There’s a new ad on Home Island for Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass, a film coming to theaters this Friday. Watch the trailer and you’ll win a Cheshire Cat Follower! Girls will also get an Alice Costume while boys will get the (Mad) Hatter Costume. Creepy, or snazzy? 😸🎩
Anyway, thanks goes to Purple Claw and Cool Dolphin for the pictures.
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In other news, pigs can now fly! Wait, what? That is, in Adventure Pig, the latest creation from Poptropica’s new parent company, StoryArc Media. Despite the similar graphics, it seems it is not related to Poptropica after all. This physics-based mobile game can be downloaded on iOS and Android, but only in Ireland and the Netherlands (it will be made available worldwide soon!).
Check out the trailer video, which uses music from Poptropica’s Monster Carnival Island:
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By the way, if you’ve been keeping up with our ASG page (Avatar Studio Gift) here on the PHB, you may notice that we frequently add new ASGs to our collection! Recently we’ve added a couple of pieces of Crisis Caverns Clothing (from the upcoming underground island!), Dummy Dress-ups (which are not cloneable ASGs, but dummies you can copy from!), and lots more in other categories! Check it out!
But that’s not the only cheat-ridden way of accessing cool costumes these days! The PHB’s Cheats page now lists another tool that can allow you to easily modify your character’s clothing, account items, and much more – but in the interest of keeping it in the down-low, we don’t want to say too much here. Those of you who use the PHC may already be familiar with it as it’s been around for a while. 😉
Anyways, most of my Poptropica-related history can be found in the MPIP I wrote. So I guess I’ll talk about how I was invited to the PHB then, since I don’t really know what else to talk about here.
In all honesty, it’s been talked about for a while. HPuterpop (Andrew) and I have been bouncing ideas off each other for a while, and the notion that I should be a PHB author came up more than once. I kept declining for a while… I felt I wasn’t worthy of such a big role.
Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked PHB author count went from an all-time high of 9 back down to 6. Andrew and I talked a bit more, and I decided I’d probably join after my ‘tech week’ was over, since life was pretty chaotic at the time. (For you non-theater people, tech week is the period right before the opening of a production where all of the effects are figured out, such as sound and lighting.)
One tech week and two performances later, it was my birthday. It was a nice day (I got to eat cake and everything), and after the limited festivities I went back online and saw a message from Slanted Fish. Sure enough, it was an invite to join the PHB! That really made my birthday a sweet sixteen.
After messaging [the offline] Andrew a bit about my delight, I accepted and a few short clicks later, I was an author! Then I went to sleep because it was a school night and it was late.
And that’s that! The conclusion of my glorious journey (as detailed in my MPIP) from Poptropica-player to Poptropica-tutor to Tumblrite to Poptropica-tumblrite to Poptropica-player, and now to Poptropica-blog-author!
So, you may have heard that Poptropica is currently in a rebranding process, and due to launch a New Poptropica later this year. This article about StoryArc Media (Poptropica’s new parent company) that was recently published offers some more insight into what we might expect – including flying pigs!
For Poptropica, later this year we’ll be adding some really great customization features that allow kids to feel even more they are at the center of the stories. We’re asking ourselves, how do we empower kids to make meaningful decisions and create experiences that feel unique? So you’ll see us adding features that allow kids to customize their avatars in much more detail than they can today, create an individual home experience and tweak the story experiences they have so it’s not like their friends’.
We know from Poptropica’s blog post that new customization features include shoes, among other things we don’t know about yet. But this article tells us we’ll also finally have the oft-requested feature of homes, and the story experiences (probably the Islands) will vary from player to player depending on how we modify them! Could this be like a series of choose-your-own-adventure scenarios? What exactly it means remains to be seen, but it sure sounds interesting.
Also, wondering what’s up with the pig in the picture above? It was tweeted by StoryArc Media, and the graphic style is a lot like Poptropica’s. Here’s what the article had to say:
We have another app launching later this spring, Adventure Pig, that’s designed to give more short burst play. On Poptropica most of the play sessions are a half-hour or longer, but kids may not always have a half-hour. This is our first foray into shorter experiences. It’s a single story broken into many chapters and levels that can be completed in less than a minute though the overall story is much longer.
Hmm. It’s not clear whether Adventure Pig will be part of the Poptropica story, or whether it’s its own franchise from StoryArc, but the art style does suggest some relation (though not exactly, as the eyes feel quite different from Poptropica eyes). Either way, it’s interesting that they’re trying something with shorter gameplay while still weaving together an overarching storyline – here’s to hoping StoryArc doesn’t disappoint! It’s supposed to come out this spring, so we may get to play it soon!
Anyway, that’s all I can ham-mer out for this piggy post! What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and of course, stay popping, Poptropicans! 😀
We’ve all been wondering for a while what Poptropica has been up to, and it seems we now have an answer. Later this year (when exactly, they have not said), a brand new Poptropica is going to be released! New and improved, as they say.
But what are these changes, you may ask? Well, the Creators are still pretty secretive, but they revealed a few details on their blog:
– New look! The new Poptropica will still be Poptropica, but it’ll be improved. Newer! Shinier! More features, more options, more FUN — on a new app and a new website!
– New avatar! We’re exploring new designs, new movements, and new looks for the Poptropican avatar. Don’t worry, the essential elements that make a Poptropican a Poptropican will still be there! But we’ll change things up a bit — in a really good way.
– New stories! We’ll be bringing you new stories for your Poptropican to experience! And we’re exploring the idea of a unified story that connects all of Poptropica in a way that we’ve never done before. I know that sounds pretty mysterious, but that’s all I can say for now…
– New stuff! Like SHOES! And pets! And so much more!
– New social experience! We’re developing a way for Poptropicans to have a fun and safe social experience within Poptropica. It’s going to be awesome.
I’m especially looking forward to the unified story element. Bringing all of the islands and characters into one awesome universe. And, of course, the prospects of a new social experience is really awesome.
I’m super excited to see where all of this goes. I know some people may be skeptical, and frankly I am too, but this really could be something awesome. Really it is just a lot to handle. 😛
That being said, Poptropica wants to have what you want. They’ve been reaching out to us, the Poptropica Help Blog, to tell us they want to hear your feedback on things they’re working on. Over the coming months, the Creators will be revealing more details about this new Poptropica and we’ll be ready to share that information with you when the time comes. If you like or dislike something, feel free to comment on our PHB posts and let your voices be heard! The Creators do sometimes read and respond!
Do stay tuned to the PHB for more details on not only the new Poptropica, but more updates in the future.
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In other news, the minds behind Poptropica themselves have created a new parent company to encompass the many different properties they have created (namely Poptropica, Funbrain, and Galactic Hot Dogs).
StoryArc is their new company. I’ll let their site description speak a little more about themselves:
Storytellers. Entertainers. Educators. Creators. Put them all together, and you’ve got StoryArc Media.
At StoryArc Media, we create fun, engaging, interactive experiences that light up kids’ faces and brains. Every day and all around the world, kids enjoy our online games, mobile apps, books, and more, including Poptropica, Funbrain, Galactic Hot Dogs, and Mystery of the Map.
Parents and educators think we’re pretty cool, too, because while StoryArc Media creations are oodles of fun, they also educate and reward players. And our online games and apps for kids under 13 carry the KidSAFE seal, so adults can be assured that children are exploring in a safe environment.
The newly created StoryArc Media website (www.storyarc.media) contains a list of the main team leaders, including a few familiar faces. The newly formed company is headed by Jen MacLean as the President and CEO. Jeff Kinney himself is the chief creative officer of the company, as well. They stated the following in regards to the company:
StoryArc Media is the realization of our storytelling history and extension of the success of our many gems – including Poptropica and Funbrain – with an ample dose of hilarity, respect, and learning, that children love and parents and teachers value. From a brand perspective, StoryArc gives us a solid platform to expand our storytelling to every touch point – school, home and on the go – and seamlessly weave our fans’ favorite characters and stories across the platforms of today and tomorrow.
-Jen MacLean
Our brands are a springboard for kids to explore the world around them and to develop their imagination and creativity. We know reading for fun is the secret to growing a life-long reader and that content today is being consumed across all media – print, digital, and mobile.
-Jeff Kinney
There is also an announcement video on the new StoryArc YouTube channel, which you can check out below:
If you’re interested in checking out any more videos from the big bosses, click here for Jen MacLean or click here for Jeff Kinney.
Last but not least, if you’re interested in more about the company, you can check out their website. And, feel free to check out their social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
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And that about wraps up this super important news. Feel free to comment your thoughts on all this, unless you’re still in a state of confusion. 😛
BREAKING NEWS:There is finally a Daily Pop in sight. Yes indeed, let the masses know, a Daily Pop has popped up. It is the first one this month, preceded by last month’s abysmally low count of two total Daily Pops. And now, let us ponder this momentous image:
Castle Crasher: A palace fit for a queen.
The PHB reached out to hear what Poptropicans had to say on the picture…
“Astro-Twice? Please let it be Astro-Twice Island,” commented Cobalt Spinner, an avid Popspiracist.
“The party don’t start ’til I walk in!” declared DJ Saturday Nite, best known for ditching the party after the zombie apocalypse took over her turf. She was last seen enthusiastically greeting players into the Arcade on Home Island, a locale known for looking nothing like what its exterior suggests. “In my defense, I’m just here to get the groove on. You checking out this castle too? Hit me up!”
“There! We finally gave you guys a sneak peek! Now leave us alone, we’re busy!” an anonymous disgruntled Poptropica developer snapped before quickly rushing off to avoid press cameras. Okay, so that last quote didn’t actually happen… but hey, we want more Daily Pops!
What do you think this scene is about?
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In other pictorial news… Poptropica’s sister site FunBrain got a makeover! A lot of Poptropicans in the community have expressed in their My Place in Poptropica stories that this was where it all started for them. Well, some of us are probably not quite the elementary-aged target audience of FunBrain anymore either, but Poptropica felt it was right to give them a shoutout for their redesigned, mobile-friendly site with new games and a new look – and so, from the PHB as well, here’s to FunBrain.
The only thing is… let’s hope they keep placing ads for Poptropica. That’s how many of us came to know this place, and for the next generation, we hope they’ll find Poptropica too!
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And finally… here’s a little message from PHB glitcher WimpyKidFan regarding ASGs:
Hey guys! It’s me! Your all-time favorite person in the world, WimpyKidFan! I’m the new author here on the PHB! Awesome right?! Jk. This is just a guest post so don’t you worry. The real reason why I’m here is to discuss something new I’m taking on: the Poptropica Island ASG Request-er!
This Request-er is a form where you guys can request for Poptropica characters from islands to be made into ASGs. Using it will be a more efficient way of requesting ASGs than merely posting comments on the PHB or PHC and hoping for someone to create your ASG.
Anyway, it’s a very simple procedure. To get started, just visit the Request-er site here [http://poptropicaislandasgrequest-er.weebly.com] and fill out the form! You don’t need to be signed into a google account to fill out the form). Other important information about the request-er and its rules can be found on the website.
Because the majority of requests for ASGs come from characters from islands (villains, heroes, regular NPCs), and because it’d be pretty hard to do more than that, for now we’ll be taking island ASG requests only. But you never know what might happen in the future. We’ll try to do every request we can!
Before I leave I would like to thank Slanted Fish and the PHB. I would also like to thank my ASG team: Red Lizard, Grand, and Magic Panda. Thank you everyone, and request on! 😀 — WimpyKidFan
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Stay tuned for more updates on the PHB… and as always, stay popping, Poptropicans!
Storytellers. Entertainers. Educators. Creators. Put them all together, and you’ve got StoryArc Media.
