🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺

Ask the Joker is a Q&A segment here on the PHB where you, dear readers, are invited to send in your Poptropica questions to have them answered, with wit, wisdom, and wisecracks, by one Incredible Joker.

Which new island are you most excited for, and why? ~Pegs

I am not fully sure about which one I want to play most quite yet. Both Fairy Tale and Goofball Island are interesting concepts, and they still may have one or two more winners of the Dream Island contest to announce.

Fairy Tale reminds me a bit of Time Tangled but with more complexity to it. So I think it will be fun to find the things that are messed up and figure out where they go, and to see how true they stay to the classic fairytales. Or maybe they will even decide to make a few of their own versions.

I am also excited to meet the new villain they will introduce with Goofball island! Though they didn’t say whether this island would also come out in 2021, I hope it will be sometime soon with everything going on. (Also I am quite the fan of color by numbers, and the concept is pretty similar! ☺️🙃).

What is the hardest island? ~Genius Pink Lightning

I suppose this answer is probably going to be different for everybody, but mine would be either Nabooti or Time Tangled. Mostly because of having to find the right order to do things in, and then figuring out how to place all the gems in the right places.

Both those islands did have some pretty cool easter eggs though, like the phone on Nabooti and hidden Viking outfit on Time Tangled. Figuring out new codes for the phone was exciting each time, getting to see what they added to my character.

Even after you have played through them once, they can be pretty fun to replay to see just how well it flows with the right order of events!

Is there any way after the end of Flash to play more islands than are currently available in Haxe? ~Arnav K.

Yes, you can! 😄 You can play a handful more of them on the mobile app. If you can somehow get Flash to still work on your computer, perhaps with an older not-updated browser, a membership lets you access all the classic islands. Still, I can understand not wanting to buy membership to play classics that used to be free.

There is another unofficial way to play some of the classics with a little setup. Using idk’s Old Island Directory, you can play around 34 of them on Flashpoint, a Flash game preservation platform. I would list them here but I am ~~lazy~~ sure you will enjoy their organized list at the bottom of their page!

I wanna know, what is your My Place In Poptropica story? ~Emuuuuuuu

I plan to write a post for this story sometime in the future! 👍

How can you send in your questions to Ask the Joker?

That’s a great question! You can use the following methods:

📧 Send an email to justaskthejoker (at) gmail (dot) com. This way, you’ll get to keep your questions a surprise when they get answered on the blog.
💬 Comment on the latest Ask the Joker post. Your questions will be publicly visible before they appear in a Q&A post, but this allows others to interact with your question if they so choose. If you don’t have an email address, you can enter a fake one in the email field when you post your comment.

See you all next time, and remember: You can’t spell Poptropica without letters.

My Place In Poptropica: Lone Axe

February 7, 2021February 2, 2021 Slanted Fish

This is the My Place in Poptropica story of Lone Axe, a young adult looking back on memories of playing Poptropica while growing up. See below for details about sharing your own MPIP story!

Hello! My name is Lone Axe, and this is the story of my Poptropica experience. I am perhaps a little too old to still be enjoying this game, but at this point, I don’t care. Do what you love, even if people think you should not enjoy it. That said, let’s begin the story…

Elementary school days

My story begins many years ago, when I was in elementary school. A friend introduced me to this game, and it was unlike anything had I played before. If I recall correctly Counterfeit was the newest island at the time. Me and my friend would play the game a lot and talk to each other about how to beat the tricky parts, as well as how we can design our characters. Eventually he moved away from the game, but I didn’t. I often find myself fixated on games I like for a long time.

Counterfeit Island was released in late 2009.

Fun fact: my old account was my school ID. I ended up ditching that account to make one more in line with my other account names, so I could remember it more easily. That is when Lone Axe was born.

Some fond memories

I have beaten almost every island (except Steamworks and Astro-Knights, but don’t tell anyone about that… shhhh).

Two islands that hold a special place in my heart are Cryptids and Twisted Thicket. These islands are most likely why I have such a fascination with cryptids and fae creatures. Mythical beings living in our modern world alongside us in secret is such a cool concept to me.

Have a Sprite: Could one of these dryads be coming to Poptropica?

To this day I still remember getting scared off my computer because of Poptropica. If you remember the Jersey Devil sequence from Cryptids Island, you know why. When it popped up in the window in that old house, I quite literally fell off the chair I was sitting on. My mom thought I lost my mind for a second.

Steamworks Island has been one of my greatest roadblocks in getting all the medallions in this game. I got stuck at the end and refused to try again for years. The island is one of my favorites in story and visuals, but wow, it’s hard.

Thoughts on the game now

With the death of Flash, the game feels gutted and many of my favorite experiences I can’t revisit now. All the chapters of Survival Island (except for one), Monster Carnival, and more are gone. I do have hope, though: hope that things can be restored and more people can experience the old feeling and wonders I had as a child.

I am an adult now, but this game will continue to be a part of me for years to come and I hope to see it improve. If you liked this and want to add me as a friend on Poptropica, my username is LogicBomb404. I hope you continue to have fun in this game as I do!

Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story! If you did, you’ll probably enjoy our other MPIP stories here on the PHB.

If you haven’t already shared your story, we invite you to send in your own. Please include your username and at least 400 words, typed with good spelling and grammar, and divided into labeled sections. If you send in your story, we will continue to post new community MPIPs!

Interested in writing for the PHB under a different Pop-topic? Take a look at our Write for the PHB page for ideas, guidelines, and more!

~the Poptropica Help Blog

PHB Specials

PHB Special: Pop the Difference, Round 3

February 6, 2021February 12, 2021 LJ

Howdy, Poptropicans! It’s LJ here with another Pop The Difference special. It’s been nearly 3 years since the last one, so to say this is overdue is putting it mildly. Let’s not waste anymore time and pop right into it!

So here’s how the game works: Down below are five pairs of Poptropica images, each containing five differences. Some differences are easy to spot while others may be tougher. Are you up for the challenge?

1) Inspection of the Imperial Garden

2) Casting about the Carnival

3) Nanoscopic Pantoscopic

4) Eatery Exploration

5) Scanning the Swarm

How many could you find? Send in your answers to [email protected].

The first two people to correctly spot all 25 differences (5 in each) will receive a drawing of their Poptropican by me. (Check out my DeviantArt page to get a glimpse of what you’re in for. :P)

Answers and winners will be revealed at some point in the next coming weeks. That’s it for now and I’ll talk to you all in the next one. Pop on!

– LJ 🍀

Creators' Blog Guest Posts, Video of the Week

The PHB meets Popsonas and videos on the official Poptropica blog!

February 5, 2021February 4, 2021 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, it’s Slanted Fish! 🐠 If you’ve been checking the Poptropica Creators’ Blog lately, you may have seen my first guest post shared there this week. And if it’s your first time here, perhaps because of that post: welcome! Here on the PHB, we’re all about Poptropica. 😄

Introducing myself on the official Pop blog through my Popsona — read it here!

You can see the post for yourself over on the official Pop blog, but it’s basically about creating your own Popsona, or Poptropica persona for your game character. It’s a fun activity that’s been part of the fandom for years, and you can find even more Popsonas from the PHB team here.

Of course, the PHB is a big part of Slanted Fish’s Popsona story, so I had to include it in there as well — and am grateful that the Creators included a link here, to the “Poptropica fan publication known as the Poptropica Help Blog.” Still, the PHB is bigger than just my story — it includes all of you who read it and follow along with us! 📰🏝

Speaking of Pop blogging, don’t miss out on the other fantastic guest posts from this week! Purple Paw (a fellow PHB writer) blogged about what makes Poptropica special to her, while BraveSky waxed poetic about the game’s many adventures. And if you’re feeling inspired, you can also share your musings about Poptropica here on the PHB! ✏

In other news straight from the Creators’ Blog, the Video of the Week series continues with a two-part walkthrough of Timmy Failure Island by Siblings Ahoy! Check out part 1 below and part 2 on the Pop blog:

By the way, the PHB has walkthroughs for every island listed on our Island Help page! Each of our guides comes with video and written walkthroughs, as well as other fun stuff like the lowdown on Quippy’s store items, trivia, album photos from the old days of Pop, and more.

That’s it for this update! Share with us in the comments: What’s your Popsona story? What do you want to read about next on the Creators’ Blog? And any theories as to why Timmy Failure so brazenly walks around without pants??

Be sure to check out the posts below to know what else is happening in the Poptropica fandom, from Island Flash-backs spotlighting the classic islands from the Flash days to free membership giveaways! At the PHB, we’re always busy cooking up ideas inspired by Poptropica. 🌤

🌟 Keep on popping on, Poptropicans! 🌟

Island Flash-backs, Monster Carnival Island, Uncategorized

Island Flash-back: Monster Carnival 🎡

February 4, 2021February 4, 2021 Agent Bubbles

Here we are Poptropicans, with the first Island Flash-back! And this time I didn’t stall on the post until the end of the month! But in all seriousness, this island was high on my list, and considering this is its release month, it’s the perfect time. I know I already spoiled it in the title, but I’m going to do a dramatic reveal anyway! February’s island is…

Monster Carnival!!

I would be lying if I didn’t say this island has a very complicated history. It was actually planned to be released alongside Poptropica’s very first islands, but was delayed for years. Even some Creators seemed to think it was never going to be completed, as evidenced by the description for this old concept art found in the Daily Pop archives.

“The Wayback Machine: An early sketch for a long-rumored, never-completed Island.” -The Daily Pop

Monster Carnival takes its inspiration from many sources, from the horror genre, to the at times creepy atmosphere of circuses, and even the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe, referenced by both the main villain and the trainee Edgar. Possibly over time the island’s story and atmosphere became more complex due to new inspirations over what appears to be many re-writes.

*A really good example of how “creepy” and “pretty” can be conveyed in the same image*

Of course, no Monster Carnival discussion can be made without mentioning it’s villain: Ringmaster Raven. This character has stirred many responses from fans, due to his tragic backstory that held so much potential, and his unfortunate (and quite ungraceful) end. That all being said, he is still much-loved, and like many other villains is one of the main reasons this island is so remembered.

It’s just the story of a boy who lost his way, into shadows strayed–wait wrong “Nevermore”

Now here comes your part, fans! Monster Carnival and many of its peers were the first to go in the Flash-Haxe transition, and the months (or in this case, years!) of work artists and writers put into it should not go to waste! Make fanart, fanfiction, videos, guests posts, ~~chicken memes~~ and essays on why Ringmaster Raven deserved better. Let the Creators know what you appreciate about their past work to encourage them to preserve it!

Until next time!

Corvus honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles