Web Development

Introducing Poptropi.ca, and comments now open on Creators’ Blog!

Hey Poptropicans – notice anything new?

If you look at the top of your browser, you’ll see that the PHB is carrying a brand-new URL: poptropi.ca – yup, just the one name and a dot in between. No .com, no .net, no ‘help.’ It may take some getting used to, but we’re hoping this shorter name will stand out as unique and memorable. After all, it’s what our site is all about: Poptropica!

Despite the new domain, we’re still the same Poptropica Help Blog. Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere! And, for our most up-to-date contact info, see our Contact page.

Our former URL, poptropicahelp.net, will continue to bring you to the PHB, so you need not worry about mistyping. However, our new URL will be the one displayed, and you may find that the fewer letters make it easier to find us. Welcome to Poptropi.ca! 😉


In other news, a new thing is also going on over on the Poptropica Creators’ Blog… they’ve (finally) opened up the ability to comment on their posts! As long as your comment meets their standard protocol, it’ll be approved.

So far, there are just 8 comments and they’re all on their latest post. I managed to put in a comment of my own, inviting them to check out the Poptropica community’s thoughts on the latest update. Check it out:

Pretty cool, right? Hopefully readers of the official Creators’ Blog will come to notice the rest of the community through these comments, and hopefully, Creators can respond to these comments as well!

I’d still like to see the new Poptropica social media people introduce themselves and get to know the people in this community. For now, though, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Until next time, keep popping, Poptropicans!

<・)))><<

PHB Specials, Web Development

A Lifetime of Headers, Part II

Hey Poptropicans! Slanted Fish here.

As we celebrate the PHB’s upcoming 9-year anniversary with the Poppies this month, I thought it’d be interesting to look back on how far we’ve come in a visual way: our lifetime of site headers.

About 8 years ago, then-PHB “graphics guy” Codien released a post reminiscing all the headers that had gone up on the PHB over the life of the blog, many of them designed by himself. He has since moved on to other things, but the PHB has continued his practice of adorning the top of the site with a graphic that tells who we are.

This post is here to commemorate the many designs we’ve had since his post, and as it’s been 8 years, there are many! Most were designed by me, with some graphic assets from Poptropica mixed into most. Other contributors have also been credited on their respective headers. Hover over each image for captions, click to see in full-size, and enjoy!

Well, there you have it! PHB’s headers from 2009 onwards. Don’t forget to catch Part I here, which in addition to Codien’s brilliant designs, includes my awkward attempts at a header from when I first created the blog in 2008.

How many of them were you around to see? Which ones did you like most? Do you feel like the designs have improved over the years? (I personally do.) Share your thoughts and feedback in the comments!

Thanks for sticking with the PHB. Here’s to many more years.

Keep on popping,

~/🐠

Creators, Web Development

Who dis? Not Skinny Moon, who we sure miss…

Hey Poptropicans, it’s Slanted Fish here.

Attentive readers of the official Poptropica Creators’ Blog may have noticed something amiss lately: the newest posts are no longer being signed by Skinny Moon, the resident Poptropica social media manager of the past year and a half. In fact, they don’t have sign-offs at all. Take a look:

new blogger
Who’s the new guy, and why doesn’t he put his URLs into hyperlinked key words?

Based on the game screenshots in this month’s Creators’ Blog posts, what we can tell is that whoever is posting identifies as a light-skinned, yellow-haired male character. However, he has yet to formally introduce himself. So, the question remains: who dis?

Skinny Moon’s last Creators’ Blog post was on June 28, in which she posted a picture titled #WhereIsTheHare? Stay tuned to find out! Well, it’s not clear when we will ever find out… and since then, Mr. New Blogger has made three posts, starting from July 10. Still, we have no idea who’s taken over (yet).

Dr. Hare buried in sand

So, #WhereIsSkinnyMoon? Well, Skinny Moon is evidently no longer managing Poptropica’s social media. She did contact the PHB on her last week, in June, to inform us of her departure and changes with “new social media people” (implying more than one, though perhaps one is on the blog while others are on other channels). But she asked us to keep the information on the down-low until she’d made an official announcement.

However, as it has been three weeks and three blog posts without her since then, as well as a number of social media posts on their other channels made by the new people/person, we may as well call the conspicuous situation to light – with apologies to Skinny Moon for being the ones to break the news first. She says she’s “off to new adventures,” but hopes to “work with Poptropica again in the fall in some capacity.”

If you want to keep up with Skinny Moon, you can follow her on Twitter @PopGirlJess.

As for the new social media people – we hope you’ll introduce yourselves soon and get involved in the fan community, continuing Skinny Moon’s efforts with commenting on fan blogs, popping into Discord chat servers, and more!

What advice do you have for the new Poptropica social media people? Last words for Skinny Moon? Share your thoughts in the comments!

~/🐠

Web Development

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things, On and Off the PHB!

Hey Poptropicans, Slanted Fish here.

So, big news: the PHB is turning 9 years old this month, and that’s a long time to be blogging – nearly a decade! Over the years, we’ve written over 2000 posts, and we thought it might be time to curate a collection of our “greatest hits.”

Under the About tab, you’ll find a new page called Greatest PHB Posts, which is exactly what it sounds like: a list of our best blogging work! Check it out!

greatest posts phb

That’s not all! We like our non-Poptropica entertainment, too, which is why we have places like the PHC on Discord and our Off-Topica chat page for Poptropicans to talk about other things that catch their fancy, Poptropica or otherwise.

Off-Topica has been around for a long time, but it’s recently been updated to include more of my personal recommendations for games Poptropica players might like and more, along with some cool pics to go along with each. Check out the new Off-Topica!

offtopica

In addition to these things, we’re celebrating our anniversary month with The Poppies, our annual Poptropica community awards event. Be sure to vote for your favorites, and stay tuned for party details, when we’ll announce the winners on the blog’s birthday!

Enjoy the new site updates, and thanks for sticking with the PHB! 😀 Now enjoy a little parodical rhyme for fun…

Not having noses
And a Creator who listens
When updates hasten, and being crawfish gluttons
Jumping to places with powerful swings
These are Poptropicans’ favorite things!

~/🐠