🏝️ Poptropica Help Blog 🗺️

Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Incredible Fire. Enjoy!

Hello everyone! Over the pandemic, I’ve gotten really into gaming theorists, so while I was scouring the latest mini quest for a potential “Is Amelia a Villain?” theory, I stumbled onto something… interesting. It may just possibly change the way we think about Poptropica forever. So what is this game-changing theory?

In the top corner of Amelia’s house, we see that she’s been studying Rumplestiltskin. The lipstick flashes purple when you interact with it — and it’s the same purple flashes with white sparks seen in Fairy Tale Island when Rumplestiltskin uses magic.

Also in Amelia’s house, we can see photos of her with her friends. Most noticeably, the girl from the statue on Home Island. We can gather from her statue that she’s studious, and from the picture, can apparently do magic. And what color is her magic? Purple with white sparks.

And that’s not all, folks! If you look at the king in Fairy Tale Island, he doesn’t really resemble his son. That could be for any number of reasons, but guess who he does resemble? Our magic girl. They have the same skin tone and similar bouncy hair.

Perhaps Purple Girl is actually Rumplestiltskin in disguise, or vice-versa. It’s not too far-fetched for our shapeshifting trickster. That would explain her absence from the game and why Amelia is so intent on finding her.

But then again, maybe not. Rumplestiltskin presents as a male, and seems older than the girl in the image. It seems more likely that he’s an older relative. Or perhaps the girl is related to the king, and Rumplestiltskin is a mentor?

And what role does Amelia play in this? Who are the other people in the picture? What about Xavier and Red Baroness?

If I’m actually right, what does this mean for Poptropica? Is Poptropica actually building an extensive lore around the newer islands of the game? Are they being subtle and letting us pick up on the clues for ourselves? Are we getting a part 2 to Fairy Tale Island? And most importantly, is Poptropica gonna be able to pull it off? I don’t actually think I’m right, but I’m excited to find out!

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Incredible Fire. If you did, you might also enjoy other posts from her, such as her My Place in Poptropica story.

The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? We’d love to hear from you! 📰✨

Contests, Creators' Blog Guest Posts, Fan Art Features, YouTubers

Riding high on a Perfect Sky 🌤

September 11, 2021September 14, 2021 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! The forecast for this post seems to be showing a perfect sky—oh, but wait, it’s looking spooky later on—and with a side of something sticky? Hmm… let’s just pop in and see what’s up!

Some Poptropicans may know Perfect Sky — a Poptropica fan movie creator on YouTube who later became a PHB staff writer. She’s no longer active in the fandom, but her legacy recently resurfaced on the Pop Creators’ Blog in a guest post from Invisible Ring.

As Ring mentions, Perfect Sky made all sorts of Poptropica TV shows and movies, while the Pop Creators themselves could only dream of it (thanks for the shout-out to the PHB’s interviews with the CEO and the PHC!). You can read more from Ring here and browse Perfect Sky’s YouTube channel here. And just for a taste, here’s a trailer for one of her movies released in 2016, “The Archives of Cypress Cove Press.” 🎥✨

All this Poptropica video conviviality is just perfect timing with the backdrop of Poptropica Month, the month-long fan-run event of creating videos inspired by the game. We’re a little under halfway through September and the Pop Month 2021 playlist already has tons of videos to enjoy. Take some time this weekend to check ’em out and maybe even make your own. The sky’s the limit!

While we’re looking up at the skies, don’t forget the Red Baron is looking around for entries to her Red October Halloween costume design contest! To get your spooky senses flowing, the Creators’ Blog featured several enchanting entries they’ve received so far:

Remember, the deadline for this month’s contest is the coming Tuesday, Sept 14 at 8 pm PST, and there will be not one, but SIX winners who’ll get their costumes in the game! Be sure to read all the details on the official blog and submit your creation(s) through Pop’s submissions portal. Poptropicans, dare to dream! 💭✏️

There’s more art to be inspired by over on Instagram! Poptropica’s latest stories include chaotic villain doodles, an infographic from a podcast about Hong Kong life (shoutout to my hometown!), and even a new TikTok about computer lab days (with a nostalgic Black Eyed Peas beat).

TikTok from the Pop Creators – watch here

Speaking of TikTok, looks like Pop’s going viral — their latest video thanks viewers for 1,500+ followers, and at the time of this writing, they’re already up to 2,800+ followers. That’s a pretty huge leap from just two days ago when they were still at 700+ followers, and perhaps the big boost is owed to their recent TikTok about changing hair on 24 Carrot Island paired with a “good soup” line from Marvel. That video, which is currently their most played, was at 200K+ plays a couple days ago, and now the clip is at almost 500K. Well played, Poptropica! 👏👏

Wrapping up this post is a quick mention for another guest post on the Creators’ Blog from yours truly — a Poptropica sticker haul! (You might’ve seen it here on the PHB, too.) Wherever you prefer to read this little merch review, I hope the Poptropica joy sticks with you. ✨💙

Thanks for popping by, and stay awesome, Poptropicans! ✌️

~🐠

Island Flash-backs

Island Flash-back: Super Villain 🌩

September 10, 2021September 11, 2021 Agent Bubbles

We have arrived at Poptropica’s birthday month, and what better way to celebrate than to honor an island that not only inspired many fans (like myself) but also celebrates many past islands and characters?

That’s right, everyone! We have finally come to the island I absolutely had to feature in a Flash-back…

Super Villain!!

Perchance to Dream: Settle in for a nice, long nap.

This is quite possibly the island with the most fanart, fanfiction, and theories sparking from it. While the ending left many questions (still) unanswered, it continued the arcs of several past characters and brought them all together in a surprising way!

Though not much has been publicly written on the development for the ideas and storyline of this island, there is quite a bit of interesting concept art to look through. The first pic above shows a an early idea for the Dream Machine room, where there were originally five (not four) guinea pigs for Jupiter’s experiment.

Next, the above robot-fusion of several characters further proves that El Mustachio Grande was originally meant to be one of them. I wonder what caused that to change? 🤔

Kingdom Come: There is a castle in the clouds.

This island also has some incredible background art, from the impressive design of the prison interior with the (foreshadowing) lightning motif, to Black Widow’s dream exploring different famous paintings and, of course, Binary Bard’s much-loved dreamscape. I remember restarting this island many times just so I could experience that scene again!

The scenery isn’t the only thing that made this island famous, though — it was also the new lore behind the characters. I redid this island and certain parts so many times, scouring for crumbs of new information. A particularly chilling moment was noticing the torn face of Mordred’s painting in his dream lair… sheesh.

This is probably the most graphic detail we’d ever get of that scene in a game aimed at kids.

Unfortunately, Super Villain will probably be of the later ones to return if we ever see the classic islands again, considering only two out of five of the islands leading up to it have been released on Haxe. That’s why I chose to cover Counterfeit, Astro-Knights, and Skullduggery leading up to this! Yes, I have revealed my evil ploy! This whole series was just for me to have another excuse to talk about Super Villain Island!

“The True Mastermind” by BlazingAngel123 on DeviantArt

So let’s continue the legacy of our villainous friends (unless you count The Villain Saga…ahem, self promotion)! Super Villain and other classic islands were rendered unplayable in the Flash-Haxe transition, but it should not go to waste. Let the Poptropica Creators know what you appreciate about the island to encourage them to preserve it!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Member Gifts, Store

Birthday salutations and celebrations to come 🎉

September 8, 2021September 8, 2021 Agent Bubbles

Smart Bubbles here, with another Poptropica news and store update! As many of you know, this September marks Poptropica’s 14th birthday!

The Creators made this blog post marking the event. It’s odd to think so many players are younger than the game itself (though I can’t relate)!

Along with the expected hype, the Creators also announced that “players will have access to exclusive, FREE costumes…generous credit opportunities, and rereleased mini games from Pop’s past.”

It will be interesting to see how far back they go with the last one. I never really got a chance to play the previous Hoptropica. Or perhaps they might even bring back true classics like the Haunted House, just in time for Halloween!

The Creators also encouraged submission of fan creations to social media, of any form (as long as it’s age appropriate). Work sent through the submissions form or tagged to the Creators will also be submitted for a chance in the birthday exhibition! (And if you’re into video, fans are hosting Poptropica Month as well.)

Along with birthday announcements, we also have some store additions: Three new costumes have arrived at Amelia’s Adventure Outfitters: the Oversized Polo, Navy Cardi, and Cool Denim, all of which are currently members-only (and none of which beat the Acidic Dinosaur*). They also restocked some older costumes for non-members: Coolin, Biker, Natural Breeze, and Vibes.

*This is a statement made by Maryann/Smart Bubbles only and does not represent the views of all the PHB, despite being objective fact.

There is also a comeback of some furniture and accessories for the clubhouse, such as a trampoline, wall butterfly, skateboard, and a music speaker.

The September member gifts were also announced and added for premium players: the Scooter Rider, Squishy & Pink, and Karaoke Sparkles. Perhaps we’ll see more cute stress balls resembling other Pop Icons in the future? 🤔

The Creators also promoted membership at the end of the post, giving members a… familiar title.

If you’re interested in the members’ only perks, including monthly gifts, premier costumes, and exclusive access to upcoming releases, join in on the fun and become a Very Important Poptopican (VIP)!
Poptropica Creators’ Blog

The VIP (Very Important Poptropican) title has been used in the past, for a program created by former Pop social media manager Skinny Moon. It was intended to reward fans who were especially dedicated to the game through blogging or art or social media.

Sadly, beyond identifying some members and an exclusive beta preview of Poptropica Worlds (now defunct), the program never really took off (though the PHB is proud to retain its VIP badge in our sidebar). Now, the VIP name seems to have taken on a whole different, capitalistic meaning.

Do any of you Poptropicans plan on submitting creations to the birthday exhibition? And what minigames would you like to see be re-released?

Until next time!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles