Synopsis
Get ready for a whole new type of online virtual world adventure on Poptropica. Enter the comic strip world of Big Nate – a wisecracking kid who holds the all-time record for detentions at this school. You’re on a mission to find a long-lost time capsule which, if found, can save the school from demolition. You’ll need help from Nate and his friends to complete your online virtual world quest!
For walkthroughs on Big Nate Island, scroll down.
Common Room: Cap’n Salty’s
Preceded by: Nabooti Island
Succeeded by: Astro-Knights Island
Resources on this page: Island Extras | Synopsis from Poptropica | Video Walkthrough | Written Walkthrough | Album Photos | Trivia
Island Extras: Map | Official Tour
Video Walkthrough
For a written walkthrough with pictures, scroll down on this page!
Written Walkthrough
Walkthrough written by Codien
Special thanks to Fierce Moon, PopBuddies, Lucky Joker, & Slanted Fish
Table of Contents
1) Comic Strip Frame Locations
2) Big Nate Island Guide
Comic Strip Frames
- Pop-In Shoppe – on the green couch, on the top floor.
- Klassic Komix – talk to the guy to receive the frame.
- Photo Studio – on top of the light, to the right.
- Main Street – on a telegraph pole, to the very right of the street.
- Inside the School – on a speaker, on the top floor.
- Science Lab – on the Planet Mobil, to the left.
- Outside the School – on the wooden scaffolding, to the right of the school.
- Playground – floating in the air, on top of the climbing wall.
- Puffin Point – on top of the lighthouse.
Big Nate Island Guide
With only a Lobster, a pack of Stale Gum, and some Peanut Butter Crackers, you can find a Time Capsule any day.
Main Street
When you arrive, you will be greeted by Big Nate. He’s on a search for a time capsule hidden a hundred years ago. Let’s join the hunt!
Head to your right and enter the shop named “Pop-In Shoppe”, a store run by Nate’s dad. At your left there is a bulletin with some background information on the time capsule. If you go to the top floor, on the green couch there is a comic strip frame. There are nine of these frames hidden around Big Nate island and they all join up to make a comic strip that will help you later in the game.
Go back outside and go to your right. Enter the “Klassic Komix” building, which is full of comics and other cool stuff. Once inside talk to the guy. He is looking for a comic he lost, he will provide you with a comic frame for it. Exit the building.
Pass the “Cap’n Salty’s” building, which is the island’s multiplayer room, and then enter the Photo Studio (the large camera), a building run by the “School Picture Guy”. On the right there is a comic frame sitting on a light. Pick it up then go back outside. Now on the right of the “Photo Studio” there is a telegraph pole you can climb. Climb to the the top to obtain another comic frame. Jump back down and go right.
School
You are now outside the school, where there is a large bell on the top (more information can be found later on in the guide). Head to your right and go inside the school. Inside there is a science lab, some rundown lockers, a detention hall, and a secret room. Go to your right, jump up the stairs and grab the comic frame. Enter the door labeled “Science Lab” on your left.
Once inside the room, make your way next to the science geek, a boy named Francis. Click on the chemistry set next to him. Turn on the heater to 4, then pour half of the beaker with blue liquid and half with yellow, which will make a greenish color. This will produce a Stink Bomb. It will be useful later.
Go over to your left towards the Mr. Bones skeleton model and grab the comic frame on top of the planet mobile. Make your way out of the science lab and out of the school.
Climb up the wooden scaffolding on the right of the school. Grab the comic frame on it. Now go right to the Playground.
Playground & Kids’ Club House
Climb to the top of the playground and head left so you are on top of the climbing wall. Floating above you is a comic frame, so grab it. Go right and enter the ‘Kids Only’ house. Win the “Go To Jail” game to obtain the Peanut Butter Crackers.
If you want to, you can win at “Table Football” to obtain a book called Big Nate’s Pratical Jokes (note: You don’t have to play Table Football, but you do need to win Go To Jail). Go back outside and travel right to reach “Puffin Point”.
Puffin Point & Big Nate Comic
Go right and climb up the Lighthouse. On the very top of the light house is a comic frame, grab it. You now have collected all the comic frames. Click on your Inventory, then examine the Big Nate Comic. Arrange them so they spell: “Nine Three Zero Five” in between the strip.
This is the order they are in (going from left to right, top first, then the bottom):
- Uh… excuse me… | Hm?
- I’m new here, and… um… I’m sort of lost. | Ah! Nate Wright at your service, dude! Where do you need to go?
- I’m trying to find the art room. | Art room! Gotcha! Stand here!
- Uh… here? | Right there! And don’t move!
- But… | Klik!
- FOOOMM!
- Well? | You overshot. He reached the nurse’s office.
- Dang! | …Which is probably a good place for him to end up.
You have formed the Big Nate Comic! Now exit the comic strip. Ask Mr. Rosa, the man who is painting, if you can look through the telescope. Look through the telescope and you’ll see that to your right, there is a scroll under a rock. Exit the telescope.
To the left of the lighthouse is an old picture floating around in the wind. Try and grab it by jumping around starting at the lighthouse ladder. This may take a couple of tries.
Once you have collected the Old Photograph, head back to Main Street by going left.
Scuba Diving, Jet Skiing, & a Lobster
Keep going left, left, left, until you reach the Photo Studio building (the large camera). Enter the building. On the left you’ll find the ‘School Picture Guy’, who has a golden scuba suit he will trade for a photo. Swap the photo for the Scuba Gear.
Now leave the building. Walk left and enter the building “Klassic Komix”. Talk to Gordie (the shopkeeper) again, and tell him you found his comic. He will be so glad that he will let you keep the comic and let you have a Stale Pack of Gum as a prize.
Exit the building and go right. Make your way back to Puffin Point, so go right, right, right, right…until you reach it. Head right past the lighthouse and talk to Cap’n Salty. He needs your help to rescue the lobster trap from under the water. Go into your Inventory and put on the scuba gear.
Jump off the dock and dive down. Swim all the way to right until you can’t go any futher, then swim down until you reach the Lobster Trap. Pick it up and wait until your oxygen runs out.
Once you are back at the start, swim up. Talk to Cap’n Salty and tell him you have his trap.
He’ll let you have two items – the Lobster and Jet Ski Keys.
Jump on the skis on your right and ride away. Big Nate will challenge you to see who can get there first. The best way to beat him is to try keep your computer’s mouse as far to the right side as you can and to move farther and gain some distance from him. Be sure to jump over obstacles by clicking when you get near one!
Once you arrive at the rocks (it’s called Sealsaw Rock on the Map) jump on the tilting, seesaw-like rock. Push both of the cute seals to the left side of the rock.
Now you can jump down and take the scroll. The scroll is the Map to Capsule. Ride back to Puffin Point. Climb back up the lighthouse to the light. Go to your Inventory, select the “Lobster” item card, and click “Use” to your lobster to turn the light around.
It will scare away the bird at the top of the school bell. Jump off the lighthouse and go left.
Nate’s Locker
Go left to the Playground. The capsule is here but it is guarded by the girls. Go left, enter the school building, and jump up to the second floor. Run left to the lockers and click on one spilling with papers. Enter the locker code found on the comic – 9305.
Once the locker empties itself, click on the papers again. You will find the School Blueprint. If you examine it you will see that there is a secret room. Now the only way to move the girls is to ring the bell, but the bell is missing its clapper. The bell clapper is hidden in the secret room.
Secret Room
To get to the secret room you have to go through the detention room. To enter the Detention room stand outside the detention room door and chew on the gum by going to your Inventory, selecting the item card “Pack of Stale Gum,” and clicking the “Use” button. The teacher, Mrs. Godfrey, will take you inside. The secret room is through the filing cabinets.
Use the stink bomb to move the teacher. Go to the right and click on the filing cabinets. It will reveal a hidden ladder. Then go down. Once you’re down at the bottom turn on the power by clicking on the power lever. On the right above the work bench should be a bronze bell clapper.
Jump up and grab it to obtain the Bell Clapper. Make your way back up the stairs and outside of the school. Go to the top of the school, use the bell clapper, and ring the bell. The girls will now leave their place.
Uncovering the Time Capsule
Go to the Playground and stand between the two posts, between the monkey bars and the logs. Open your items and use the Peanut Butter Crackers. The dog will then dig a hole, showing the time capsule hidden underneath.
Click on the hole and pull the capsule from it. Click the lock to open it. Watch the dialogue between Big Nate and his friend Jenny, who convinces Nate to use the valuable pearl inside the capsule to save the school even though he doesn’t really want to.
Once the newspaper (called “The Clam Courier”) appears, click close at the top-right corner of the gamescreen. You will then be confronted by the teacher who will award you with the Big Nate Island medallion and credits to spend at the Poptropica Store!
Congratulations! You’ve completed Big Nate Island. If you are looking for more things to do, take a ride in the blimp for a new adventure on another island. Or check out the multiplayer rooms located on Main Street, where you can chat and battle with other Poptropicans!
Looking for more walkthroughs? Check out our Island Help page! 🙂
Album Photos
These pictures are collected in your Poptropica photo album in the profile section. Click to enlarge.
Trivia
- Big Nate Island is Poptropica’s 8th island, released on February 12, 2009.
- As of July 10, 2015, the island became locked to members only, with a demo for non-members.
- Big Nate is a comic strip by cartoonist Lincoln Peirce. You can check out more about it in the Klassic Komix building on Main Street. The characters on this island and the style of drawing are consistent with the comic. Also, that means none of the characters are customizable.
- Common room: Cap’n Salty’s
- In the school basement, Artur can be seen by the heater. However, when the lights are turned off, he is not there.
- Cap’n Salty was created just for this Poptropica island; his character does not appear in the Big Nate comics. This is confirmed by Big Nate’s creator Lincoln Peirce in a comment on GoComics.
- Peirce’s GoComics comment also explains, “Because all the environments on poptropica are islands, I created a world for Nate which resembles an island off the coast of Maine. Consequently, there are some details about Big Nate Island that aren’t 100% consistent with details from the comic strip.”
- Artur never gets detention in the comics, so it’s strange that he’s in the secret room within the detention room.
- Geography errors: In the detention room, the world map is missing Australia, Indonesia, the Caribbean islands, Greenland, and Siberia. Also, the continent of South America and Africa is shaped differently and Antarctica is smaller.
🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺 
the hardest part was riding the jet ski’s. way too hard. 🙂
It’s not that hard if you keep practicing! 🙂
how do you get past the seagull!?!?
I tried using the lobster but it didnt work,I even tried the crackers![I knew it wouldn’t work]
Slanted Fish: You need to use the lobster on top of the lighthouse to turn the light around so the seagull will go away.
You don’t mention this on the guide but if you go farther right in the secret room, you can find artur and rescue him
just sayin
i try to give the lobster to that bird thing but it wont work
Slanted Fish: You need to use the lobster at the top of the lighthouse to scare the bird away with the light.
I used the gum before the guide said to and it isn’t in my items anymore HELP!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!
ohh
Well.. I accidentally used the pack of stale gum before the guide said to use it and now I don’t have it… so now how do I get into the detention room.. I’ve already tried the classic Popgum, and its not helping…Help?
Slanted Fish: Try contacting Poptropica about the problem, and if you have to, restart the island via the Map.
Well.. I accidentally used the pack of stale gum before the guide said to use it and now I don’t have it… so now how do I get into the detention room.. I’ve already tried the classic Popgum, and its not helping…Help?
Slanted Fish: Try contacting Poptropica about the problem, and if you have to, restart the island via the Map.
LOL remember what Nate said at the end?
You should post a video walkthrough on each island. Sometimes videos help where explaining can’t.
Slanted Fish: There’s a video guide on the PHB’s Big Nate Island page. 🙂
O.o.. Friendly Fish or (SlantedFish) lives in China and he or she has completed 8 islands!! Is slantedfish busy or wut?
Slanted Fish: My slantedfish account has less islands done because it’s new, but my main account is hi.Juyo – also, I live in Hong Kong. 🙂
How do you get past the sea-gull?
Okay, I gave spitsy the crackers, he dug a hole, but i cant click on the hole!! I’m in between the logs and the monkey bars. I even had him dig a hole next to some other logs too! I can’t click on it still :(. What’s going on?
Slanted Fish: Sounds like a glitch; try contacting Poptropica about it.
I don’t get it…. I’m on the time capsule digging out part but…. when I click it there’s nothing about a lock. Tell me if my laptop is slow or…..
Slanted Fish: After you pull out the capsule, you’ll need to click it to unlock it.
thx 4 the help!! I had completed this island before on another user but forgot some of the parts. Thank you!
Thanks so much for the guide!!!! it really helped and i LOVE big nate books!!!! 😀
This was such an easy island! I hardly needed the guide 🙂
This really helped. Thanks for that! =))
Everytime I try to press the hole the dog made it doesn’t work. I’m still working on that part.
I finally finished it. I figured out that I was letting the dog dig at the wrong spot
dunb question but, where is the light house? becuase it is not next to the kids only house. so where?
After going to the playground then go right twice. The building in front of you is light house.(PS:Be careful!There should be a rock saying Puffin Point!)
Thank you!I tried 2 times but couldn’t finish it!(PS:What’s your username scary tomato?)
What island do you suggest next?
I dug up in the place where the time capsule is but it is not there
and the girls are not there guarding it
When making the stink bomb , the creators put a sign that say ‘Think Green ‘ hint hint…
thanks
Thanks for this! finally finished the island!!!!!!!!!!!11 🙂
Wheres the bell clamp thing
The bell clamp is the lobster
You have great guides! I also love your trivia about all the islands. 🙂
I finished it it was by far the easiest level
Can’t we return the dog? I mean, it’s just there!!!!!
how do you look through the telescope
it says i should find something hard
I finished Big Nate Island in under 20 minutes. It’s really easy as long as you go into every building, talk to everyone, etc. Thanks for the fabulous guide though!
OMG I forgot to put the bell clapper but Awesome! 😀 I finished it ;o for once…
Thanks! Finished it!
Thnx so much I had 0 credits now I have 50 !
This web site rocks I hope it never goes away beet almostz all of the islandz
this place rocks
the captain didn’t give me any keys for the jetski, what should i do???
Thank you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo….o much!
I need help I am missing a comic strip it is the 4th one
has anyone else noticed that sometimes when you run by teddy he has a huge stomach and a white shirt on?
Yeah, I saw that too! But when I clicked on him he turned back to normal. Weird!
I can’t belive that I pass BIG NATE ISLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!
You don’t need to get the old photo and the scuba gear. Just customize it from the poptropican Trusty-Bird (first friend her) and you don’t need to get the diving suit. I did it this way, too.
Awesome guide! I finished without it.
Is hi.juyo a girl?
slantedfish: Yup. I go by “slantedfish” now though. 🙂
omg it took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to get the seagull to move!!!!!
the guy with the trap didnt give me a key…
thanks for this 🙂
You really should add that when you’re diving, you have to avoid the bubbles. I had to try about ten times to get the Lobster Trap. But all of your guides have been xtremely helpful. Thx 😛
You don’t have to avoid the bubbles – on the contrary, touching one replenishes your oxygen supply.
thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please friend me my username is parksiscool.
I couldn’t find the 4th piece of the comic, no matter how hard I tried. I searched EVERYWHERE!!! Can you please help me???
I know where the 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,and 10 peices are
NOT FAIR! I DONT HAVE MEMBERSHIP SO I DID ALL THAT WORK AND I CANT EVEN FINISH IT!!!!>>>>>??????? TOTALLY NOT COOL AT ALL! FIX THIS! 😛
IKR!!!
I KNOW, RIGHT?! POPTROPICA, MAKE BIG NATE ISLAND AVAILABLE FOR ALL PLAYERS!!! 😡
I am so angry! I finally found an island that’s not so hard, and I was near the end. Then a pop up shows: “You need to be a member to continue!” AAAAAHHHH!!
I KNOW!!! I GET THE SAME POP UP!!! IT TELLS ME TO BECOME A MEMBER TO CONTINUE THE ISLAND!!! THAT IS SO NOT FAIR!!! 😡 AND I CAN’T AFFORD MEMBERSHIP!
Holy. I have been a Poptropica member since I was in elementary school. Since this dang game came out. I clearly remember paying no money and finishing this and every other island there was. There is no way that I a buying a membership to complete an island that was free when I was a little kid. Oh, it’s just a little bit, why are you making a big deal? I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 9 YEARS. SINCE I WAS A KID, WHEN I WAS A TWEEN, A TEEN AND NOW AN ADULT. I REFUSE TO PAY FOR THIS
IM A NONMEMBER!!!! ITS UNFAIR!!!!
I’M A NON-MEMBER, TOO! POPTROPICA, YOU BETTER MAKE BIG NATE ISLAND AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE!!! 😡
its totally unfair… all the good cards in the store,the good islands,and also you cant even get to your own closet. I HATE MEMBERSHIP
I KNOW, RIGHT?! MEMBERS GET EVERYTHING IN POPTROPICA!!! IT’S SO UNFAIR!!! 😡
I thought Big Nate was free for a week, but after i assembled the comic, it told me to get membership. Will it work if I ignore the message and just move on? IDK
P.S. Spookygoose, i completely agree! I have played since i was 5 and i am now 12, and i completed Big Nate Island a long time ago, not when it was free, but for the island of the month. Sadly i forgot my password and had to make a new account. THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE ISLAND OF THE MONTH NOW…
Hey, try refreshing. It works!
I thought Big Nate was free to all players this week, too! But when I assembled the comic, it told me to become a member!!! The advertisement was a lie!!! 😡 POPTROPICA, I AM BEGGING YOU TO MAKE BIG NATE ISLAND AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE!!!
This was last week. They announced then that it would only be unlocked until July 27, 2018, which has passed.
nope i just tried, it doesn’t work if i ignore it
please tell me if i missread the post, or if i’m doing something wrong.
Yes!!!! I have finished the island even without a membership.
HOW DID YOU FINISH THE WHOLE ISLAND WITHOUT MEMBERSHIP??? PLEASE TELL ME! 😀
You guys should add to the release date something like “for the public temporarily, July (blank) 2018”
this walkthrough was really confusing then others, but if I read focused and stuff then I got it
THX
Obviously, I can’t finish the island without membership!!! 😥