🦄 Ponytropica 🦄

Clubhouse, Creators, Fan Art Features, Haxe Javascript, Member Gifts, Membership, Pets, Social Media, Store

Colorful and warm assortments hit Poptropica’s stores and social media 🌈

November 3, 2020June 6, 2021 LJ

Howdy, Poptropicans! How are ya? It’s Lucky Joker here, and today we’ll be taking a look at this month’s member gifts, the latest updates in all of Poptropica’s stores, some social media shenanigans, and more. It’s a lot to go through, so let’s pop into it!

The three items for the paying members are: a Walkman (which is a modified, black version of the 80s Walkman from American Girl: Courtney’s Island), a slaying Rainbow Furry Jacket, and an adorable Llama Follower.

Considering the creators completely skipped over October and missed the opportunity to give us some cool, spooky-themed goodies (*ahem*), I think these items act as a bit of a payoff — because this is a pretty cool bunch in my opinion. 😁

Remember, if you buy a membership at any point within November, you’ll receive these awesome exclusives automatically!

Another month means another rotation of the Poptropica store selection. The current stock is made up of 15 costumes, 7 followers, 5 powers, 5 pranks, and 14 miscellaneous items (for a grand total of 46 items) — 17 of which are exclusive to members. Not bad this time for the non-members! (Items marked with a * are members only; all items listed below.)

Costumes: Stylin’ Outfit*, Cool Outfit*, Glam Gamer Girl, Sweater Weather, Comfy Vibes, Warm Vibes, Day of the Dead (girl [designed by yours truly]), Day of the Dead (boy), Lightning Knight, Soccer Player (boy), Soccer Player (girl), Karate Master (girl), Karate Master (boy), Sky Hawk Warrior, and Xenon Trooper
Followers: Elephant Follower, Noodle Guy Follower*, Dolphin Follower*, Deer Follower, Charlie the Chocomonkey*, Atlantis Drone, and Mini Dr. Hare*
Powers: Binary Rain*, POPGUM (Cinnamon Fire Flavor), Meteor Shower*, Bobblehead*, and Electrify
Pranks: Sticky Notes, Sneezing Power, 8-Bit Birthday Pixel Pig Power, Inside-Out Power*, and Love Potion*
Miscellaneous: Party Popper* (which was a member gift back in August), Flamingo Floatie*, Watermelon Purse*, Drone Flying Follower*, Popsicles*, Hover Scooter*, Fox Mug, Unicorn Mug, Autumn Scarves, School Backpack, Notebooks, Marshmallow Roaster, Hiking Shoes, and Silly Streams

In addition, some new items (1 face and 4 body) have been dealt in the pet barn shop. They are: Round Glasses, Red Scarf, Magic Cloak, Pearl Necklace*, and Green Cloak. Only 1 (marked with *) of the 5 new items are members only, so that still leaves a good selection of cuteness, once again, to players who don’t have a membership.

Very adorable, am I right? (Of course I am.) My bunny, Clover, will totally be rocking the oversized spectacles and green cloak — and I think my lizard, Ivy, will love those pearls.

If all that wasn’t enough, we’ve also been given a different array of clubhouse décor including an armoire, a funky bookcase, and a diverse variety of appealing wallpapers. Neato!

On the topic of stores, it’s been found that the new release of Mythology Island doesn’t have a Quippy store, making it the only island on the Haxe version of Poptropica to not feature the little common room droid. It may show up later though, like how it did on Time Tangled Island. I guess we’ll wait and see.

(UPDATE: Quippy has made an appearance on Haxe’s Mythology! Stay tuned for a follow-up post soon here on the PHB.)

In other news, the Poptropica Creators featured some more awesome community works of art on their Instagram story yesterday. Check ’em out below!

Also, on the Creators’ Blog, Poptropica has (hopefully) finally satisfied the fandom’s curiosity by addressing some of the questions people had regarding the game’s fate post the shutdown of Flash at the end of this year. Here’s a snippet of what they had to say (Check out their post to see the full responses):

Once Flash is no longer supported, your account will still be accessible. Your existing account will work in the Haxe version of the game too. You’ll keep your stuff and we’ll give you a mega credit bonus so you can get to shopping for anything available that wasn’t in the Flash game. For those of you who started playing Poptropica in March 2020 or later you’re already in the Haxe version!

We’re also working on how to make sure you can play all the classic islands in their original format. We know our long-term fans love the classic Poptropica they grew up with and we want to keep that going forever.
Poptropica Creators’ Blog, “⚡Oh How Time Flashes By⚡”

Another thing — Short Glove, over on the Poptropica Help Chat (PHC), shared a short video demonstrating how to costumize your character on the Haxe version of Poptropica in case you wanted to know how. I know I’ve been wanting to! It’s kind of ingenious, really.

Whew, that was a lot, wasn’t it? Well that concludes this post. I thank you all for reading and I’ll talk to you in the next one. Pop on!

– Lucky Joker 🍀

(By the way, we’ll be releasing the Q&A we (and you) did with current Poptropica CEO, Abhi Arya, soon, so stay tuned for that! He had a lot of promising responses I think many of you will be pleased to hear. 😉 )

Haxe Javascript, Mythology Island

Mythology Island remastered for Haxe with some challenges axed ⚡️💪

November 1, 2020November 2, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, big Pop drop this weekend: a remastered version of Mythology Island is now on Haxe for all players (not just members)!

The new version has some differences compared with the classic—we’ll get into more details below—but for now, if you need a refresher, our old Mythology Island Guide can still help you through the puzzles!

If your account isn’t on Haxe, you can use idk’s Format Loader and select “HTML5 (Haxe JS)” to switch over, or you can simply make a new account on Poptropica to play on Haxe. If you’re confused about it, read here about the differences between Flash and Haxe.

The key differences with the new Mythology are that it’s been made easier, with various challenges from the old version removed, and some dialogue altered to nudge players on what to do. Since there have been some drastic changes, the PHB plans to release a separate guide for the new Mythology Island — so stay tuned for that!

Where is the Mythology Island we so idolized?

For the curious, here are the major changes (spoilers ahead):

The Museum of Olympus is optional (the room with the statues of Greek deities).
Main Street and the base of the Tree of Immortality are combined into one scene.
Hercules is away on a lunch break, and a queue has formed outside Herc’s Hero Hut, which is no longer a space we can enter at any point in the island.
The reed pipe is given to you at the Grove of Temples (outside a facade of Apollo’s temple, which can’t be entered), and so is the pipe tune, without having to first master the tune.
For cleaning Hades’ temple, the boy gives you the starfish (used for Poseidon’s temple offering) instead of the now-removed drachma.
The beach is gone, and with it, Aphrodite’s hangman challenge of Greek deity names. Instead, she’ll be in front of the common room, Midas’ Gym, ready to give you her teleportation mirror.
The entrance to the Minotaur’s maze is already open — no reed pipe puzzle here. The snake challenge comes first, not last. And there’s no magical thread for the maze.
The mini-game to cross the River Styx in the underworld? Gone.
Aeolus’ wind boost is free — no drachmas here!

Even with many elements removed from the original, and changes that aren’t quite additions, the new Mythology can still be considered a full island much more than Reality TV: Wild Safari was, and took me at least an hour to complete (though part of that can be attributed to some lag I encountered while playing).

However, initial feedback from the Poptropica community has not been positive. Players have been sharing on spaces like the PHC Discord that the changes to the classic island feel like a dumbing down that offers no challenge, which might be okay for younger players, except that fandom activity seems to indicate that there aren’t so many children playing the game anymore as there are teens and older.

Here’s one video from Isaac of the Dimension Bros voicing out such a perspective, lamenting that the remake feels spoon-fed and doesn’t take the opportunity to add new challenges (skip to 2:48 to get to Mythology commentary). He mentions full screen ads ruining the experience, although other players have reported not seeing ads.

And here’s another one with similar concerns from Jia (Magniventris), also an older player who has loved the game since childhood and has stuck around for the nostalgia:

Whatever you make of the new version, though, the Creators’ Blog assures that these changes were made with player feedback in mind. Here’s what they said:

We collected feedback from players and looked closely at the island data to see what players loved and didn’t love about the original Mythology Island that came out in 2010. The Pop Creators then revised some of the gameplay and scripts to make it more fun!

Are the Poptropica Creators pulling a Hercules on us?

Have you played the remastered Mythology Island on Haxe yet? What did you think of the changes? Or if it’s your first time playing Mythology, what are your impressions? Let us know in the comments below and on our PHC Discord server! ⚡️💪

Community Creations

Community Creations: October 2020

November 1, 2020November 1, 2020 Spotted Dragon

Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the October recap for Community Creations! October’s theme was Monsters (and the featured work is not in any particular order). Be sure to check out all the featured artists!

*Spooky warning for the following images!*

No clue what’s going on? Go see our intro post.

Top 5 Picks

The Witching Hour by Purple Paw

Ah, the monsters of… er… well, Monster Carnival! A classic choice! I love all the different monsters featured in this composition, as well as the colors used. There is nice detail in all the figures and the sky, in addition to wonderful texture in the grass. Even that moon is creeping me out! The design definitely feels like it would fit into the island, and it honestly makes me want to dress up as some of those characters for Halloween. Find her on our Discord or in the comment section sometime.

RUN (Poptober Day 20) by Lucky Joker

AHHHH!!! RUN!!! Phew, glad to know this is just a drawing… *ahem* Made for Day 20 of MaryannTheConqueror‘s Poptropica Drawing Challenge, this design features one of the newer monsters of Poptropica. I love the movement that LJ was able to capture here, and I love the composition. AND I think his line-heavy style is super visually interesting! There is so much energy here and the use of colors is fantastic. Find his DeviantArt here.

Anatomy of a Poptropican by Magniventris

Woah… uh… this one is a bit unsettling to say the least, huh? That is, perfect for spooky season! This submission is quite a fresh take on our theme, portraying our very own Poptropicans as the monsters. It is horrifying to imagine a Poptropican’s insides, and yet I can totally picture this being a page out of an actually anatomy textbook. I absolutely love the detail put into all the textual descriptions, as well as the detailed imagining of the Poptropican skeletal system. From the lack of wrists, to the specialized legs for jumping, to the “nest” of young Poptropicans, this is such a clever design. I just have one question… what is up with that neck??? Find their DeviantArt here.

Poptober Days 11-17: Island by Gentle Dolphin

Eek!!! Now this one brings back some… horrifying memories. It was made for happyclonetrooper’s Poptober prompt list (Days 11-17)! The Jersey Devil jump scare, from Cryptids Island, is certainly one of the most frightening scenes from any Poptropica Island, and that horror is well captured here. The dramatic lighting is quite appropriate for this dark setting, and the eyes of the monster definitely give me the chills. I simply love the composition! Find her DeviantArt here.

Pixel Carnival by Kid Whom Has a Hat

Oooh, looks like the Monster Carnival monsters have been a favorite this year! This pixel design is super cute, and I’m really impressed with all the details that the artist was able to capture with such a limited technique. Is it weird that I kinda want an entire 8-bit video game for Monster Carnival Island now? These icon-sized creatures are wonderfully diverse and intriguing to say the least. Find them on Discord!

Honorable Mentions

The Darkness by SuperGrape1 — Villain by AdventurersNHunters

Wow, super spooky submissions this month, everyone! I am thoroughly creeped out by all your monstrous creations. I hope you all had a fantastic spooky season, and a safe Halloween! Keep up all that creativity.

November: How Do I Participate?

Community Creations is a cool series for anyone in the Poptropica community to join in on. To sum up what it’s about, it’s basically a chance to show off your artwork, creepy fan-fics, Pop clubhouses, costumes, and anything else that pops into your mind.

If we really like the piece you submit, we will feature it here on the PHB! As long as it relates to that month’s theme. So what is November’s theme? November’s theme is…

Pirates!

Avast! National Talk Like a Pirate Day may have been back in September, but that’s not gonna stop us this month, matey! We can’t do much traveling IRL right now, though we can still travel across the open seas online. So let’s set sail for November!

Skullduggery is obviously a go to in terms of pirates within Poptropica, but remember that your options go beyond that one island! Maybe send in your best pirate costume in Poptropica without using the pirate costume in the store? And don’t forget our favorite Home Island pirate that guards the booty of the daily wheel spin! The possibilities for your creations only know the bounds of your own creativity. Arrrrrrre you ready to get creating???

Comment below with a link to whatever you’ve created OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) on DeviantArt, Twitter, or Discord.
Results: I will feature 5 of the submissions as well as some honorable mentions.
Limitations: Nothing NSFW, and make sure you relate to the theme.
Due Date: I will take any entries before the end of this month. Submit as many things as you’d like!

I will be sure to let you know I have seen your creation. While quality counts, I’m mainly looking for something to simply catch my eye, so don’t be afraid to join in!

So what are you waiting for? Go make something awesome!

~SD

Contests

Here come the spookiest costumes of the PHB’s 12th Halloween contest! 🎃

October 31, 2020October 31, 2020 Slanted Fish

Happy Halloween, Poptropicans! 🧟‍♂️🍭 Spooky season is drawing to a close, and it’s time for us to unveil the winners of this year’s 12th Annual Poptropica Help Blog Halloween Costume Contest.

We had two themes going this year, Heroes and Villains, as well as a bonus invitation for group costumes. Below, we’ll be sharing our top 5 picks from each of the two themes, with one grand prize winner for each category selected to win a Poptropica membership from the PHB!

🦸‍♀️ Top 5 Heroes 🦸‍♂️

"Amethyst Princess" by Invisible Ring — “Amethyst Princess” by Invisible Ring

“Camp Half-Blood Cutie” by Julie — “Amethyst Princess” by Invisible Ring

Our grand prize winner for the Heroes category is: “Earthbug” by Purple Paw! What a fine assemblage of forestry elements! 🌳 In addition to being featured here, the top 5 costumes for both categories will also be immortalized on our Costumes page. And now for the wicked…

🦹‍♀️ Top 5 Villains 🦹‍♂️

"Villain" by Dangerous Icicle — “Villain” by Dangerous Icicle

"Villain" by White Knuckle — “Villain” by Dangerous Icicle

There wouldn’t be heroes without villains, and so, of course, we had to open up the floor for some spectacularly crooked costumes as well! Among the great many stupendous scoundrel suit-ups of this season, we’re choosing to bestow the honor of the grand prize to Golden Tornado for a villain with mesmerizing biotechnology. Congrats!

👯‍♀️ Group Costume 👯‍♀️

Though we didn’t get many group costume entries, quite a few of you made a whole series of costumes on your own, which was also pretty impressive! For this year’s bonus challenge of spookiest group costume, though, the prize goes to… the Dimension Bros!

The Dimension Bros dressed up as “Evil Condiments,” with Theo as a crafty (or dare we say Kraft-y) Ketchup and Isaac as a melancholic Mustard. But since the bros already have (very long) memberships going, we’ll work out an arrangement with them to award the membership prizes to other accounts—with relish!

⚔️ Honorable Mentions ⚔️

There were so many amazing entries, we just couldn’t fit them all above! So, to give you all a bigger taste of the many creative Halloween ‘fits from the community, here’s a selection of honorable mentions:

"She-Ra and Catra" by GEAR — “She-Ra and Catra” by GEAR

"Jose Rizal, National Hero of the Philippines" by TheOrangeHe — “She-Ra and Catra” by GEAR

Like we mentioned earlier, some of you really ran with the zero limit on costume entries and created whole casts of impressive characters. Check out this seriously cool series of costumes from Drow, with both heroes and villains in the mix!

"Terry the Terminator" (villain) — “Terry the Terminator” (villain)

"Galdera Volcana" (hero) — “Terry the Terminator” (villain)

Whether you put on a costume to share with us or simply observed from the shadows, thanks for joining us in our Halloween festivities! You can browse even more spooktacular suit-ups in the comments of the contest post… but hurry, before they change their costumes.

🎃 Happy Halloween, and don’t go too hard on the candy! 🎃

— 🦇 the Poptropica HORROR Blog 🦇 —

Fan Art Features, Merchandise, Social Media

New merch coming to boys and ghouls! 👕🎃

October 29, 2020June 6, 2021 Gentle Dolphin

Hey, everybody! Yesterday, we received some exciting news from the Poptropica Creators: a new line of Poptropica merch is coming soon!!!

As we’ve seen from their wide variety of products, Poptropica is no stranger to merchandise. Long-time players may remember that Poptropica once offered certain items such as clothing and wall decals, and it looks like this new merch line will provide that and then some.

The announcement post teased a few items that will be available for purchase. We have a sweatshirt with the Poptropica logo, a puzzle of one of the game’s wallpaper, and a blue and white ballcap with the iconic golden blimp. The designs of these items are simple yet recognizable.

Are there any particular products or designs that you would like to see in this new store? The Creators will be taking suggestions until November 4th, so let your ideas be heard!

With Halloween on our front doorstep, many dedicated celebrators are making their costumes. In the holiday spirit, the Creators asked Instagram users to share their in-game Halloween costumes with the hashtag #popghouls for a chance to be featured on the Creators’ Blog! Don’t miss out on this scary cool opportunity!

View this post on Instagram

🎃 It’s nearly Halloween! 👻 Share your best Halloween costume creations in Poptropica with the hashtag #popghouls for a chance to be featured on the blog!

A post shared by Official Poptropica (@poptropicacreators) on Oct 27, 2020 at 4:31pm PDT

Whenever we talk about Poptropica and Instagram, we also need to share the cool fan content they highlight on their stories. The Creators featured some spooky and groovy artwork as well as Lucky Joker’s Golden Guerilla costume!

Speaking of costumes, tomorrow is the last day to submit your entries to the PHB Halloween costume contest! Make sure you submit before October 30th 11:59 pm EST for a chance to win a Poptropica membership! Also, feel free to make some spooky stuff for Poptober and Community Creations, which are ongoing until the end of October.

Good luck to everyone submitting, and have a happy Halloween!

—~~Gentle Dolphin~~ Violet Vamp 😈🦇