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Welcome back to “Pop Places IRL,” Poptropicans! We’re gonna be moseying back in time today to visit Wild West Island! And if you like this series, sure to check out other Pop Places IRL posts.

Wild West Island quite obviously takes place in the western US during the American frontier period of the 19th century. The time period has been highly romanticized, especially in film, so there’s no wonder we have a Poptropica island themed around it!

Pretty much every building, character, and background matches this old western aesthetic. Details range from apparel, architecture, fonts, dialogue, and beyond! Sometimes the smallest changes can have a big impact on an island’s theme. The setting has this wide open feeling, and I think Poptropica was able to successfully portray that in their own style. Do you agree?

Rawhide: It’s a little wild, and a little strange, when you make your home out on the range.

One of the most iconic places in any old western town is, of course, the Saloon (in this case, found in Diamond Plains). And Poptropica did manage to make such a location kid-friendly enough to be included! Anyone care for a round of root beer? It’s on me!

Saloonatics: This Poptropican is a stand-in that you’ll never see on any Island.

Another noteworthy building would definitely be the Marshal’s Office or Jail (also in Diamond Plains). Whatever the law enforcement may be (sheriff, marshal, constable, you name it), even deputies seemed to be quite prevalent in a time rampant with outlaws, bounty hunters, and gangs. It was cowboys galore!

Marshal Law: Justice is black and white.

Since we mentioned the jail, we of course have to bring up the Bank, because the whole “outlaws robbing banks” trope just cannot be ignored. The bank we see in Poptropica is located in Rock Ridge. Stick ’em up!

photo: Pioneertown California (onlyinyourstate)

We could very well look at the Train Station as well, considering it does tie into the bank robbery within the story. Quite different than the train station we see in our Mystery Train comparison, huh?

Train in Vain: It doesn’t look like much is happening at this station.

After all that, I think we simply must talk about the Casino in Dos Cactos next. During such wild times, gambling tended to be a common occurrence. But yet again, Poptropica was able to fit it into its kid-friendly world! Looks like everything’s coming up aces for them!

Everbody Wins: Everything is coming up aces in this Wild West town.

If we stay in Dos Cactos, we can head on over to a sort of carnival, but more specifically a shooting gallery. Yes, traveling shows did date back to the wild west era—you simply had to travel between the far away towns for profit! And every good cowboy knew how to shoot a pistol.

photo: Early 1800s Midway (doc’smidwaycookhouse)

Curious about other displays of showmanship? Why, just take a look at the local Snake Oil Salesman in Rock Ridge of course! Traveling carts were quite the norm in the wild west, with salesmen often promising miracle cures and obscure tonics of all sorts. Maybe be careful about spending your money around here…

photo: Traveling Medicine Shows of the Old West (curioushistorian)

Another cart we get to see in Wild West is owned by a photographer (this one in Dusty Gulch), which could perhaps be considered more of a miracle than the tonics! The world’s first photograph was taken in 1826, perfectly fitting into the frontier era. That makes us pretty lucky to even have photos from around that time to compare with the island!

Pilot Error: Different parts of scenes are made at different times, so we use stand-in characters when necessary.

Dusty Gulch is also home to Rusty’s Ranch, as you may know (though this can also be compared to the ranch in Rock Ridge). Raising cattle and horses and such was so common in fact that it was actually one of the factors leading to the Dust Bowl. So maybe it was only a stable job in one sense of the word?

Cool Ranch: Giving you a new perspective on the next Poptropica Island.

Something else we can’t forget: the gold mines! The California Gold Rush of the 1800s was a huge population push to the west. Time and time again it seems like people yearned to move west! Though it didn’t guarantee fortune to all, that’s for sure.

Mind the Gap: Be careful not to get off-track here.

Bringing our adventure to an end, the Canyon Hideout feels like an appropriate grande finale. One of the most famous IRL hidey-holes for gangs and outlaws was the “Hole-In-The-Wall,” an isolated area in Wyoming.

Desert Inn Nothing: like a secluded hideaway for the discerning bandit.

Boy howdy, that was a lot of places, wasn’t it? And we didn’t even go into detail about the hotel, clock tower, or trading post! Just goes to show you how much detail goes into one setting/game design.

Do you think Poptropica successfully replicated the alluring aesthetic of the IRL wild west? Yay or neigh? What island would you like to see us compare next in this series? Be sure to leave your thoughts in a comment below!

So long, partners!

~SD

Member Gifts, Pets, Store

New and old fashion for pets and Poptropicans

November 24, 2020January 9, 2021 Gentle Dolphin

Hey, Poptropicans! Today, we’ll be covering the two newest store updates. While there isn’t anything new for the most part, some new costumes were added to both the Pop store and the pet barn. Let’s take a look at what’s in stock!

The current costumes available are Boss Babe, Neon Rocker, Pumpkin Pleasure, Aqua Rebel, Natural Breeze*, Gossip Girl, Coolin’, Rainbow Ride, Friendly Face Masks, Cozy Cocoa, Tie-Dye Hoodie, Cool for School, Cheerleader, Soda Pop, Large Fry, and Southern Belle. All items except Natural Breeze are available to all players.

Poptropicans aren’t the only ones who get to dress up. Stop by the Pet Barn to purchase three new items for your furry or scaly companions: the Fedora, the Blue Mask, and the Fall Scarf.

At the end of their latest post, the Creators teased this year’s upcoming “12 Days of Member Gifts,” which has been a Poptropica tradition since 2018. Starting on December 1st, active members will receive daily gifts over the course of twelve days. The Creators also assured that players who become members later in December (perhaps a holiday gift?) will still be able to receive these one-of-a-kind gifts.

What do you think of the new costumes? Are you looking forward to the “12 Days of Member Gifts”? Stay tuned for the return of Arabian Nights Island, and try your hand at the current Create Your Dream Island contest!

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Popspiracy Theories

Popspiracy: Are Poptropicans plants? 🥗 Anatomy and eating habits may hold clues

November 21, 2020November 20, 2020 Purple Paw

Hey there! Purple Paw back here again, this time with… ah, yes, a closer look at our Poptropican’s insides! Um, excuse me… ahem. That wasn’t a very good introduction. Maybe I should try again.

Nabooti is a strange place. It has viruses and inside-out people.

The question of Poptropicans’ eating habits—and how it ties into their anatomy—was brought up recently on the PHC Discord. It’s something I hadn’t considered much before, but thinking about it now, I wonder why I never did.

Eating is something that every living being does—including Poptropicans. How do I know this? Well, the answer is simple—we see our avatars eating throughout the islands! I can think of a few: Wimpy Wonderland, Escape from Pelican Rock, Survival Ep. 2 (Hook, Line & Sinker) and Survival Ep. 4 (Cabin Fever).

Poptropicans have their share of meals, but not always willingly.

There’s also a big indicator of eating on Virus Hunter Island. As clearly shown on an anatomy chart, Poptropican people have stomachs. And they wouldn’t be there if they didn’t serve a purpose! When you enter Joe Stockman’s stomach, you can even see the chewed-up food he previously ate… yuck.

And it’s clear that Poptropicans must eat plenty of healthy food. How else would they be able to perform the jumping, climbing, swimming, running, flying, and countless other physical activities they’re asked to do in every single island? Food gives energy and strength, and without it, Poptropicans wouldn’t be nearly as quick or strong. In fact, they wouldn’t be there at all without food! (That is, if they can be qualified as normal beings…)

So, you’re most likely thinking by this point, “Well, that’s that then. The question is answered; Poptropicans eat.” But alas, there’s a catch. Something that often leaves me stumped about Poptropican anatomy: Poptropican people don’t have necks. This is one of the most noticeable features of a Poptropican, and one that seems to defy, well, science. How is it possible that a Poptropican’s head could float freely above their shoulders, with nothing connecting it to the rest of their body? How can food reach their stomachs without a neck to pass through?

This official Poptropica anatomy wallpaper shows an absence of necks.

After some sleuthing, I found an important clue on Virus Hunter Island. Anybody who’s managed to fight their way through this tough island will remember traveling up the inside of a neck to reach Joe Stockman’s mouth. Hm, so there is something connecting a Poptropican’s head to the rest of their body… but then how come we never see our Poptropicans’ necks? Is there something making them invisible?

What’s connecting the Poptropican’s head to its body?

And another question arises: would food alone be enough to give Poptropicans the energy to jump off buildings and lift boulders, among other seemingly superhuman feats? Is there something missing?

Maybe the final piece of the puzzle can be found in a theory Tall Cactus recently suggested on the PHC. Her idea is that Poptropicans are not people, but a very advanced species of plant. Plantropicans! And—all previous indicators of Poptropicans consuming food aside—she proposes that Poptropicans photosynthesize; meaning that light passes through their invisible plant-stem necks, resulting in plenty of energy. So instead of eating food to keep active, Poptropicans are constantly soaking up the sun, and are always gathering more energy. It’s certainly an interesting theory.

Though it is slightly absurd, I quite like this idea. It provides an unexpectedly fitting explanation for Poptropicans’ unseen necks as well as their strange and infrequent diets. Yes, I suppose I do think that the reason Poptropicans’ necks are invisible is because they are plants. Wondering what I mean? To fully understand this, let’s take a look at another important clue from Virus Hunter… the size of a Poptropican’s neck.

As Dr. Lange states, when you enter Joe Stockman’s body, you’re nano-sized. In other words, you’re very, very small. And I’m assuming your ship isn’t much bigger. And yet, when you attempt to steer your way up the inside of the neck, your ship tells you that the passage is too narrow; it can’t fit through. Your nano-sized ship is too big. What could this mean? Poptropicans’ necks are miniscule. So small, we can’t even see them!

You may be thinking, “So how does that tie into the theory that Poptropicans are plants?”

That’s just it: I believe that Poptropicans’ necks are so tiny because they’re plant stems. When I first realized how this fits, I actually googled if there was such a thing as an invisible plant stem. Disappointingly, there is not; but there is a type of plant with stems so small, they’re described as “almost invisible.” Since their stem necks are so thin and short, nobody would ever know they were there, unless they looked closely under a magnifying glass. Tall Cactus also adds that this is why Poptropicans’ heads bob up and down: yours would too, if it was supported by just a small stem! This could also be why Poptropicans’ arms and legs are so skinny; they must be stems too, just thicker and stronger. Given all that evidence, it’s becoming less difficult to imagine Poptropicans evolved from plants…

So, if Poptropicans do photosynthesize, it could mean that they don’t need food; they have more energy than normal people because they’re constantly collecting it from the sun! That explains all the deserted eateries across the islands… but we can’t forget how many times we have seen Poptropicans eating. They must have some method of digesting human food as well as sunlight (aka plant food). But just what those methods are might be slightly too gross to write about here, so perhaps it’s best to save what’s unspoken for another day. But feel free to share any theories you’ve thought up in the comments!

Plants are just one idea, but I’m sure there are many other interesting explanations for Poptropicans’ diets, necks (or lack thereof), and other anatomical features. (There are also probably plenty of loopholes in this theory left unmended…) Will the mystery of the Poptropican anatomy ever truly be solved? We have yet to know…

– Purple Paw 💜

Uncategorized, Video of the Week

Arabian Nights and YouTube Spotlights 🧞‍♂️

November 20, 2020January 9, 2021 Purple Paw

Heyo, Poptropicans! Big news: the Creators recently announced that Arabian Nights will be coming to Haxe in less than a week! And, unlike many islands before it, it’ll be available to all players—non-members included—right from the release! Pretty awesome, huh?

Arabian Nights was one of the most popular islands.

It’s not clear yet whether the Creators plan to remaster Arabian Nights (like they did with Mythology Island) or if they’re keeping it relatively the same as the Flash version. Most players, myself included, weren’t very happy with the lack of challenge in Haxe’s Mythology; but who knows what’ll happen with Arabian Nights? A new island port is progress in itself, and the most we can do is hope that the new version turns out as awesome as the original Arabian Nights!

Speaking of Arabian Nights, this fun island trilogy was the winner of the 2013/14 Create Your Dream Island Contest! It’s not a coincidence that the Creators decided to release Arabian Nights at this time, to commemorate the current Dream Island contest happening right now. (There’s still plenty of time left to submit your island entries!)

Arabian Nights (as seen on the mobile app)

In other news, a second Creators’ Blog post appeared not long after the Arabian Nights announcement, this one sharing a Halloween Poptropica fan video by Invisible Ring (inspired by the Zomberry Hero special event)! Though the post is quite late for Halloween, it’s never too late to be zombified. 🧟‍♀️ Check out the spooktacular video below:

There’s something in the title of the Creators’ post that caught my eye: “Video of the Week.” Hmm… is this another weekly promise? The store rotations that were planned to change every week don’t always live up to the promise, but it would be pretty great for the Creators to recognize their (very creative) fans with weekly videos. Between their showcasing of fan art in place of ads, social media spotlights, and now fan video features, the Creators have definitely been giving the Poptropica fandom lots of recognition lately!

Welp, that’s all for this one! What are your hopes for the new Arabian Nights? Thoughts on the Creators’ fan interactions? Let us know in the comments!

~Purple Paw 💜

Guest Posts, Pop 5

Pop 5: Islands From an Artist’s Perspective

November 19, 2020November 19, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Mud Bub, who’ll be taking a look at Poptropica islands from her perspective as a college art student.

She shared with the PHB, “Poptropica allowed me to get more in-tune with my passion for art. Similar to other Flash or After Effects products like Wow Wow Wubbzy or this video, I get the most thrill out of flat yet bold and colorful designs, and this has greatly affected my art style.

As a college art student, having an influence such as Poptropica is very much needed for me, both with art and being a general stress reliever… I may be older… but time has given me a better understanding, excitement, and idea-fueled drive for the game. This [guest post] is more than just a Pop 5 list to me, but finally articulating the artistic passion that I’ve had for over a decade. Without the openness of the PHB accepting blog post submissions, I would not have finally gotten to express that.”

Thank you, Mud Bub! And with that wonderful intro, let’s get into the post…

Greetings! I’m Muddy “Mud Bub” Bubbles, an art student at Ephraim University and collector of black-framed glasses. Professor Max McPatrick assigned me to analyze only the finest of Poptropica’s island artistry, and I can only hope that he won’t deduct points for not including his native island, Mocktropica.

Poptropica islands are known for their vast adventures, but their visuals are also notable. I’ve discovered that they are all worthy of praise, but there are a mighty few that stand out in their attention to detail and interactions with art.

#5: Counterfeit Island

This wouldn’t be an article on Poptropican art without mentioning Counterfeit Island! This island arguably offers the most extensive art collection of them all, although the genres are a bit narrow, and seeing less represented forms of art would have been nice. It does beat Early Poptropica’s Pop Art Museum by a mile, though. There may be French stereotypes, but Counterfeit Island’s store logos and calming interior design of the abandoned house make for an authentic island experience. Most of all, it allows for literal hands-on experiences with fine art and learning its value, which makes for a great introduction to art history.

#4: Mythology Island

It’s no myth that this island has lovely Greek and Roman art. Although the meandering may be overdone, they make the island more unique and memorable. The fonts and architecture also stay true to ancient form. Hades, Zeus and Poseidon have their own icons that are presented consistently, from the island logo to the Mythology Surfer costume. These are examples of brand design, a modern form of art, that other characters use as well, such as Dr. Hare and his rabbit gimmick. The pictures above show how two forms of art (wall art and iconography + sculpture and iconography) can merge into one to truly showcase the personalities of the gods.

#3: Steamworks Island

This island is more inventive than just its gadgets! Steamworks Island takes on a truly vintage and trinket-y form that makes it hard not to love. The color palettes perfectly show the dullness of the tools in a somehow bright way. There are banners with gears and stripes on them, as well as buildings covered with beautiful vines. So many bits and bobs to be found that make it easy to understand the intricate stylings of steampunk. Exploring this town can get kind of isolating though.

#2: Red Dragon Island

This island truly deserves recognition for the interactions with art it allows us. From literal bridge-building to bonsai trimming and calligraphy, Red Dragon Island is an authentic celebration of Eastern art. Despite the wild ninja adventures, one can feel relaxed, too, while wearing a beautiful kimono as cherry blossoms fly in the breeze. Seriously, this island could be Black Widow’s next strike. The land of Edo leaves Jack and Annie’s neck of the woods in Frog Creek with a little more to be desired, but that stark contrast may make ancient Japan look all the more unique.

#1: Nabooti Island

This island is a real gem, and I’m not just talking about its logo! Nabooti Island allows you to explore many environments and rare items of Africa. It’s also a rarity to see how an entire continent can fit in one island, and note how the starting point isn’t even a separate piece of land. Still, there are artful features such as masks, sculptures and animal photography that allow us to see the beauty of the island’s culture. This is also shown in its fashioned natives, shimmering minerals and detailed hieroglyphics. Nabooti Island gives its players a diverse and unforgettable artistic appreciation of Africa.

Honorable mentions

Arabian Nights Island: This island proves that there is beauty to be found everywhere—even in a desert hijacked by forty thieves! The mansion in particular shows bold application of Middle Eastern architecture and design.
PoptropiCon Island: Yes, PoptropiCon, and this is not just because of my love of puns! This place is riddled with costume-makers, comic book writers, and other artists that connect over their craft. PoptropiCon is a testament to the ever-changing mediums of art and its content. That said, they could have shown more of the communities that conventions have to offer.
Big Nate Island: This unique island allows us to jump in a graphic novel. What it lacks in detail it makes up in its dynamic character design and a bright, consistent style. If nothing else, this one wins for the most colorful and characteristic island logo.

This list was so difficult to narrow down. Will you fight for the royal aesthetic of Astro-Knights? Maybe I wimped out on the Wimpy Kid islands and owe Greg Heffley an apology. Or will you be bold and claim the best art comes from your own Home Island? Share your favorite art from Poptropica in the comments!

– Mud Bub

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Mud Bub. If you did, you might also like the PHB’s tour of the art museum on Counterfeit Island or our Pop Places IRL series, which explores the real world inspirations of Poptropica islands.

The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. You can find some tips and guidelines on our page on how to Write for the PHB, and share blog posts on the PHC.

📰 If you have an idea for a PHB post, send it in! ✨