Island Flash-backs

Island Flash-backs: ๐ŸŒณ Twisted Thicket and Skullduggery ๐Ÿดโ€โ˜ ๏ธ

I ought to explain myself, shouldn’t I?

As some of you have noticed, there was no Island Flash-back in May. Mostly because of IRL things getting in the way and my poor planning. I’m sorry, as I did say this would be a monthly thing, and I’ll try to be more consistent in the future! To make up for this, TWO islands will be announced, one for May and one for June…

Twisted Thicket and Skullduggery!

While not the most popular, both of these islands have their fans! Skullduggery (2010) is known for its iconic villain, Captain Crawfish, as well as its focus on trading and travelling over action and boss fights. On the other hand, Twisted Thicket (2012) is most remembered for its references to Norse mythology and its beautiful scenery and designs!


๐ŸŒณ Twisted Thicket was very much a story about environmentalism, though the fantasy elements helped the point feel more natural rather than forced (as is common in children’s media with moral messaging).

The island is on a medium difficulty level, balancing the twisted and dangerous forest with fun puzzles and, once again, amazing scenery. The Poptropica Creators have consistently gone above and beyond with their art design, even with such a simple art style!


๐Ÿดโ€โ˜ ๏ธ Skullduggery revolved heavily around an archipelago map, where you could travel to other mini-islands within the island’s storyline using a boat. (The same feature was later to get around Hemlock Harbor in Ghost Story Island.)

While Skullduggery’s main plot is about the evil pirate Captain Crawfish threatening the peaceful islands, the focus of the gameplay is on trading goods and basic economics of saving for bigger and better ships, until you can finally buy the beautiful Phoenix Warbird. The Creators’ Blog has an interesting series of articles on the design process for this ship! Though some players found the cycle of trading and buying and selling tedious, others found it to be an educational experience, unique from that of previous islands.


To wrap up, I’m going to showcase some awesome past fan art for these two islands that are no longer in the official game. And let’s encourage the Creators to preserve these stories with more!

Until July (hopefully ๐Ÿ˜…)!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Creators, Social Media

Pop Creator Jess Brallier spills on “storytelling, games, and Poptropica”

Hey Poptropicans, we’re getting right to the heart of Poptropica with OG Poptropica CEO/publisher Jess Brallier! We’ve shared his vision for Pop and even interviewed him here on the PHB before, but there’s more…

Jess recently shared a personal blog post titled “Storytelling, games, and Poptropica,” discussing how it all began with our favorite virtual worldโ€”and it’s well worth the read. (Thanks to Brave Tomato, former PHB staffer, for bringing it to our attention!)

The post starts off affirming the success of Poptropica co-creator Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Jess ponders further potential…

What I really wanted (as I always did) was to publish stories for kids.  What was different this time, was that those kids were now intensely engaged in games.

Hmm.  Thereโ€™s gotta be a gaming literacy with which to tell stories.

…considering that print, film, and theater all have their ways to tell stories. Jess goes on to share how, throughout his career, people didn’t take seriously his ideas for using gaming to tell stories to kids. That is, until he began collaborating with Jeff Kinney to create Poptropica.

Jess captions this photo: “Top row, second one in, is actually me. Makes sense, the old guy, with a worried look on his face, โ€œHow am I going to sell this up to ownership?โ€”

The characters in the stories would be avatars.  The user would be the storyโ€™s protagonist.  So this avatar had to be human-like.  Able to fashionably dress in any historical or imagined time or place (just like stories!).  They would moveโ€”jump, slide, flip.  And expressโ€”facial emotions.  Just like humans.  This would not be a virtual world of cute little animals moving stiffly around getting rewards of bananas and apples. The art and design would be second to none.

Jess Brallier

Jess even quotes from an old PHB post, though without naming us. The commentary from “one critic,” about the scene of bubbles in Realms, comes from our post Pop 5: Most Beautiful Scenes inย Poptropica, by Happy Lobster. Jess writes, “Good stuff! Our fans “got it.””

The PHB described this scene: “Based on Yggdrasil from Norse mythology, the tree containing all worlds, this scene may seem simple, but really, it isย quite captivating. The minimal sky background, the way the colossal treeโ€™s branches twist, and the shining bubbles containing enigmatic pinpricks of light all add up to itsย enthralling aesthetic.”

Jess continues his story of how Poptropica got started by describing the scramble to find room in the budget for two positions, a front-end and a back-end developer. They eventually track down Pearson’s CEO, Marjorie Scardino, who gives them ten minutes of her valuable timeโ€”and the green light to hire the people they need.

That wraps up Jess’s post, which you can read in full on his blog! The PHB reached out on Twitter to ask if he’d be sharing his thoughts on where Poptropica is at today, and he wrote back that he would. Considering how much the game has changed since his days as CEO, we’re definitely keen to hear what he has to say. Stay tuned with us!

The cool thing about all of this, which we thought about from day one, is if we did it right, weโ€™d also be developing a next generation of storytellers, artists, and designers. Cool!

Jess Brallier

~๐Ÿ 

Clubhouse, Pets, Store

Brand new screen with character and a Costumizer controversy

Hey there, Poptropicans! Yesterday, the Creators gave us a sneak peek of a new “Character Screen” coming to Poptropica, and it is officially here!

With this update, you can mix and match individual costume elements from any costume. Though this may seem similar to how costumes already worked, this new feature allows it all to happen in one place without having to find a new costume each time.

There are three tabs that you can browse: your costumes/items, your closet (members can save up to 30 outfits), and your pets.

Have a lot of items? You can also sort through those items by outfits, powers, pranks, followers, misc, prizes, and gifts if you don’t want to see them all at once. A similar sorting system for your pet includes pet, body, eyes, facial, and hat.

More than that, the Colorizer is now easily accessible on the same page! With it, you can change your hair and skin color without the extra hassle. And it even works on your pet!

The character screen can be found in your drop down in the top right, just above your map. And, as you can see, the items option has been removed.

Messing around with the new features so far, I will say it is nice to have everything in one location. People generally seem to view this update in a positive light, particularly regarding the return of the Colorizer, but it is not without flaws.

First off, the character screen has already been very glitchy for me. For example, most of my closet items beyond the first page are inaccessible, despite them showing up as available when first loading. The screen has also frozen for me numerous times already, and some of my items are totally blank. Was this update rushed like other projects have been in the past? Has anyone had similar issues?

It is also frustrating that some of my most recently purchased items appear at the very bottom/last screen of my inventory, making them difficult to find.

Another grievance I have is the lack of a “cancel” button when choosing accessories. Often times, I will accidentally click on an outfit part or dislike how it looks, but when I take it off I am also missing the accessory I was previously wearing. This wasn’t a big problem for me in the past.

That brings me to another big concern for fans: What about the Costumizer? Will we ever get it back? Unfortunately, chances are looking slim. In their announcement post, the Creators explain that they “were receiving many complaints about the feature,” so it will not be returning. Here’s why:

Older players had to spend the credits to purchase a costume or they may have had a discontinued outfit from the early days that is unavailable in the store. Meanwhile, a new player would be able to instantly copy and wear the same items from any older profile, sidestepping the other playerโ€™s efforts.

Alas, some fans are not content with this explanation…

It is true that this reasoning doesn’t feel fully justified. Even when the Costumizer was available in the past, some items were still not fully customizable (such as store costumes that cost other players credits). Was this failsafe not enough? Similarly, what if they just made NPCs customizable and not other players?

Either way, the Costumizer has always been a fan favorite despite whatever drawbacks the Creators may see regarding fairness, so I am sad to see it left behind.

Pop HQ also claims to have “a few special projects in the works,” so maybe we can look forward to other updates in the near future.


In other news, the Creators also announced two new costumes available in store. They include Loose Twirl (250 credits) and Soccer Champ (200 credits with membership, in yellow, green, and blue).

Oddly enough though, these aren’t the only two new outfits I see in the store. On my end, there’s also an Acidic Dinosaur, Volleyball Allstar (in teal, grey, and red), Overall Shorts, Striped Romper, Choose Love Shirt, and Hedgehog Head Rider: all for 0 credits! Is this a mistake on their end?

I also wonder if the “choose love” shirt a subtle nod to Pride Month. Though that’s what comes to mind when I hear that phrase, the shirt is not the colorful spectacle I would expect if that was their intention. Am I reading too much into that?

I also see some returning outfits, and a glitch where the Slice of Pizza Tee and King & Queen Hoodies appear much larger than the rest of the costumes. Moreover, the 5th screen appears completely empty for me aside from a Zomberry character peeking out on the right side.

Such glitches leave me unsatisfied with these rushed updates, but maybe that’s just me.

Lastly, we have a few new clubhouse items to share. For non-members: a hammock chair, instant camera, LED bonsai tree, and LED photo clip. Looks like the Overall Shorts outfit is in this picture too? For members: a Popcorn Maker, Indoor Tent, Egg Chair, Punching Bag, Figure Display, and Salt Lamp.

Not gonna lie, these items do look super cute. I’m totally jealous of the members-only figure display! Who wouldn’t want a little Rumpelstiltskin in their home?

And with that long post, our updates come to an end. How do you feel about this new feature? Do you miss the Costumizer as much as I do? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

~SD

Contests, Fan Art Features, Store

Costume contest closed, updated store open ๐Ÿง™โ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿ›๏ธ

Howdy and hello Poptropicans! It’s Sporty Boa here dropping by with some news for you!

Poptropica’s Blog has been bustling with upcoming updates and information, but first and foremost, Poptropica’s Costume Contest for the month of June has officially closed as of 8pm PST Monday night.

The Pop creators mentioned having received a lot of creative submissions, and who knows? If you were able to submit your design in time, it may just find itself in the game as the winning entry!

I personally have a few fond flashbacks regarding these costume contests, as almost five years ago it was one of my earliest involvements with the Poptropica community!

This is actually my first ever tweet as Sporty Boa!

I got so swept up in the sweet memories that I went ahead and redrew my Legendary wizard robe costume which I plan to submit for July’s Costume Contest:

If you were also unable to submit a costume concept this month, no need to worry! Because the costume contest is monthly, stay alert for the creators announcement regarding July’s contest and get those costume creations crafted!

Speaking of creations, we have a couple cool fan art features on the gram:

Stellar pieces of artwork we got here! (I would take a few pieces of that delicious-looking cake if I could ๐Ÿ˜‹)

Additionally, Poptropica has got some updated items in the clubhouse store for you to check out. (Thanks to Capax infini for the pic!)

A few items are catching my eye as I’m always on the lookout for some interesting items to jazz up my clubhouse. (Tour coming soon!)

Well, that’s a wrap on this short and sweet news update! I’m curious to know what creative costumes you’ve submitted, or plan to submit for the Monthly Costume Contest as well as which of the updated store items you’d like to get your circular hands on!

Enjoy the day and remember to stay safe and stay awesome!

-SB๐Ÿ

PHB Parties

Join our Poptropica Pride Palooza to celebrate inclusion! ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿ’–

The party has wrapped up. Check out the recap here!

Howdy, Poptropicans!

It’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and pride parades are happening everywhere around the globe. And like before, we’re bringing one to Poptropica! With affirmation of equality for our LGBTQ+ friends and fun times for all, we invite you to the PHB’s 2021 Pride Palooza:

  • โค๏ธ WHO: Everyone’s invited โ€” you donโ€™t have to identify as LGBTQ+. Some PHB staff will be in attendance too!
  • ๐Ÿงก WHAT: Hanging out on Poptropica and our Discord chat server, the PHC. Though thereโ€™s a focus on LGBTQ+ pride, the conversation can be about anything. Also, we encourage you to dress up your character in rainbow colors and fun gear just like at a real life pride parade!
  • ๐Ÿ’› WHENFriday, June 18 @ 8 pm Eastern / 7 pm Central / 6 pm Mountain / 5 pm Pacific. If youโ€™re in another time zone, use this converter to see what time itโ€™ll be where you live. It may be Saturday morning, June 19, in some parts of the world. PHB parties usually go on for a couple hours, so come and go however you’re able! ๐Ÿ˜„
  • ๐Ÿ’š WHERE: Meet us at the Blast-Off Arcade formerly on Home Island! ๐Ÿš€ You can access it by going to the menu and clicking “Arcade.” We’ll also be on the PHC, a safe chat space where PHB staff and other Poptropicans regularly hang out (for ages 13+). If you’re under 13, you can keep the party going in the comments of this post.
  • ๐Ÿ’™ WHY: To celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and have fun!

For those who are unfamiliar, LGBTQ+ is an acronym that stands for individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (an umbrella term) or questioning. Sadly, LGBTQ+ people are not always respected for who they are in terms of who they choose to love or what gender they present as. But not here in the Poptropica community!

As a fandom with its share of LGBTQ+ people and allies, the Poptropica community is generally a safe space for LGBTQ+ expression. With this Pride Palooza, the PHB encourages unity, particularly with those who are different, and the freedom to be your true lovable self.

We hope to see you there. Be loud and be proud!

โ€“ the Pridetropica Help Bloggers โ€“