Hey Poptropicans! This game has been such a cultural cornerstone for many Gen Z kids growing up—it’s definitely worth a closer look.
Mid-twenties YouTuber Dream Jelly, known for her video essays on childhood nostalgia from the 2000s–2010s, recently shared a deep dive into “The Rise and Fall of Poptropica” that has already gained 80K+ views within a week of posting. Check it out:
From the single island of Early Poptropica the game began with in 2007, to the massive growth it’s experienced through expansions with creative sponsored ads, monetization models like memberships, and the now-defunct Poptropica Worlds, Dream Jelly takes us on a journey through Pop’s history, intermingled with her thoughtful commentary.
Some interesting highlights she shares about Poptropica’s rise in the late 2000s–early 2010s are the quirky videos kids shared for fun on YouTube before influencer culture took over, and the uniqueness of Poptropica’s storytelling in a sea of sandbox-style kids’ virtual worlds.
Look Out Below: Wait for the drop…
As for its fall, Dream Jelly questions whether all the game’s side features like store items, merch, mobile apps, and even Realms, was worth the vibe shift from its simpler times, recalling founder Jeff Kinney’s original vision of focusing on the player as the main character.
Poptropica fell further, she observes, as the game continued on in directions no one asked for, from branding-confusedRoblox games to the Steam release without the oldest islands.
The overall critique boils down to prioritizing revenue over players. Would listening to players have made Poptropica live forever…? Probably not, but I still believe that a little additional integrity when it came to monetization and transparency when it came to keeping fans in the loop towards the end would have gone a long way for its image.
Still, Dream Jelly wraps up on this positive note:
Poptropica had a great run overall… I think that in the time that it had, Poptropica did tell original stories with humor, creativity, and a clearly passionate team, giving millions of players an experience that they’ll look back on fondly, no matter how it ended.
Thanks for the retrospective analysis, Dream Jelly! For another take on Poptropica’s history, check out this video essay by Lulaloopsey. And for more Pop memories, check out our Poptropica Yearbook! 💙
Howdy, Poptropicanos! LJ here, presenting the results and analysis from the 2025 PHB Readers’ Survey.
We garnered a total of 47 responses this year, an unfortunate decline from our last time four years ago. Despite this, our community spirit is still very much present and thriving. Now let’s begin!
Which of our past surveys did you participate in?
To start, we’re always keen to know the number of long-term participants versus those who have joined in more recently. This year marks the first instance where none of the individuals who were with us in 2014 took part in this year’s survey. (Rip!) After that, a handful of folks joined in on taking the surveys in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and even more hopped on aboard with the next three. Still, for the majority of survey participants (over two-thirds!), it’s their first time.
What is your gender?
Like before, a majority of the blog’s visitors are female. Over the years, the proportion of viewers identifying as non-binary or outside the traditional male-female spectrum has risen by an average of 1% annually. Additionally, since 2019, there has been a steady increase in the number of male readers.
What is your age?
We were curious about your age next. As the game’s popularity fades into the past, it’s understandable that the fanbase has grown older in recent years. The latest survey reveals a marked decrease in readers aged 12 and under compared to four years ago. However, we’ve seen a growth in the number of readers in their twenties.
What country do you live in?
Our blog’s readership continues to come predominantly fromthe USA, capturing an incredible 81% of the survey takers, surpassing the majority from previous years. Two responded from Australia and India, while there was one each from Canada, Great Britain, and Brazil. While it’s wonderful to see our content reaching a global audience, it is a bit disheartening to see a reduction in the variety of countries we’re reaching compared to previous years.
If you live in the US, which state or territory?
This marks the first occasion that California didn’t claim the highest viewership ranking since we began conducting these surveys. New Jersey has taken the lead, which is interesting considering it hasn’t been in the top five in our past surveys!
When did you discover Poptropica?
It appears that most players first encountered Poptropica during its earlier years, yet 2020 stands out as a notable year for new players as well. Even more interestingly, some individuals only just found the game as recently as last year. I’m shocked, to be honest!
How often do you play Poptropica?
Next, we wanted to find out how regularly you play Poptropica. The results showed that around 45% of respondents fall into the least frequent categories, which isn’t too surprising under the circumstances. It’s great to see that some players (11.1%) still log in on a daily basis though!
When did you first find the PHB?
The largest portion of our current audience found the blog in the past year, with 2022 following closely behind. Welcome, y’all! 👋 It’s interesting to note that the years from 2020 onward were the most common responses to this question. On the flip side, we’re thrilled to have some readers who have been with us since the very beginning. We appreciate your loyalty. 👊
How did you find the PHB?
The majority of readers discovered the PHB through searching the web, which has always been the top answer for every survey. Some additional readers discovered our blog via another website. If you picked this answer, I’m interested to know where you came from, so feel free to comment below!
Where do you play Poptropica in 2025?
This was a “check all that apply” question, and most players are accessing Poptropica via Cool Math Games (62.2%) and Flashpoint (57.8%). Though Flashpoint is just a little lower in percentage, it’s impressive to reach that high considering it’s an unofficial method not endorsed by Poptropica. A small fraction (15.6%) of survey respondents no longer plays Poptropica at all in 2025.
How often do you visit the PHB?
It’s exciting to see that the most popular responses regarding how frequently readers visit the PHB are a few times a week (22.7%) and once a week (18.2%)! We’re grateful that our content is reaching and satisfying so many. 🙂
Which types of PHB posts do you enjoy?
We then inquired about the kinds of posts you enjoy seeing from us. (Please note that in the following chart, the percentages total over 100% because respondents were allowed to choose multiple answers.)
It’s great to see that rankings, reviews, games, and Pop Fan Artist Spotlightsare generating a lot of interest, as those are the kinds of posts I often contribute to the blog. 😝 Also, many of our readers have always enjoyed stories, so fanfictions and My Place in Poptropica stories continue to be quite popular. If you’re looking for a fantastic fanfiction read, I highly recommend Smart Bubbles’ The Villain Saga, which is just kicking off its second season.
Sadly, given the state of Poptropica, I don’t anticipate breaking news becoming a frequent category on the PHB from this point forward, but you never know what might happen!
Besides the PHB, what portions of the Poptropica Help Network (PHN) do you regularly browse?
(Like the last question, the chart’s percentages total over 100% because respondents were able to choose multiple answers.)
The Poptropica Help Chat (PHC)has experienced the biggest percentage increase from before. Love to see it! There may be something special happening there soon. 😉 However, the Poptropica Wikistill remains the top choice, while @Poptropica_Help on Twitter/Xhas seen a big decline in viewership. I have the feeling a large portion of our community is not actively using that platform at all anymore.
Also, this is the first time we have included our @PoptropicaHare Instagram account in the survey. Thanks to those of you who are following us there!
And that brings us to the end of the 2025 survey analysis. Thank you everybody for your participation! All of your feedback is greatly appreciated and will be taken into account as we continue to make more content for you all. 😊
What do you think about the results? Leave your thoughts in the comments below! I might consider conducting another survey next year as well. Pop on y’all!
Hey, Poptropicans! Are you ready for some shenanigans?
For the holiday of jokes and fun, enjoy this video I posted of an epic battle between myself and Zeus, set to the song “Six Hundred Strike” from Epic: The Musical. Check it out! 🌩️🔱
And that’s not all! We hope you all enjoyed our riveting interview yesterday with Pop Creator John Jameson, aka Bucky Lucas. But as we confessed in that very post: There is no John Jameson, there is no Princess Elyana movie career, and there is no flirting between El Mustachio Grande and Zeus! Sorry to disappoint.
APRIL FOOLS!!!
We didn’t try to hide our foolish intentions this year, but even still, some people fell for the words from our fictional horse’s mouth. The idea of a El Mustachio Grande x Zeus ship in Super Villain Island was so out there that some of you from the PHC community thought that it had to be real. We hope it gave you a good laugh! 😜
Between the fake interview and silly video, we hope you enjoyed this year’s April Fools offerings! We now return to (slightly more serious) business as usual. Stay tuned for Poptropica news, fan work showcases, and much more!
Hello Poptropicans! Today we have a very special surprise guest on the blog: John Jameson, a little-known Poptropica Creator with the pseudonym of Bucky Lucas!
As a longtime Poptropica technician, “Bucky” has had tons of experience and memories working on the game, and it’s our great pleasure to have him share a bit about it with us. Welcome, Bucky!
Bucky: Oh y’know, a bit of this, a bit of that. It’s probably a little dull to get into detail here, but it’s mostly keeping servers up and running. As for updates… umm… *stares off into the distance* oh, did you say something?
PHB: What’s a fun memory you have working on the Poptropica team?
Bucky: Well, there was this one time where Kory and Mitch were in the office and they were having an argument over how the Poptropica comics should go. Something about Oliver’s romance sidequest with a penguin. It resulted in a bunch of coffee being spilled and the work for Survival Island nearly got destroyed, but I was able to save it in time!
A-Maze-Ing: The magistrate made it all the way to the end, but can you?
PHB: What is your favorite island?
Bucky: I’d say Fairytale Island was the best one I worked on by far, and it’s just brimming with depth! You felt it too, right?
PHB: Could you spill some tea on unreleased details about Poptropica characters? Are there any canon ships that didn’t get published?
Bucky: Well, there is Crawfish’s cannon ship! Ha ha! But I assume you mean like, relationships between characters. I remember there was a discussion about having some flirting between El Mustachio Grande and Zeus during the writing of Super Villain Island, but unfortunately due to the former being cut from the story, this never came to be.
Also, apparently Princess Elyana from Astro-Knights was going to start a fantastic movie career after moving to Back Lot Island, but that was cut as well. She could have been a great example of a career woman, but she only existed to be saved by the player. Too bad, terrible story. I support women’s rights, and by the way, I’m currently single too!
Fireside Chat: The very portrait of happiness.
PHB: What is your favorite pizza topping?
Bucky: Hawaiian! I know it’s technically Canadian, which is where I was born, so that makes me feel even closer to it! It’s like a cultural delicacy.
PHB: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Bucky: African, European, or Brazillian?
Crane Kick: This bird didn’t make it to Red Dragon Island, but you can see it here.
PHB: Do you wear wigs?
Bucky: I will not confirm or deny.
PHB: Have you worn wigs?
Bucky: I don’t even know what a wig is, but I also don’t know what not a wig is.
PHB: Will you wear wigs?
Bucky: Ok, you got me. But no! Do I look like Director D?
PHB: When will you wear wigs?
Bucky: Yo, I’m not Director D. I lost that Creator’s phone number in another coffee spill.
PHB: Alright, those were some hard-hitting questions! As we wrap up, are there any final words you’d like to say to all Poptropicans?
Bucky: Oh, what’s that thing you Poptropi-people always say at the end that’s so cute? Pop up? Pop on? Well, I guess it’s time for me to pop off! That’s what the kids say, right? …Right?
Evil, Inc.: Three takes on one villain.
Okay! That certainly was… something. He really popped off there, hmm? 😜
…And just in case you haven’t figured it out yet: April Fools! We hope you enjoyed this little session with today’s totally fictitious star. Thanks for joining us!
It’s the next day since the villain’s escape from Erewhon prison. While there’s no storms currently overhead, the sky is patched with clouds. BLACK WIDOW is on deck, wrapping her wrists and hands with bandages and tape.
She turns to one of the masts, where an area has been marked with old paint splatters. WIDOW starts punching, rapidly striking at the pole with no apparent injury or pain to her knuckles.
CUT TO the interior of CAPTAIN CRAWFISH’S cabin, which is placed near the stern. The windows are decorated with red stained glass, and crimson-hued lanterns add light to the room. It’s covered in treasure and nice furniture from his previous expeditions, including luxurious rugs, antique globes that map different “dimensions” of Poptropica, and a daybed in a nook. CRAWFISH is sitting at his main desk near the windows, with some extra chairs placed out. DIRECTOR D., MOREAU, and his assistant EDWARD are all in the room.
🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺 