Jade Scarab Island, Monthly Costume Contests

Cat’s in the Costume Cradle 🐱

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, pop in for a sneak peek and costume collection!

Secret of the Jade Scarab, the final Dream Island winner, is still in development, and the Pop Creators are treating us to another sneak peek. Earlier, we got two glimpses of a cat, and now, there’s a third:

We still don’t know much about this green-eyed kitty, but from the various sketched movements in the new pic, it seems like it might play an active role in the upcoming quest! The Creators also promised this island is “coming soon” and will be available “to all players.” Sweet!

Curious about what secrets lie within the Jade Scarab? Check out this PHB post for an inside look with the Dream Island creator!

In other news, the fan submission reel for February’s costume contest is now up on Pop’s YouTube channel! A winner has not been announced yet, but you can enjoy the collection of entries below:

Exciting stuff, right? We’re still looking forward to new islands and costumes in 2022, but we Pop players haven’t forgotten the old ones. Poptropica blue, and islands that got pruned, when you comin’ home?

~🐠

Advertisements, Store

SomeBUNNY once told me the world… 💌

Agent Bubbles

Aside from those of us whose most exciting part of Valentine’s Day was a cancelled dentist’s appointment, the PHB hopes you had a happy heart day. All the love to you, dear readers! 💖

The Poptropica Creators posted a series of cheesy and punny Valentine’s Cards, featuring many different characters (including some from islands and Realms yet to return).

Some of these are really cute. I love the background colors for the first collection! Too bad poor Balloon Boy has yet to land, even for a holiday!

The Adventure Outfitters shop has also been updated for the season, with the classic Heart Knight (300 credits) for all. Or if you want to be “one in Amelia-on,” try out the members-only Stylin’ Outfit (250): a nice mix between casual and fashionista.

Speaking of old islands, we have an ad that hearkens back to an early one. The Big Nate TV series is now being advertised on Home Island!

After watching the trailer, you get two interactive items: Cheezy Snacks and a Drum Kit. Upon activating each, a cloud of cheese dust covers your character, and the drums can be played! You can actually continue to walk while playing the drums (thanks for the tip, Gentle Dolphin).

Are any of you planning on seeing the Big Nate series on Paramount+? And regardless of your single/taken status, remember there are plenty of people, friends and family, who love you. I for one appreciate every reader here and look forward to your comments!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Guest Posts, YouTubers

Battle Morale: an interview with Pop movie producer Invisible Ring 🌠🎥

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, if you’ve been hoping against hope for the way the game’s been going, this might just be the pick-me-up for you.

Battle Morale is a feature-length Poptropica fan movie by Invisible Ring and released only last month. You can watch the full film below. Plus, scroll down for a PHB-exclusive interview with the perky producer!

Battle Morale tells the story of an optimistic Poptropican — Ring starring as herself — seeking hope and truth in a dark and pessimistic world. Along the way, she goes on a mission to retrieve pirate treasure, confronts a former Pop Creator on the world’s troubles, and dives into the deep rivalry between Amelia and the Baron. We won’t spoil everything here, but invite you to join the journey in the video above!

And now, let’s welcome our special guest to chat with us about her inspirations and process of pulling off this project: the kindred kid and the Poptropican of passion, Invisible Ring!

Ring: Hee hee hee… I like those alliterations! …So what’s up? 

Fishy: Invisible Ring, we are nothing short of amazed at your new movie, and we want to hear more. Our first question is, how did you do it? How did your story come together and what was the process like?

Continue reading “Battle Morale: an interview with Pop movie producer Invisible Ring 🌠🎥” →
Creators' Blog Guest Posts, Fan Art Features, Social Media

Cosmopoptropicans and Creatives 💃

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Tune in for news of a name drop, fan art features, and a birthday mention. Let’s pop right in!

The well-known women’s media brand Cosmopolitan published an article about actress Hailee Steinfeld back in November that just made it into Poptropica’s new YouTube short. Turns out the writer’s a veteran!

Although Steinfeld’s movies and Cosmo aren’t written for kids, we can all appreciate the Pop name drop: “At 14, she was collecting an Oscar nomination, while the rest of us were, IDK, playing Poptropica.”

Speaking of features, there’s more on the Pop Creators’ Blog! A recent post spotlights fan art, including some we’ve shared on the PHB via Pop’s IG stories. Plus, here’s one from Twitter by @XMzhier:

Also on the Creators’ Blog is a post from guest writer Young Rider. They write about visiting the Baron (though she’s gone by the time this post comes up), their mess of a clubhouse, and the upcoming birthday of Poptropica founder Jeff Kinney on February 19. Happy 51st, Jeff!

Young Rider’s clubhouse
Jeff Kinney

That’s a wrap for this post. Pop on, Poptropicans!

~🐠

Fan Art Features, PoptropiCon Island, Social Media

PoptropiCon-tinued with Challenges 🦹

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, here’s the latest. We’ve got reminders, revisits, and ridiculously creative works to see. Let’s pop right in!

The news on Home Island is that the Baron has already left, and for the first time in a while, a new week hasn’t brought changes to Adventure Outfitters, which is still stocking lots of layered winter looks and Valentine’s Day items. Also, this Friday marks the end of the PoptropiCon Challenges — enter for your chance at free credits!

Speaking of PoptropiCon fever, there’s more. The Creators’ Blog recently pulled up PoptropiCon Bingo cards for Episodes 1 and 2, featuring lots of colorful characters for you to look for as you wander around the convention. (Pro tip: Download the PDF from our PoptropiCon Island Guide, which also includes the bingo game for Episode 3!)

Poptropica’s been picking up the activity on Twitter, too. A recent tweet hyped up the return of Flash islands, but it was quickly followed by a note that it was just about conversion — in other words, nothing new.

Another tweet even suggested that buying memberships can contribute to Poptropica’s progress in bringing old islands back. That may be true, but we can’t help but wonder if it could go any faster!

Last but not least, enjoy the latest fan art features — cute and creepy — from Poptropica’s Instagram stories:

Lazy Maroon by @happyclonetrooper
How I sleep at night by @happyclonetrooper
Red Baron by @_smart_spinner_
Hyper Skull (pop OC) by @enginerd108
Ceramic PopCon soda bottle by @poptropisland
Mighty Coyote (Pop OC) by @papurikuu
Simping for Cinder (Fairytale Island)by @soraorakanetaira
Sitala (Pop OC) by @a.jbox
Lady Chavez (Pop OC) by @abbeyjoy25
Binary Bard in hiding by @lobotomyrabbit
Poptropicans IRL? by @bryan_does_life

That’s all for this update. Keep on popping on, Poptropicans!

~🐠