Blast from the Past, Social Media

Cheers to years of stories 🥳

Slanted Fish

Happy New Year, Poptropicans! ✌️🥳✌️✌️

Before popping off into 2022, Poptropica popped down memory lane with a blog reflection of the past year, highlighting all the new quests from 2021 — the “Year of Stories,” as they had called it.

Most notably, the blog post shares a little update about the state of the old islands, with a reassurance that our cries have not fallen on deaf ears:

As for a current update, there are more episodes in the process of conversion at this very moment! It’s worthwhile to note that we recognize and share your frustrations. Although the act of converting the older islands is long and difficult, we’d like to thank you for your patience, Poptropicans. Your understanding is greatly appreciated! If you’re hoping for hints about the next rerelease, there will be much more news to share in the coming weeks!

Poptropica Creators’ Blog (2021 Wrap Up)

We’ll have to wait and see what 2022 brings, but it sounds like the next conversions will continue to be for episodic islands, like with 2021’s rereleases for Mission Atlantis and Arabian Nights. Stay tuned!

Besides the Creators’ wrap-up, you might also enjoy the PHB’s 2021 Poptropica Rewind, which highlights not only the Pop drops, but also other noteworthy happenings from around the fandom.

One of our throwbacks was to our mini-series featuring insights from former Poptropica head Jess Brallier. His first tweet for the new year shared a “wonderful, heart-warming” testimonial to Poptropica from a college-aged kid, who praised the game’s value of cultural literacy:

Here’s hoping past years of “historically significant narratives” carry on to Pop’s future years of more stories, new and old.

That’s a wrap for 2021, and onwards to 2022! Cheers to you! 🥂

~🐠

Game Show Island, Island Flash-backs, Mocktropica Island, Uncategorized

Island Flash-back: Game Show & Mocktropica 💻

Agent Bubbles

It’s the end of the year, and we have two islands to mark it (totally not because I got so lost in the holidays that I forgot to make November’s post!). I’ll be highlighting both islands selected for the past couple months, which are…

Game Show & Mocktropica!!

While not often listed among the most favorite classic islands, many fans have good memories of Game Show Island, and it has a particularly unique design and setting! It takes the futuristic aspects of Astro-Knights and the apocalyptic ones of Steamworks, and fuses them together in an A.I.-takes-over-humanity story. Also includes the fun and games style of Reality TV, this time with more danger!

More Robots: It’s like they’ve taken over or something.

But unlike Sprocket and Merlin, these robots are not so friendly, all culminating to an epic battle against the evil supercomputer Holmes… who you defeat with a flash drive. Ahem. Definitely a brains-over-brawn island!

Deep Thought: Putting processing power to good use.

All jokes aside, this island does have a lot of fun puzzles, at times requiring players to test their real-world knowledge with fun facts! It also features several IRL locations, including Istanbul, Miami, and Buenos Aires.

Operating System: When technology meets talent, anything is possible.

For our second and final feature, Mocktropica Island is a special one that is not remembered so much for storytelling, worldbuilding, or puzzles, but for its humor that pokes fun at the game itself, and all the negative directions the game and its developers could turn… some of which are hitting a little too close to home now.

Also, the theme music is severely underrated.

Strap In: Concussion prevention starts with sensible headgear.

Mocktropica is definitely a cult classic. But will the devs ever re-release an island that would be even more self-deprecating now (especially considering the references to former employees)? Only time will tell. And let’s not forget the official Mega Fighting Bots website!

Let’s remind the Pop Creators why these islands became so memorable, and why the efforts that went to create them should not go to waste. Encourage them to preserve their past stories and their potential!

Until next year!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Fan Art Features, Social Media, Store

Reindeer Ready for Renames and Recaps 🦌

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Pop in for the last shop drop of the year, Instagram stories, and YouTube shorts. Let’s go!

At Adventure Outfitters, you can snap up the new Reindeer Ready costume for 200 credits, complete with antlers. Returning outfits this week are the Neon Rockstar, Warm Vibes, and Pumpkin Pleasure, plus there’s still plenty of Christmas gear around! 🦌🎄

We’ve also got some spectacular fan art features on Poptropica’s Instagram stories, including a clip of a fan creating their own Pop-inspired game on Unity and the Fairytale Island gang from the PHB’s very own Lucky Joker. Enjoy! ✨

Unity project by @tropopica
Pop OC by @cacaocheri
Zomberry by @maddiezsupersecrectartaccount
Pop OC by @lookwhatlaurenmade
Fairy Stories to Tell in the Dark by @howdyitslj
Ringmaster Raven by @toastywire
Pop OCs group hug by @cacaocheri

Just in case you missed the memo that your Poptropican doesn’t have to be stuck with the default name of Hamburger Hamburger, the Pop Creators recently covered how to change your player name on their blog and on YouTube. There are two ways and one button: look for the pencil icon next to your name on either the character screen or friends page.

You can change it as much as you like, but you’ll no longer be a Hamburger Hamburger after that first switch. Curious about all the name combos? Check out our Poptropica Names Guide for a complete collection of possible Pop first and last names!

Also on YouTube (and TikTok), Poptropica compiled some clips from the year for a little 2021 review, featuring Rumpel’s Challenge, the Baron’s Crusade, and other adventures. If this whirlwind tour leaves you wanting more, be sure to check out the PHB’s 2021 Poptropica Rewind! 💫

Happy holidays and Grapple-Pop on, Poptropicans!

~🐠

Free Membership Giveaways

PHB Membership Giveaway: December 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! 🎁

This month for the holiday season, we’re doing a double delight and giving out two membership prizes! Congrats, Incredible Flame and Silver Shell — enjoy your 12 Days of Member Gifts and be sure to check out the members-only Arabian Nights Ep. 2: Lair of Thieves on Haxe!

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 both Incredible Flame and Silver Shell, and as always, keep on popping on! 🔥🐚

Blast from the Past

2021 Poptropica Rewind: Dreaming of Regeneration 🧒💭

Slanted Fish

Almost to New Year’s, Poptropicans! Congrats on surviving another year with Covid — but this roundup isn’t about the pandemic. We’ve got plenty of variants to talk about with Poptropica, so strap in for the PHB’s 2021 Rewind!

Poptropica in 2021 has been unlike any other in years past. With the end of Flash in 2020, they’ve had to rebuild the game on a new engine, Haxe, which has brought about some interesting changes. Let’s pop into it! ⏪

Continue reading “2021 Poptropica Rewind: Dreaming of Regeneration 🧒💭” →