Fan Art Features, Goofball Island, Sneak Peeks

Grins and grooves for Goofball Island 😁🌳

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! We’re not goofing around with this announcement — we’ve got sneak peeks for the next Poptropica island!

Poptropica’s been busy lately with side quests and other specials, but they haven’t forgotten about making islands. The latest one in the works is Goofball Island, which was announced as a winner of the 2020 Dream Island contest. Take a look at their wavy wonders!

As we see in this first ever sneak peek, the “land of Goof” is lined with curving everything, from trees to lampposts — and even slanted fish on the Crazy Club? We’re not sure what this grinning building is all about, but we get another look at it through this sketch (sans “Toof”-paste):

Are the dancing creatures and poofy trees giving anyone else Dr. Seuss storybook vibes? In any case, that silly energy fits in here, as the plot is all about an unusually cheery town that’s about to have all its color wiped out by mad scientist Dr. Blandston.

Back to that first picture, we find some curious things of note, like the fact that our boy Ned Noodlehead from Super Power Island is hanging out by the Crazy Club, likely just as a stand-in for scale. We also see a building for Boskos Car Fixing and Embroidery, which seems a strange combo. And wacky faces are everywhere, from the clouds to the gate gnomes and birds (real and inflatable). 🤓🤪

Besides the announcement of this winning island idea back in January, this is the first time we’re hearing about Goofball Island, and it seems to be shaping up to be quite the adventure! Stay tuned for the latest news on this upcoming island, and let’s hope they (don’t) goof it up!

Poptropica’s Instagram story has been busy too, with last calls to enjoy Hoptropica birthday goodies and a slew of fan art, including a couple of drawing process videos. Hippity hop before they drop!

That’s it for this update! How hyped are you for Goofball Island? Have you made the most of Hoptropica’s birthday visit? Share with us in the comments, and keep on popping on, Poptropicans! ✌️

~🐠

Advertisements, Monthly Costume Contests, Social Media, Store

Switching it up in spooky style 🎃😎

Gentle Dolphin

Hello, everyone!

After two weeks of judging (and a questionably handled submission reel), the Creators finally announced the winners of the Red October Halloween Costume Contest. Without further ado, the six winning designs are Heart Witch by Big Rider, Zombie Nerd by Cheerful Boot, Pumpkin Punk by Gentle Dolphin (me! 😁), Midnight Kitten by Quiet Crumb, Phantom by Maroon Cloud, and Will-O’-Wisp by Sleepy Biker.

We look forward to seeing these spook-tacular costumes get brought to life this Halloween! ❤️🧟‍♀️🎃🐈‍⬛🎩🔥

After announcing the winners, the Creators’ Blog post goes on to say that the Red Baron will be on Home Island throughout the month of October! Not only is the Baron bringing the winning costumes, she’s also bringing some other spooky items from Poptropica’s past. Perhaps we’ll see a Count Bram costume or a Jersey Devil plushie?

While we wait for the Red Baron to arrive with her spooky bounty, Amelia’s Adventure Outfitters introduced a new outfit to celebrate skateboarding becoming an official Olympic sport. Members can purchase the radical Street Style outfit for 250 credits. Now avatars can at least look the part of a pro skater. 🛹

The Pop Creators don’t always post on Twitter. But when they do, it’s to like and share tweets promoting their game. This week, they’ve been engaging with a few fans who want to see Poptropica on the Nintendo Switch. Seems they like the idea:

The idea of Poptropica on the Switch isn’t too far off. Some of you may recall that there were two official Poptropica DS games: Poptropica Adventures and Poptropica: Forgotten Islands. While a Switch port would be cool, the Creators’ priorities should perhaps be to port the old islands to the base game, which is pretty lacking in its current state. But still, imagine Poptropica appearing in an upcoming Nintendo Direct!

Image edit by me, and text by Sporty Boa

Before I end this post, I want to talk about a new ad that has been turning heads. Some players have encountered videos ads for Venom: Let There Be Carnage playing in both the video bar below the game screen as well as in between scenes. It’s pretty shocking that a violent PG-13 movie is being advertised in a game aimed towards children. We’re not sure how much control the Creators have over these video ads, but let’s hope they are able to take these particular ads down.

That’s all I have for now! Are you looking forward to the Red Baron’s visit this October? Would you like to see a Poptropica Switch game? Let us know in the comments below!

Stay tuned for a background look into one of the upcoming Dream Island winners. We’re sure it will have you rolling on the floor with anticipation. 😜🏠

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

YouTubers

PHB’s Picks: Poptropica Month 2021 🎥⭐️

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! This September has been a birthday blast with cake costumes, Hoptropica and its 8-bit followers, TikToks, fan art, and of course, fan videos for the fan-run Poptropica Month on YouTube.

As we wrap up the month, we’re taking a dive into some of our favorite clips from the 2021 playlist. Sit back, pop the corn, and enjoy! 🍿🎬

Our first feature comes from our Pop Month hosts, the Dimension Bros. As an analogy for the state of Poptropica in 2021, this 3-minute skit tells the story of a hungry diner customer waiting for his Old Island order, only to be fed excuses instead of dinner. 🍽 The whole act is performed solo by Isaac, and the tale is highly resonant. Props! 👏

The next feature comes from the other half of the Dimension Bros — in this one, Theo sits down with his mother and has her guess the names of various Poptropica characters. She’s pretty inventive — doesn’t “Teresa Moonbeam” sound just like a classic Poptropica moniker? 😜🌙

Invisible Ring appears to be the biggest participant of the Pop Month playlist, with many of her videos being ones we’ve shared for her dream island, Megatropolis. But among her other videos is a mini movie filmed in-game in the style of Perfect Sky, a Pop pirate adventure just in time for Talk Like a Pirate Day. So many islands to explore! 🏴‍☠️

A different take on Poptropica explorers, this epic cinematic trailer from LostLucas dramatizes his Popsona, Lone Clown, by juxtaposing shots of gameplay with sensational narration about this never-smiling character. Critics are wary — but we’re intrigued. 🤔

Speaking of cinematic, have you ever imagined adapting Poptropica islands into movies? CatfishFour does just that in this vlog, conjuring up ideas for potential audio, lighting, plot, genre, character development, and other considerations for the big screen. Picture Escape From Pelican Rock as a comedic, artistic Wes Anderson film — what a concept! 👮🎬

That wraps up the PHB’s picks for Poptropica Month 2021! You can find more in the Pop Month playlist, but keep in mind that some of its content is for ages 13+. For more kid-friendly choices, the Pop Creators’ Blog also featured a few fan vids this month.

We hope you enjoyed the clips above and all the other festivities for Poptropica’s 14th birthday this month! It’s amazing how creative the Pop community can be. Keep on popping on! 🥳

~the PHB 💙

Free Membership Giveaways

PHB Membership Giveaway: September 2021

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, we’re approaching the end of the month, which means it’s time to announce another lucky Poptropican to win our monthly membership giveaway! 🎁

Congrats, Happy Bubbles — your new status lets you unlock the latest side quest, Rumpel’s Challenge, continuing the story of Fairy Tale Island! We might not know when they’re ever going to bring back the old islands, but at least you can help a king get his happy ending… sort of.

If you’re not a member, you still have the chance (or many chances, in fact): the PHB is hosting a giveaway every month, and it’s easy to enter! Just comment on the Free Poptropica Membership page and leave at least two other comments around the PHB within the month to be entered into that month’s giveaway.

We’ll announce a winner sometime in the final week of each month. If you don’t win, you can always try again for the next month! Full details »

Congrats again to Happy Bubbles, and as always, keep on popping on! 🛁

Fan Art Features, Social Media

Thank u, Jeff 🥳 and T-rex? 🦖

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, we’ve got a couple TikTok clips and tons more Instagram stories to unpack. Let’s pop into it!

Earlier this week, Poptropica dropped a new TikTok featuring the picking of the golden apple at the Tree of Immortality on Mythology Island. The vid is accompanied by some rather peculiar squeaking and coughing, apparently a trending TikTok soundbite.

@poptropicacreator

Can you believe it’s been 10+ years since Poptropica invented Greek Mythology with this iconic scene? 🙌😌 #Poptropica #mythology #facts #foryou

♬ original sound – Paige Zilba

Also just recently, another quick vid popped onto the scene, wishing Poptropica a happy 14th birthday along with a slideshow of photos of Jeff Kinney, Poptropica’s original founder. Strangely fitting for the occasion, it’s joined by James Corden’s parody of an Ariana Grande song — “thank u, jeff” — originally for Jurassic Park actor Jeff Goldblum, which explains the line, “I’m so freakin’ scared of that T-rex.”

@poptropicacreator

Celebrate our 14th birthday and share your favorite #Poptropica scene or memory! 🎉⬇️ or drop a “thank u jeff” if this should’ve stayed in drafts 🤔

♬ original sound – ❂

But maybe the prize should go to TikTok user @seejayseemusic, who asks in response to the clip, “Jeff Kinney is 14?“

Curious about Jeff’s role with Poptropica? Check out our thank-you birthday post from last year, focusing on OG Pop Creators’ vision for the game!

“Thank u, jeff” also debuted on Poptropica’s Instagram stories, along with tons of fan art, including some chubby villains. Enjoy:

Itching to add to the sea of Pop fan art out there? Those Poptober prompts from HCT might be just the thing to inspire your next piece(s). Like last year’s Poptober, the drawing challenges are here to encourage you to create throughout the coming October. You can do as much (or little) as you like — possibly even one a day as LJ did! ✏️ However you participate, just have fun with it!

And yes, as the story says, Rumpel’s Challenge is in fact out now! This follow-up to Fairytale Island is currently only available to members. Stay tuned for the PHB’s guide coming soon. Don’t stumble on ol’ Rumpel! 😈

~🐠