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! 🎁
You might recognize April’s winner as he frequently guest posts and comments on the PHB: it’s Dangerous Dragon! Congrats, DD—enjoy the shiny world of member gifts, special store items, and Haxe’s one exclusive island, Time Tangled. You’ll have new things to write about!
Perks of membership include extra store items and monthly gifts.
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 DD, and as always, keep on popping on! 🐉
Howdy doodly Poptropicans, it’s LJ with the latest Pop Fan Artist Spotlight! Today’s artist I want to showcase is Gear. Gear often shares her illustrations (and more recently, mood boards) on the PHC and even illustrates for Maryann’s The Villain Saga series. How cool is that?
According to her, she thinks it’s thrilling that her art reaches a wide audience; in fact, she wants to become a Poptropica creator one day! Storyboarding and character design are two of her most favorite things and you can really see that passion manifest itself into her work. I find that each piece tells its own story (figuratively and literally) and that’s something I really appreciate when it comes to art. Check out this very diverse gallery (you can click the images to see them in their full glory):
Seriously, I think the various styles Gear’s able to produce really speaks to the talent she has as an artist. You have a more professional style that almost looks identical to the game, a chibi kind of style that reminds me of an old arcade game, and some semi realism thrown in there as well. I love it! What do you think? You can follow her on Instagram to see more @capax_infini.
And with that concludes this showcase! I hope you enjoyed this look into a Poptropica fan’s artwork. If you’ve made any Poptropica fan art of your own, we’d love for you to share it on our We-Love-Poptropica DeviantArt gallery. Also, don’t forget to check out all the other artists we’ve featured on the PHB. It’s a sight for sore eyes, for sure.
Thanks for reading as always and I’ll talk to you soon. Pop on!
Howdy Poptropicans, it’s LJ with the second installment of our Popular Poptropican staff writer lineup! Last time I was interviewed, but today we’ll be getting to know a bit more about Spotted Dragon — longtime Poptropica blogger and host of the greatly admired Community Creations series.
1. What do you enjoy about blogging with the PHB?
Poptropica has been such a big part of my childhood, and so blogging with the PHB has really been a childhood dream come true. I remember being ecstatic when I got asked to join the team many years ago! It was a fantastic outlet for my passion for writing growing up, and I’m glad that my posts can still reach a wonderful audience. And through all the ups and downs of Poptropica, it has been a blast being a part of such a fun, creative community.
2. What advice would you give to aspiring bloggers or writers in general that you wish you had starting out?
Writing for a blog is definitely much different than writing a novel. In blogging, you really get the chance to connect more with your readers and have fun with your posts. So don’t be afraid to really let your personality shine through! And for improving your writing in general, reading is a big helper. Read lots of different things and you’ll naturally start to pick up on different writing styles and techniques.
3. What is your favorite island and villain?
Oh boy, I’ve never been great at answering this question. I have so many favorites! For top favorite… I think I’m between Cryptids Island and Counterfeit Island. Gosh, there are so many fun villains too. I do love Gretchen GrimlockandBlack Widow from those aforementioned islands, but I’m also a sucker for Daphne Dreadnaught’s character design.
4. What challenge in the game has been the hardest to complete in your opinion?
Growing up, I had a REALLY hard time with building up my boat in Skullduggery. I didn’t fully trust the loaning system, so it took me a really long time to get a strong enough ship to beat Captain Crawfish.
5. What is your favorite feature (still here or gone) from the many years of Poptropica?
Hmm, I really do love the art that goes into Poptropica, including the character design, so I might have to say that the Costumizer is my favorite feature. I have always loved making different costumes, and I especially loved when I got to save those costumes.
6. What is your favorite Poptropica item?
Back to my love for costumes, I gotta say that I love the Colorizer as well as the OG Costume Collector. I just love the versatility of customization in games! And some of my favorite costume items growing up were definitely the Vampire Girl outfits.
7. What is your favorite Poptropica Easter egg/secret/reference?
This is another tough question! I think the first easter eggs that really got me excited as a kid were the Hypnotic Costume and the Viking Suit. I felt really clever when I found those! But these days, one of my favorite easter eggs might be the PHB License Plate, because it really feels like a personal shoutout in some ways.
(LJ: You can friend her on Poptropica with the username ooolala13!)
🌟 Would you like to be the next Popular Poptropican? 🌟
To nominate yourself or someone you know, send me an email at [email protected] or a private messageon Discord with the following:
the name of your nominee (a Poptropica name or other screen name)
a reason why your nomination should be the next Popular Poptropican
Thanks for reading, and see you in the next one! Pop on!
Howdy Poptropicans! It’s LJ here reporting on the final weekly store update of April.
A good selection of outfits were added in Adventure Outfitters, including the look of Rumplestiltskin from Fairytale Island (check out our guide and review!). We even got a couple of knights appropriately for sale too. Neato! The total number of stock is 24 (which is more than the usual 18) and only 8 are for members. Prices range from 75 to 350 credits.
We got a few new fairytale themed items in the side sections as well. You’ll notice an adorable cat-i-corn topper when you first walk in (I’m totally picking this up!), and if you go to the right you’ll see a legendary sword and a big (or should I say little?) bad wolf follower. So cool!
The clubhouse furniture store items have also been rotated. As far as I’m aware, the “new” items include a lantern (first pic), a wooden vanity (second pic), and a turquoise soda machine (last pic). I put “new” in quotations because although the items weren’t featured in the store last time, they’ve been available in Adventure Outfitters for weeks now. So yeah, nothing technically new, just thought it was worth pointing out. 😛
Also, a belated happy Earth Day to all! Although April 22 was a big day on Poptropica for the release of Fairytale Island, the creators also took the opportunity to celebrate our planet with an Instagram post. The caption includes encouragements for greener living and a Wendell Berry quote: “The Earth is what we all have in common.”
That’s all the updates for now, but before I close off this post, you know what update is lacking? Hmm… where are the results of the recent fanart contest? We were told the winners would be announced on the 23rd yet here we are three days later, and nothing — with no word on what the holdup is. Come on, creators.
Empty promises from Poptropica? Yuck.
On the topic of art, be sure to participate in this month’s Community Creations; the theme is bugs. Who knows? Maybe an idea will crawl its way into your head. Anyway, it’s time to sign off now. Pop on!
Gather round, Poptropicans, and let’s recall the tale of Fairytale Island…
Once upon a time (or actually, twice), the overlords at Poptropica held a Design Your Dream Island Contest. One of the winning ideas was Fairytale Island by Perfect Crab, and as promised for the prize, the island would be made into the game. Now, in April 2021, it’s here!
It’s been a hot minute year or so since the last real island (and even longer if you’re not counting the decided disappointment of Reality TV: Wild Safari), so when we heard about this one, we were pretty excited. Fairytale is the first of the 2020 Dream Island winners and the first original island on Haxe. Does it live up to the hype?
Now that we’ve had a chance to play it (and if you haven’t yet, play it before reading this!), we’re here to share our impressions. Turn the page with us, and let’s get into it! Be warned: This review contains spoilers.
Storyline & Characters
The tale goes like this: you arrive on the island to find out the fairytales have had their happy endings stolen, and it’s up to you to recover them. Fairytale Island takes three classic stories—Cinderella, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood—and brings some delightful twists to each one through both plot and characters.
One of the most iconic characters from the island has to be Cinderella. While taking inspiration from the original story, Poptropica also makes this character their own in her surprising switch from dainty damsel in distress to flaming punk rock Cinder, the star of the ball (and what a fitting nickname!). And, in a win for more minority representation, Poptropica has also taken a character traditionally depicted as white and created her Black and beautiful.
Cinder’s stunning transformation
Another character who enchantingly subverts expectations in this island is Snow White. We’re tasked with finding her a true love’s kiss to wake her up—so far, classic fairytale concept—but it turns out her heart’s with animals, not Prince Charming! After a goat’s kiss rouses her, she goes off to pursue her dream career of becoming a veterinarian. We can even see her in vet scrubs at the island’s happily ever after.
Snow finds true love in a career, not a prince.
Fairytale Island plays host to various other interesting characters that we also have to mention here. We love Red Riding Hood for its fun twist on a girl in a red cap who doesn’t look traditionally feminine and works a thankless job in modern-style food delivery, the adorable little dwarves in a trench coat who just want to be taken seriously, and the snarky talking pig who mocks your Poptropican’s call to save the day.
But other characters are a little more strange. Perhaps the most cursed of them is the huntsman, who tried to lure the wolf into eating the grandma, all in a bid to, apparently, meet girls. (??!!!) But even he found a willing date in the end with Cinder. Sweet, or a total red flag?
Amelia from Home Island is also fairly involved in the story, which is interesting. But what in the world is she thinking, patting us on the back when there’s a creepy magic dude on the loose?? The dialogue seems to set the stage for future episodes in Fairytale Island, but nothing we’ve seen officially confirms this. If this is The End, it’s not very satisfying!
Which brings us to a major issue in this storyline: it ends on an odd cliffhanger. We’re not quite sure what Rumplestiltskin is up to, and then there’s the crying prince, who’s left without a happy ending.
Gameplay
The gameplay, unfortunately, is where this island shines least. Fairytale Island is basically comprised of a disjointed series of three mini-quests that didn’t really weave into each other. (They were literally labeled side-quests, despite each being required to fulfill the main storyline.)
There wasn’t much of a challenge offered throughout the island—it was fairly easy to click around for the right kiss for Snow White, and even the obstacle mountain we climbed with Cinderella on our backs didn’t have the same struggle of previous plays of Poptropica parkour, though at least it was fun. The most challenging aspect was the dark forest maze, and this at least provided a decent degree of difficulty—many players reported taking a while to find the real cabin! That sort of complexity could have been applied to the rest of the island, too.
The lack of challenge wasn’t the only thing that made Fairytale feel different from the classic Poptropica experience. As with other recent islands like Reality TV: Wild Safari, at no point in the quest did we collect items to add to our inventory to use later in the story. Not even the teased lipstick from Rumplestiltskin was used anywhere!
Fairytale could have brought on more exploratory elements like with the old islands, such as having the player participate more through dialogue options and allowing the player to click around more of the scenes instead of being teleported out of them as soon as each part was done. Maybe, for example, we would’ve liked to mingle with the guests at Cinderella’s ball instead of being whisked away almost immediately! And what about a boss battle when we finally face Rumple?
Audio & Visuals
When it comes to the sounds and sights, Fairytale makes the mark. The audio we hear as we play through this island is nothing new, but it all helps set the mood, from the walking stomps to the mighty slapping of the mountain saplings to the spooky background music of the woods.
As we make our way through the island, we get to enjoy some fun animations and clickable interactive parts, which does feel like classic Poptropica. Highlights include the unicorn that barfs purple, the strumming of the lyre, and the pig throwing bricks.
And as with many Poptropica islands, the scenery is stunning. Check out these postcard-perfect shots from all over the Fairytale kingdom:
Verdict
Considering all of the above, from storyline and characters, to gameplay, to audio and visuals, out of five we’d give Fairytale…
…3 out of 5 goat kisses. While the island’s lack of challenge felt almost like hand-holding the player more than allowing us to explore, Fairytale redeems itself with interesting new takes on classic tales that give the story some depth — it’s just unfortunately unclear how this fable ends.
The island’s also got some gorgeous graphics, including some amusing animations and fascinating character designs that are sure to be the subject of future fan art. In fact, it’s already inspired some on the PHC!
Red by Purple Paw
Happily Never After (Rumplestiltskin) by Lucky Joker
Rumplestiltskin by BrittScarlet
Rumplestiltskin by Gear
Guess it’s a semi-happy ending for Fairytale Island. Will there be more to come? Time will tell. In the meantime, we look forward to the other Dream Island winners, Goofball and Secret of the Jade Scarab!
Thanks for reading our review of Fairytale Island! Do you agree with our verdict? Share your opinions in the comments below!
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