PHB Specials, YouTubers

PHB Special: Backspace — “Blank Space” Taylor Swift Parody Music Video 🎵👩‍🎤

Gentle Dolphin

Hey, Poptropicans! We had a lot of fun watching your Poptropica Month videos this year — and even highlighted some of our favorites.

Of course, we didn’t want to feel left out of the fun, so we’ve been working on something too… Without further ado, we at the Poptropica Help Blog present our first hit single: “Backspace”!

A few months ago, Slanted Fish had the idea to write a Poptropica parody of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” for Poptropica Month 2021. While the original “Blank Space” satirizes media’s obsession with Swift’s love life, “Backspace” expresses fans’ grievances with modern-day Poptropica. The end product was a fun and (unfortunately) relatable glimpse into being a Poptropica fan in 2021.

Every lyrical masterpiece needs a singer, so imagine my surprise when Slanted Fish asked me to provide vocals! Why me? Well, it might have had something to do with me mentioning that I like to sing WAY back in my introduction to the PHB post. I wonder what 2018 me would have thought if she knew what including that little detail would lead to? Just don’t ask me to dance, though.

Recording audio was easier said than done. I own a Blue Snowball microphone, an omnidirectional microphone that picks up every little sound in the room. On top of that, it was difficult finding a good time and place to record amid conflicting work schedules, Florida’s summer storms, and noisy chickens. Don’t believe me on that last one? Here’s an exclusive behind-the-scenes listen at me dealing with four rambunctious roosters. 🐓🐓🐓🐓

Recording was only half the battle. For mixing, I used a free program called Audacity, which is also called Audiotonic in the Microsoft Store. After sorting through multiple takes and playing with the volume, I finally exported the track and sent it Fishy’s way. Finally, she created the accompanying music video using various Poptropica island trailers from over the years.

We hope you all liked our little pop song! Will we make another music video like this in the future? Eh, we’ll see… Anyway, be sure to also check out the Poptropica Month 2021 playlist for more awesome Pop-related videos. It’s a fun way to celebrate Poptropica’s birthday— err, funeral as the Dimension Bros would say.

Thank you for listening, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

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! 🛁