Happy weekend, Poptropicans! We’ve got a few fun updates in this post: a video and more behind-the-scenes from the Candy Crazed Mini Quest as well as some fan art features. Let’s pop into it!
First, a small nod to the LGBTQ+ came through in the latest Creators’ Blog post, which begins, “HELLOOOOO all you guys, gals, and non-binary pals!” 🏳️🌈 The post includes a playthrough video of the Candy Crazed Mini Quest from Silent Frog, Poptropica’s social media voice:
“Do you think Hansel and Gretel are the villains of the story?” Silent Frog asks. As the video is part of YouTube Kids, comments are turned off there, but you can share your take in the Creators’ Blog comments!
The blog also shared some BTS (not a K-Poptropican group, but behind-the-scenes) of the making of the mini quest’s decadent designs. 🍫 Take a look at the candy palace pics below and read more about this tasty treat tower with juicy puns and alliterations on the official blog:
Treat tower
Colorful cast
Portraits of Little Witchy, Nanny, and Gumdrop Pup
In other news, earlier this week, the Pop Creators shared some fan art features on their Instagram stories! Check out these peachy portraits:
June is a month of celebration for the LGBTQ+ community, and the PHB is bringing that celebration to Poptropica. But we recognize that not everyone is familiar with what this is all about, so we wanted to make this post to explain the ABCs of LGBT in a kid-friendly way (with brief mentions of mature forms of attraction).
This post will be using the terms “LGBTQ+,” “LGBT,” and “queer” interchangeably, though it’s worth noting that “queer” has historically been used as an insult and only recently been reclaimed as a positive catch-all term. We’ll be going over some basic concepts and common LGBT identities — and tying them to the world of Poptropica!
Please remember that everyone is different, and identities are complicated, but we are all deserving of acceptance, love, and support. If you feel uneasy about the topic of LGBTQ+ identities, I encourage you to be open-minded and patient. Though you may not currently understand the perspective of a queer individual, they are important people nonetheless. And if you are LGBTQ+ and feeling misunderstood by people who don’t quite get it, I encourage you to demonstrate patience even when it is challenging, because the PHB aims to be an accepting place for all viewers. All that being said, let’s unpack this!
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…
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!
Twisted Thicket Island
Skullduggery Island
🌳 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!
Rare Bog: But will it be a rattlin’ bog?
Wicked Woods: Don’t get off the beaten path here.
🏴☠️ 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.
Sea Power: The stormy seas of Skullduggery Island began as a simple sketch.
An early sketch of the Phoenix Warbird, dated from April 2010.
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!
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…
from JessBrallier.com
Jess identifies as Zeus in Poptropica
Jess recently shared a personal blog post titled “Storytelling, games, and Poptropica,” discussing how it all began with our favorite virtual world—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. There’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, “How am I going to sell this up to ownership?””
The characters in the stories would be avatars. The user would be the story’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 move—jump, slide, flip. And express—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 in 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 is quite captivating. The minimal sky background, the way the colossal tree’s branches twist, and the shining bubbles containing enigmatic pinpricks of light all add up to its 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 time—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!
Thanks for kind words. I will continue to speak of Poptropica (among other things) in my blog, and that will include my current thoughts. Stay tuned over next two weeks. https://t.co/tCchDRmH2k
— Jess M. Brallier (@Jess_M_Brallier) June 8, 2021
The cool thing about all of this, which we thought about from day one, is if we did it right, we’d also be developing a next generation of storytellers, artists, and designers. Cool!
With this update, you can mix and matchindividual 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 player’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!
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