dashes, by the way, spell out “small but mighty” — another nod towards the island where you’re mostly in miniature.

Such Great Heights: Finally, someone in Poptropica you can look up to.

We previously predicted Shrink Ray as a possibility for the first hint, but with this clue pointing to this island so strongly, the other one probably points to our other guess: Survival. Both islands fall within the theory that all 13 old islands returning to Steam will be the AS3 (newer) ones.

See A Shrink: If you catch this ray, it’ll be the last thing you ever do!

In other news, Poptropica reached 10K followers on their Twitter over the weekend! They previously promised to follow back more fan accounts when they reached this milestone, and they’ve been delivering! Up a third from last time, they’re now following 218 accounts, including many fans who requested it. If you’re on Twitter, prove your Pop loyalty and you might get yourself a new follower! 🥳

Congrats to Pop for their W, but an L soon followed with an amusing typo for Jeff Brim Heim, the game’s music composer. (Btw, our Poptropica Music page is filled to the brim with his soundtracks!)

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for the next hint, and pop by again soon!

~🐠

Jade Scarab Island, Social Media, Steam Bundle

Ghostly Rap and Jade Scarab on Map 👻🐈

Smart Bubbles

Hello Poptropicans! Two important posts from the Creators today, both pertaining to islands. Let’s pop in for a look!

As promised, here’s another hint for the upcoming 13 island releases on Steam: “I’m a sailor that’s neither living nor dead. I’ll transport you to the danger ahead. My role is restored; climb into my boat to collect your reward. Who am I?” (In case you missed it, check out yesterday’s hint here!)

This one can apply to multiple islands, considering the many sailor characters present among all the, well, islands. We’ve seen guesses ranging from Ghost Story Island (Valiant Lovejoy) to Skullduggery Island (sailing galore!).

But as Gentle Dolphin speculates, the one that seems fit most may be Mythology Island, with the hint possibly referring to Charon, the ferryman of the underworld (“neither living nor dead”) who takes you to Cerberus (“the danger ahead”).

While a remastered version of Mythology currently exists in the game, Charon’s River Styx minigame was one of the parts cut out from the controversial Haxe version. “My role is restored,” then, may be a hint for a return of the classic and popular Mythology Island.

Do you have any guesses as to which it could be? Fortunately, many future hints are promised, so we can continue guessing! We’ve seen Poptropicans on the lookout for space, carnivals, superheroes (and supervillains!), and many more. Stay tuned!

The other announcement is that Secret of the Jade Scarab Island is now on the map and will be available to all players “before you know it!” No current date is set, but it’s nice to see the long-awaited Dream Island winner at last, with our little kitty friend making another appearance! 😊

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles