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?
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!
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! 📰🏝
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. 🌤
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.
Early concept art for Monster Carnival (and its ringmaster?)
“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!
Hello, Poptropicans! Gentle Dolphin here with our first pieces Poptropica news in February. Today, we’ll be seeing new items for players and features of fan works. Let’s take a look!
February has a new pack of member gifts all themed around love. Active members will receive the following items: the Lifted in Love power, which makes NPCs float; the Love Bomb, which explodes in a flurry of hearts; and the Love Rocket Scooter, which allows you to zip around in sweet style. How lovely! ❤️
The store now features cozy winter fashion, Valentine’s goodies, and other miscellaneous items! We also got seven new items: Space Bounty Hunter, Slice of Pizza Tees, King and Queen Hoodies, Baby Alicorn Follower, L.E.D. Me, Valentine Minefield, and Heart Bubble Wand. Two of these items remind me of some shows I heard of, but my little brain can’t figure out what they are. 🤔
With so many hearty items around, you’re bound to fall in love with something!
Think I’ll name my new baby alicorn “Cool Whip.”
Two days ago, Poptropica featured a bunch of fan content ranging from art to writing. Poptropica’s latest Instagram story showcased a whopping ten art posts from seven different artists! We have art featuring iconic Pop villains, locations, and community members (including the PHB’s resident jokers).
Last but certainly not least, two new guest posts have appeared on the Creators’ Blog! Monday’s post was from none other than the PHB’s own Purple Paw, who details some of Poptropica’s greatest strengths, such as storytelling and visual design. You can read her full post on the Creators’ Blog as well as some of her other posts here on the PHB!
The second guest post comes from BraveSky, a Poptropica veteran (13 years is as old as the game itself!). She wrote a sonnet based on memories from the distant past, referencing classic bits of the game like breaking out of a box (the old account creation process) and hypnotic fried dough (Monster Carnival). The final couplet wraps it up beautifully:
Who says Poptropica is too different; is that truly so?
Ever stop to realize we have again rooms, shoes, pets, my beautiful afro?
BraveSky
If you’re at least 13 years old and want to join the blogging bandwagon, then you can apply to be a guest writer for the Creators’ Blog. But whether or not you meet those arbitrary age requirements, you can still guest write for the Poptropica Help Blog! Details are explained in our Write for the PHB page.
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.
Name any weird Poptropican names! ~Cheerful Comet
Not exactly a question but here you go 😜. I mean, most names are pretty unique on Poptropica to begin with. Especially now that we have a bit more choice in the matter with the Custom Name Genie. But I guess the weirdest one to me would have to be Lizard. I know that may seem like an odd choice, but there use to be a glitch that I have not checked out in a long time with that name. Every now and then I would make a character just to look at all the different names, but sometimes I would come across ones with only a single name. Whenever that happened, it filled in the last name as ‘Lizard’. I still have an account I never used with that as the name 👍.
How do you think the devs would react if they found out about glitches and our poptropicans with uncustomizables? ~Silver Horse
And speaking of glitches, onto our next question. Honestly, I am not certain how they would feel. With all the other things they have on their plate, I do not believe they would fix anything as soon as it was seen. It would probably take some time to find out how it was done and how to keep it from happening.
And even then, there will always be people who find ways around it all to do things that nobody expects or has thought of before. I myself found two glitches recently (unless someone else has talked about them and I just live under a rock 😂😅):
1) If you have the Poptropica app, you can still spin the daily wheel there and then get your login bonus on Haxe, and both will count towards your account.
2) On Kira’s Island’smatching card game, I accidentally won with only two cards 🤣. I found one match and kept spamming it, and it counted as all the matches I needed, and gave me the reward for the game like it usually would. And for anyone still curious, we do have a page for this type of stuff with glitches and secrets on it!
I see you’re a permanent author now. How do you feel being a part of the PHB? ~Soda
Weird. (Honestly I make most of this stuff up as I go 😛). I am pretty sure that as of now I have written every post of mine the night before it was supposed to go up 😅. It is nice to be a part of it and help out fellow fans even if I have not actually given out too much advice yet. And to any aspiring writers reading this, remember that all it takes is a thought! I sent in an idea to the PHB and was invited to make it myself. So don’t be afraid to send in an idea or submit a guest post or just ask about tips to write an article. Personally I thought some of my ideas were stupid or not original, but I have been told otherwise so 😂😅 if I can do it, then anybody can.
The two incredibly lucky Jokers of the PHB, drawn by Lucky Joker
And as they say, third time’s the charm! Thus ends part three of (to be determined). I’ll see you all next week (or sooner? Hint hint?) and I will try to answer more of your eager questions. Now take whatever advice you will from this, and hop to it! 🐰
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.
🏝️ Poptropica Help Blog 🗺️ 