Guest Posts, Pop Fan Artist Spotlights

Pop Fan Artist Spotlight: Barefoot Knuckle

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! We’re featuring the storied drawings of Barefoot Knuckle. Hear about them from the artist herself in this guest post!

  • “Modern Rapunzel”
  • “Modern Beauty and the Beast”
  • “Modern Aladdin”

“Modern Rapunzel” (Fairytale Island style)

I always imagined Rapunzel being preoccupied with videogames and other tech-related stuff so she wouldn’t have any time or interest to escape the tower! Apparently she made it outside, but she seems to still be drawn more to the world of Mario than the real world surrounding her. I also took inspiration from the gamer costumes in the Poptropica store, animal hoodies and pajamas, plus sleep/lounge wear. I figured Rapunzel doesn’t own anything but comfy clothes to wear around the house. And of course she would enjoy adding multi-colored highlights in her hair! So what if no one sees it?

“Modern Beauty and the Beast” (Fairytale Island style)

Beauty and the Beast has got to be my favorite fairytale and it’s not just because of the movie! The original story was amazing as well and I was excited to draw Beauty as a quirky, shy girl with a green thumb who doesn’t seem to mind gardening in the new gown her host gave her. Speaking of which, although you can see his horns, the Beast seems to only show his bird-masked face as he’s hiding behind his new friend. The garden was really fun to draw and in the background you can see a crow in a birdbath, the castle behind the garden gates and the pink skies of Fairytale Island in the distance. This art is mostly inspired by the original fairytale, but the box Beauty is holding is a reference to the actress who played Beauty/Belle in the original Disney classic. But from what we can see, the only book this Beauty is carrying is about gardening.

“Modern Aladdin” (Fairytale Island style)

Aladdin has to be my second favorite fairytale! I was debating whether or not to do this since Poptropica already did Arabian Nights. But, what if the Aladdin story acted as a sort of bridge between Fairytale Island and Arabian Nights Island? So after that thought, I gave Aladdin an updated look to match the sneak peeks of Fairytale Island, complete with a trench coat and jeans! However, Aladdin’s scarf, makeup, and hair look kind of familiar to someone we know. If the picture isn’t enough of a clue, refer to Disney’s Aladdin 3: The King of Thieves and the deleted song, “Proud of Your Boy.” You might realize what the connection is, though I mixed it up a little to fit the Poptropican canon. Also, since the original Aladdin fairytale took place in China, I added the Chinese stone bowl from Time Tangled Island in reference.

  • “Marshal Dixie”
  • “Dove”
  • “Dove”

4. “Marshal Dixie” (Wild West Island, main OC)

Wild West Island is another fan favorite of mine. When I was developing the idea for a Wild West Island novel, I wanted the main character to be unlike anything there had been. And so, I developed the concept of an anti-hero named Dixie (or her other alias, pickpocket Rattlesnake Rhonda). I took inspiration from movies like Rango, McLintock (starring John Wayne), and Briscoe County Jr. A 14-year-old teenage pickpocket trying to keep her cover by posing as a marshal and trying to tame a horse just as stubborn, clever, and wild as she is, just seemed too good a story to pass up. Of course, though she and Elmer start off at each other’s throats, they eventually team up to stop El Mustachio Grande’s gang and become a force of good to be reckoned with. I mean, Dixie added Elmer to her Sheriff portrait, so they had to have become close at some point. You can see some personality through Dixie’s mischievous expression while using her prank pistol and Elmer’s unamused face.

“Dove” (OC)

Remember when a Pop Creator said that the forest art for Monster Carnival was a mix of creepy and beautiful? Well, while Ringmaster Raven shares the creepy half, his daughter, Dove (my OC), has the beautiful half. She was based on the real life character of Joseph Merrick, who, unlike Bird Boy, was taken in and cared for before he became the toast of English society. He was also known as the Elephant Man because of his disfigured body. Dove, like Merrick, was taken in and cared for, unlike her estranged father. The only trait she has that makes her stand out from the other Poptropicans are a pair of shiny black wings she was born with. Even though she was mocked and ridiculed by others, she has a beautiful, sweet, and sassy disposition, as well as the voice of an angel. She rose to become a famous singer and is often compared to a real life angel. I love drawing her in her 50’s casual dress and her ringmaster outfit. I was going for an appearance inspired by The Greatest Showman as well as the hidden gem of a movie, A Monster in Paris. These two drawings go together.

  • “An Astro-Knight Night”
  • “The Shakespeare Club”

“An Astro-Knight Night”

This was completed years ago and was one of my first Poptropica drawings. I wanted to capture the Princess’s point of view, looking out into space, and her love for astronomy. This took like two days to make. Those planet designs nearly killed me.

“The Shakespeare Club”

This was completed right alongside “An Astro-Knight Night.” Really, this was just a comedic piece. I will say, I was not skilled in the coloring department when I made this. My parents did laugh at Gamer Guy’s review though. Imagine what would happen at those meetings! Of course, Max McPatrick (from Mocktropica) would lead the group (with special assistance from Napoleon Dynamite) but how they got Hades to pose for the poster, I’ll never know.

  • “One Eyed Chavez”
  • “The Princess and the Raven”

“One Eyed Chavez” (OC)

While thinking about creating a series based on Poptropica, I started asking the question, “What kind of original characters could be featured in such a series?” I then came up with the idea of a bounty hunter named One Eyed Chavez, who keeps crossing paths with Oliver, Mya, and Jorge (from Mystery of the Map). At first the kids don’t know what to make of her, even though she helps them thwart Octavian on one occasion. It isn’t until Jorge, after getting separated from the team, winds up in the hands of Chavez, who after revealing herself as Debbie Luches, explains to Jorge that she is stranded in Poptropica just like he and his friends are. Though she doesn’t plan to leave her life inside this complex world, she does become a mentor for Jorge in many ways.

I was going for a battle-worn, scrappy look with just a touch of feminine beauty peeking out behind her scars and armor. My main inspirations were from Mandalorian and the Bad Batch characters from Clone Wars (series is great btw). Though she doesn’t show much emotion, the scar and eye patch are a visible sign of the hurt and pain she experienced in her past. Her purpose in the series is to help Jorge learn to be strong and appreciate the people (mainly his parents) in his life while also teaching him to fight and skillfully fly aircrafts (unlike the way he did in The Secret Society). She is an important part to Jorge’s development, so when he says in the graphic novel, “Guys, I just realized something… You’re the best friends I’ve ever had,” it feels earned and helps the creator (me) know that Chavez filled her purpose.

“The Princess and the Raven”

I don’t know what gave me this idea, but I thought they would be cute together. This is my first Raven/Bird Boy drawing I’ve ever done so I tried to make sure it looked great! I thought Snow White was designed beautifully in Fairytale Island, and she has been one of my favorite princesses since I was little, so of course I wanted to draw her. Besides, since her true love is animals, I’m sure she would want to befriend someone who is technically part animal/bird. Plus I think she made a good impression on him, so I think he’ll behave for her. Again, she did say animals were her true love and he is part bird, so 😉 it’s possible.

That concludes this Pop Fan Artist Spotlight! If you liked Barefoot Knuckle’s work, you’ll enjoy the many other forms of Art from the Poptropica community. Check them out and consider sharing yours!

Fan Art Features, Home Island

Red Baroness rebrands, shipping Cabin of Curiosities to Home Island 🚢🎈

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, you’ll never guess what Poptropica’s working on releasing next! It’s… wait for it… really, you’ll faint with shock…

Another Home Island makeover!!! (Or an extension of Home Island, to be more precise.) Because we totally needed more of those. (Not.)

meme: MaryannTheConqueror

Okay, at least it’s going to be more than a cosmetic change this time: according to the Pop Creators’ Blog, The Baron’s Cabin of Curiosities in the sneak peek will be a place for players to “check out exciting, new item inventories, enjoy a blast from the past by accessing previous store items that have been tucked away in Poptropica’s vaults, and purchase the winning outfits from each month’s costume contests for free!” So… lots of shopping and accessorizing ahead!

Do you recognize the Baron? Formerly known as the Red Baroness, she was a minor character in Monkey Wrench Island, where she had a much humbler aircraft, and was responsible for throwing a monkey wrench at you and Amelia. You can see her smaller plane in the sneak peek, though the design has been simplified.

Some players might even remember older rumors of a similar design known as Skydock Island, shared in Daily Pop sneak peeks as a possible upgrade to Home Island that never happened. Until now, perhaps? The floating airship is returning in new form!

  • Trading Post: Exotic treasures from all around the world.
  • Join the Club: Looking for adventure? Look no further.
  • Beached: Your ship has come in.

You might’ve noticed some more curiosities around the Cabin of Curiosities, too. There are various casually dressed characters interacting with various poses, and one is even showing the starry-eyed emoji, suggesting this could also be a common room!

In fact, this is one of Poptropica’s “top-secret projects” launching “in the next few weeks.” The features include “an enhanced, communal space for players to interact amongst one another, play additional games to stock up on credits, and includes an exclusive, limited time storefront!” So, we’ve just seen the storefront, and it looks like we’re getting another Arcade. Or do they overlap? And will older games like Soupwords be returning?

Looks like the cruiser will be dropping by soon, although when exactly remains to be seen. The official blog curiously didn’t finish their thought when they wrote that “The visiting vessel will be accessible for a”…

Wait, aren’t the Creators neglecting something else? Sure, we could be playing more actual islands if they would focus on those instead of this Home “Island”… but let’s look toward more recent promises. The PHB’s Gentle Dolphin reached out on their Instagram post to ask about June’s costume design contest winners, and the Creators confirmed that they’ll be sharing about them this week!

Also on Instagram, the Pop Creators have continued to share the latest fan art on their story. Check out these fantastic features:

So, how do you feel about the Red Baroness’s rebranding? Is this what Poptropica needs? Does the Baron’s new role remind anyone else of Rockhopper from Club Penguin? Share your thoughts in the comments!

That’s it for this post, but we’ve got tons more piping hot tea you can read down below. ☕️ Keep on popping on, Poptropicans.

~🐠

Creators, Mocktropica Island, Social Media

Poptropica’s Mocktropica story: how new management undercut its own game

Slanted Fish

Poptropica released a brilliant, clever parody of itself and larger forces in game design and management with Mocktropica Island in 2013.

Idea Generator: Spin to win. Try your luck.

But then, as players have witnessed, it became Mocktropica in many ways. This week, former Poptropica publisher Jess Brallier revealed some of the details surrounding the game’s paradigm shifts in a blog post titled “The end of the Poptropica I knew.”

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been following along as Jess shared his perspectives on building Poptropica on the premise of storytelling with gaming, making it the biggest kids’ website, until challenges cropped up in later years that his team was not given the opportunity to face (but they did get close to airing an animated series!).

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

The saga picks up with the Pearson CEO’s sale of Poptropica. Specifics aren’t mentioned, but we know that Poptropica was sold to Sandbox, a London-based “edutainment” company, in 2015. (Sandbox still owns Poptropica, along with other brands like Coolmath Games.) But it was more than the sale itself that changed things for Jess.

With Poptropica, sure, I was not always going to see eye-to-eye with the new owner regarding priorities, investments, staffing, technology, growth strategy, and so on and so on.  Yet decisions had to be made and they were no longer mine to make. Those were up to the new owner.  I got that.  Such is life.

But what I could not stand, and what I refused to further witness, was the dismissal of the team who smartly and lovingly built Poptropica.

Jess Brallier
Usual Suspects: This is where you line up for your turn.

Now, who was this new management who undermined the very people who had created so many Poptropica masterpieces? We’re not entirely sure, but we can piece together some details…

We know it was the then-new Pearson CEO, John Fallon, who didn’t see value in Poptropica and decided to sell it. He retired from Pearson in 2020. But Jess previously wrote that they only ever had one meeting about Pop, so it seems unlikely that Fallon would have been managing it.

New management invades Mocktropica. And Poptropica.

And Poptropica was sold in 2015, so current Pop CEO Abhi Arya would not have been involved, as he only began heading up Poptropica in 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile. Perhaps in between Fallon’s arrival as Pearson CEO and the sale, new management was assigned to Poptropica whom we don’t know about.

Whoever they were (or are?), they were allegedly undervaluing the rest of the Poptropica team as early as 2013, the year Fallon became CEO of Pearson, and the same year Mocktropica was created and released. This revelation sure brings a new light to this classic island — it wasn’t just a mockery or a prediction, it was already unfolding.

  • Some of the beloved crew after launch of Wimpy Boardwalk
  • Drones: Replaceable parts. Cogs in the machine.

From the team pic (left), we recognize Jeff Kinney (top center) and artist Abe Tena (bottom center).

They developed content and an experience that kids actually loved. For the user/reader/viewer it was an emotional connection unlike I had ever, or since, witnessed. Yet I wasn’t surprised, because the team’s hearts were deep into the work.

They were ready to address the challenges and make Poptropica bigger and better than ever. If only they had been allowed to.

It was an ugly thing to watch.

Jess Brallier

Again, specifics aren’t given here, but we can gather that Jess had a lot of respect for his team that the new management didn’t. So he made the difficult decision to resign on July 14, 2015, right around when Timmy Failure Island was in the works. And he never looked back — literally, he never clicked on Poptropica.com or its apps ever again.

For me, personally, it was over when its remarkable team was torn apart. They built Poptropica out of heart and smarts. They resolved every business challenge. When they were gone, Poptropica was like a treasured childhood house with a loving family no longer in it.

Jess Brallier
In Pop We Trust: The genuine article. Accept no substitutions.

Jess concludes the saga with a final hope that all the pain and pleasure of creating Poptropica was worth it:

I just hope, as we imagined from the beginning, that we inspired kids to care deeply about art and design, and storytelling. 

And that as they grow older, they’ll play it forward, making a difference in the lives of a next generation of good and curious kids. That would somehow make it all worthwhile.

Fingers crossed.

Jess Brallier

On that front, all of us at the PHB can affirm that Poptropica did inspire us, and likely all of you Poptropicans reading this too. We see it all the time in this community! And as we grow older, we definitely hope to keep building that blessing, whether here on the PHB or onwards.

Captains Courageous: Learning to appreciate poetry, one explication at a time.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won…

Poem by Walt Whitman (as featured in Mocktropica Island)

Jess’s blog post has attracted a few comments, including one from PHB guest writer Dangerous Dragon, who wrote that “Poptropica isn’t fun anymore.” Another comment from Kory (probably Kory Merritt, illustrator of the Poptropica comics and graphic novels) brought up how #Poptropica was trending on Twitter earlier.

“Poptropica” was trending a few weeks ago on Twitter. It was a bunch of twenty-somethings reminiscing about how much they loved Poptropica when they were in elementary school. I remember it being very popular with 4-6th graders when I first started teaching (2008-09). It was especially cool to see one amazing artist who posted art of a character she’d created, and then Tweet about how the character actually started as her Poptropica alter-ego.

It definitely made an impact.

Kory (probably Kory Merritt)
Scene from Poptropica comic illustrated by Kory Merritt

The PHB also sent a couple of tweets to Jess in response to his post, firstly to thank him for sharing and to let him know that all the heart that went into making Poptropica did in fact have the impact he’d hoped for. He responded: “WONDERFUL!”

We also asked if he’d be interested in doing another interview with the PHB, to which he declined, saying he was done with Poptropica. But he did appreciate our Poptropica Yearbook!

That wraps up this post, and perhaps all of what Jess Brallier will be saying on record about the universe of Poptropica that he and his team lovingly built for over a decade. It’s been good to hear from him. Catch up on the saga here, here, here, and of course, here in this post.

Jess Brallier was first a publisher (book and online), a role he held at Funbrain, Poptropica, Planet Dexter, and Family Education Network. He has also served on the executive team at Harcourt, Little Brown, and Abrams, and has written 40 books for kids and adults. You can read more about Jess on his website and his insights on his personal blog.

Fun fact: In Shrink Ray Island, the book in CJ’s bedroom which you push down to create a ramp for the toy car is Tess’s Tree, an actual book by Jess M. Brallier.

Let’s play it forward. 💙

Creators' Blog Guest Posts, Fan Art Features, Social Media, Store

Bingo, Acidic Dinosaur and more are born 🦖

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! In this post: a shop update, fan art features, a fan comic, and surprise visitors. Let’s pop into it!

Another week means another rotation at Adventure Outfitters, and the hot new item is the Acidic Dinosaur costume for members. 🦖 Spring looks have also made a reappearance, including the Record Spinner and Spring Floral Dress. Plus, last week’s Pride costumes are still here! 🏳️‍🌈

  • Acidic Dinosaur
  • Spring Floral Dress
  • Record Spinner
  • Pride costumes

On Instagram, the Pop Creators have been sharing more batches of fan art on their stories, including a couple of Poptropica Bingo challenges from happyclonetrooper. You can add them to your own IG story and cross off islands according to the color key for an extra layer of fun. 💡 Check out the features below, and click to enlarge:

Over on the Pop Creators’ Blog, there’s a new guest post from Muddy Kid, also known as Pegs from our PHB and PHC community!

Pegs, who also writes as PegaKid Studios Official on the blog, shared the first part of her Poptropica webcomic, The Adventures of Ruby. You can read the whole thing on the Creators’ Blog, which includes captions for the text in the speech bubbles. 💬

To hear more from Pegs, you can find her on the PHC.

We also just found out that the Poptropica Creators were at our Pride Palooza this past weekend! 🌈 They dropped a comment on our Instagram post to say they “may or may not have popped in for a bit to play some arcade games.” Wow! Say hello next time, Creators — you can pop in on our Discord server, the PHC. We still have a special role for Pop Creators from when Skinny Moon would drop by.

That’s it for this update. Share your thoughts in the comments, catch up on more news below, and keep on popping on, Poptropicans!

~🐠

Creators

Poptropica’s production problems and almost an animated series

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, we’ve got more insights on our favorite game from former Poptropica head Jess Brallier! Previously, we shared the publisher’s reflections on Poptropica as the biggest kids’ site and how storytelling with games made it so.

Last Friday, Jess Brallier released another blog post, asking a big question: “What about today’s Poptropica?“

I’ve been asked that many times.  But I truly don’t know today’s product. I don’t look at it.  It’s history to me.

Yet there was a time when I cared about Poptropica with nearly all (I do have a family) my heart.  It was my life.

Jess Brallier

The post goes on to share more about what changed within and outside of Poptropica: all the challenges it faced in its later years, which Jess himself did not have the opportunity to face.

Poptropica was owned by Pearson, and in 2012, their CEO Marjorie Scardino stepped down and the education company was taken over by John Fallon. Jess does not name the new guy in his blog, but he quotes the new Pearson head as having told him in their only meeting:

Children do not like animation, the learning that happens on Poptropica is not worthy, and I’m going to sell it.

Pearson CEO (possibly John Fallon)

Oof.

To add to the troubles, Poptropica was built on Adobe Flash, a dying technology, and needed a million-dollar investment to rebuild the game. According to Jess, “that meant pausing Poptropica’s generous P&L (profit & loss) for 18 to 24 months.” He laments that of all the millions that are thrown around, none of it landed on Poptropica.

And there was another issue: “Poptropica’s audience was rapidly moving over to mobile apps.” So make it an app, right? Poptropica did eventually do that, but Jess wasn’t a fan. Turns out, it’s expensive: you make it per Apple’s or Google’s requirements, then pretty soon the requirements change, and you have to hire more hands to re-build your app. On and on it goes, draining your resources — to say nothing of the issues of discoverability in the app stores.

Next he pivots to Funbrain, “a vital traffic feeder to Poptropica.” Funbrain was aging like Poptropica and needed re-building too. But while Funbrain successfully got its upgrades, Poptropica didn’t quite get all the resources it needed to keep flourishing (as we can see from the trajectory of the game then and now).

With Poptropica’s global audience being much larger than Funbrain’s and bringing in more money, Jess writes that the investments should have gone more to the “fresh” Poptropica, “not its older and not so cool sister.” Alas.

The post wraps up with a quick summary of how the biggest kids’ site fell from its peak:

We had a product built upon Flash, a dying technology. 

An ownership that thought ten million kids from around the world were idiots. 

No viable mobile model to move to.

And a diminishing feeder.

Great.

Jess Brallier

In another post titled “Sales!,” Jess writes about his experiences in commercial publishing. Poptropica gets a small mention when he talks about the benefits of having non-sales staff collaborate together with sales staff:

I encouraged the same at Family Education Network (Funbrain and Poptropica), sending designers and editors out with the advertising sales staff.  That made for a team of good people intent on publishing great stories AND figuring out how to pay for it (including that team’s own salaries and any additional staff they may hope to hire).

Jess Brallier
Office Space: Another day, another dollar.

There’s more! Jess continues the Poptropica saga in yet another post on “Poptropica comics, books, and an animated series.”

Picking up from the dismal summary of Poptropica’s woes, Jess moves on with an upbeat note about the fun of Poptropica comics and the success of the subsequent graphic novel series.

The comics caused us, for the first time, to create real characters (beyond the millions of random avatars created for our stories and by our users).  Which was essential because brand extensions, including merchandise and other media, ride on the back of characters.  Our two protagonists, Jorge and Oliver, were a classic and funny duo. And it was such a delight to see them hilariously hopping around the Poptropica Islands.

Jess Brallier

But that didn’t erase their other troubles. So Jeff Kinney, Mitch Krpata (Poptropica’s lead writer, whom we’ve interviewed on the PHB), and Jess spent two days in a conference room to hash out Poptropica’s mythology… and out of that came their pitch for an animated TV series.

In other words, just what is Poptropica?  Why does it exist?  What’s the REAL story behind all these islands?  Where is Poptropica?  How do you get there?  How do you get away from it?  Is there an evil genius behind all of it?  Good grief, are we talking time travel and wormholes? 

Jess Brallier

We’ve seen hints of these plans before. Back in 2015, Poptropica tweeted a pic from a script read session with the graphic novel characters (Jorge had orange hair here, too). But the cartoon never materialized, and we never found out much about it (though Jess did share the secret screenplay with Thinknoodles when they met in New York City).

Anyway, Jess shares that he, Jeff Kinney, and a film/TV agent spent a week pitching Poptropica: The Animated Series in Hollywood. They got good responses, but didn’t land a broadcast deal. Jess writes that if it had been today, they definitely could have gotten one, considering all the demand in streaming. So… maybe the current creators could follow up on that? 👉 👈 In our 2020 interview with the current CEO of Poptropica, they did say it was something they’re “always considering”!

So we now had a Poptropica mythology and cast of characters.

With Poptropica comics we had a proven and simple form of storytelling that could fly around social media without reliance on our own app. And we could do the same with short form animation.

We had a bestselling book series.

And we had a passionate global audience ready to welcome an animated TV series.

Ironically, at that moment, Poptropica was in its most perfect position ever.

Jess Brallier

From here, things seem to be looking up from where that other post ended! But Jess ends his post with an ominous hint for the next one: “Tomorrow: The end of the Poptropica I knew.” Stay tuned with us!

~🐠