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The Poptropica Help Blog presents

Halloween Costume Contest Twelve:
🦸‍♀️ Heroes & Villains 🦹‍♂️

Now in our 12th year of this tradition, we’re once again thrilled to announce our annual Poptropica Halloween costume contest. This year’s theme: Heroes & Villains. Which side will you choose?

Whether you’re inventing your own characters or emulating icons from pop culture, we invite you to get your creativity flowing by assembling a Poptropica costume (or two, or several) based on either (or both!) of these themes. And one more specialty for this year…

👯‍♀️ Group costumes are encouraged! Get some friends together (or make some new ones on the PHC or in the comments section of this post) and plan your costumes as a group. All it takes is two or more.

As an example, the PHB team decided to band together this year to form the Colors of the Rainbow! 🌈 In keeping with the theme, we’ve split into the Warm Warriors (heroes) and Cool Criminals (villains)—but that’s optional for group costumes. They just have to be related.

"Vermilion Virago" by Spotted Dragon — “Vermilion Virago” by Spotted Dragon

"Volcanic Vindicator" by Slanted Fish — “Vermilion Virago” by Spotted Dragon

📝 Here’s what you need to know about entering:

🦸‍♂️ Assemble your costume for either (or both) categories on Poptropica, including for group costumes. You may enter each category (heroes, villains, group) as many times as you like. You may concurrently submit an entry for both the hero/villain categories and a group costume (which may be considered its own category of sorts). However, each individual person is eligible to win just once per category.
📸 Take a screenshot of your costume entry in the Costumizer window.* Here’s how to take a screenshot — the instructions will vary depending on your device. For Windows, you’ll also need to paste it somewhere to save it as an image file on your computer. Also, use the in-game Costumizer window (pictured below) as that will display your character at a high resolution. Ideally, crop the image to show just your character.
🔗 Upload the image to the web and share the link in the comments of this post. You can use a site like imgur or Discord to upload your picture and obtain a web link for it that can then be shared so others can see it. Once you’ve got a link, comment on this PHB post you’re reading right now with the link. Include details such as what category you’re entering, what you’re naming your costume, and anything else you’d like to share about it.

*Note: Though we’ve used Avatar Studio (AS) links in the past, many of the newer items in Poptropica are not visible through AS. If your entire costume is still viewable by AS, you’re welcome to provide a username (not link, as those don’t work with AS anymore) in lieu of a picture. However, since AS is no longer a complete guarantee for displaying costumes, we recommend taking a screenshot.

Share a screenshot of your costume in the Costumizer window, like so. You can access this screen from the green shirt button in the menu if you’re in Flash, or from costumizing one of your clothing items in Haxe.

📝 Things to Note ✨

💻 If you send us a username for us to look up on the Avatar Studio, you’ll have to keep your costume intact until Halloween so we can see it throughout the month. That’s something you won’t have to concern yourself with if you send a screenshot instead, and it’ll be easier for you to capture multiple costume entries!
👯‍♀️ Group costume rules: Group costumes are encouraged to match the heroes & villains theme, but this is not required. An individual entry within a group costume entry may also qualify for the singular-costume hero/villain categories, but we will take care to honor group efforts by prioritizing awards for this category before others, as each individual person may only win once per category.
💡 Tips for seeking out costume parts: We know Poptropica has changed a lot in the past couple years, making lots of old methods obsolete, but there are still places you can go for cool costume parts. The Flash version of Pop has more options, but Haxe has plenty of store costumes too. Dig through old store items, buy new store costumes, crank the switch in the New You shop on Home Island, snag something off an NPC from PoptropiCon, sneak your way into old islands with idk’s directory, and use MAP (for individual parts) or the ASG Machine (for full costumes) along with usernames from our ASG collection.

👑 Prizes ✨

🗓 The contest closes on Friday, October 30. We’ll announce the winners the next day.
🎃 On Halloween (October 31), we’ll post our favorite costumes from each category on the front page of the PHB for all to enjoy.
🌟 A grand prize winner will be selected for each category, plus one group. Each grand prize winner will receive a 1-month Poptropica membership. Up to 6 memberships for the winning group will be awarded, with one month per participant.
🕺 Winning costumes will be immortalized on our Costumes page, but we’ll also have honorable mentions for just the post, not page.

🦹‍♀️🦸‍♂️👻 There are no heroes without villains…
…and no villains without heroes 🦹‍♂️🦸‍♀️🎃

Mocktropica strikes back: #DrBeev features and video ad in-betweeners

October 3, 2020June 6, 2021 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! We’ve got a couple of Mocktropica-adjacent updates to share this weekend. Let’s start with the fun one…

With the end of September comes the conclusion of Poptropica’s #DrBeev mini art contest to draw the beloved furry doctor of Mocktropica Island in one’s own style. Check out the beev-tiful creations they featured on their Instagram story on Thursday:

Although they mentioned a prize of 10,000 credits in their original post about the drawing challenge, we haven’t heard any word yet about anyone receiving the prize. We’ll let you know if we get an update!

Dr. Beev isn’t the only thing Poptropicans are drawing! Have you seen the Poptober drawing challenge yet? It’ll give you plenty of ideas for Poptropica inspired creations throughout the month of October!

Check out this artwork from the PHB’s own Lucky Joker for the first Poptober prompt, “Island.” In this case, he went with Ghost Story Island and the love triangle of the tale. Learn more about Poptober here!

“Triade D’amour (Poptober Day 1: Island)” by Lucky Joker

And for more Poptropica fan art, check out Community Creations! This month’s theme is “Monsters.” 🐲

In other not-so-fun news, an unwelcome surprise may now greet you as you travel from scene to scene in Poptropica: full game screen video ads.

With sidebar ads, footer ads including a video ad already, and now the full game screen video ad, the Poptropica browser is literally all ads.

The ads so far have been for kids’ products like Nerf guns, Minecraft Dungeons, and LEGO Mario. (Thanks to Dangerous Icicle and Gentle Dolphin for their reporting.)

The ads are about 15 seconds long and are not skippable. So far, these ads only appear in the Haxe version of the game. They don’t show up every time, but they do appear every now and then, and a regular loading screen will come up after the ad itself ends.

And yes, they’re rather annoying.

This isn’t the first time Poptropica has tried to do this, either. Back in 2014, video ads also appeared in between scenes to advertise for Galactic Hot Dogs, a book series owned by Poptropica’s parent company StoryArc Media which also has its own Poptropica island. After receiving much backlash from players, the video ads disappeared within a month.

Plus, doesn’t this bear some resemblance to yet another aspect of Mocktropica Island? Mocktropica has turned out to be something of a prophecy for Poptropica’s current state for quite some time now…

A scene from Mocktropica Island where the player is charged for simply trying to leave a scene in the game.

With this stunt, Poptropica seems more desperate than ever to make money from and for the game. We don’t know what their financial situation looks like, but can only make guesses from moves like this one that it seems, more than ever, that things aren’t going well.

Video ads you’re forced to view are an easy way for Poptropica to make a buck, and definitely much quicker than creating a whole island for advertising, but it comes at a great cost in a different way: the players’ user experience. Who wants to play a game where the screen is all ads? And ultimately, there is no Poptropica without the players.

So for Poptropica to be willing to sacrifice that, despite their long track record of creating actual non-intrusive engaging ads in the past, is a big sign that either they care more about lining their pockets than their players’ experiences, or they’ve hit a low enough point they’ll do whatever it takes to make enough to keep Poptropica afloat.

We may love Dr. Beev but we certainly don’t love the other elements Poptropica is borrowing from Mocktropica Island! Do you agree? What do you think? Share with us in the comments and on the PHC!

“Poptober Day 2: Carnival” by Magniventris

On a lighter note, we hope you’ll join us for Poptober and Community Creations this month! And there’s at least one more big event to look out for this spooky season: the PHB’s Halloween costume contest! Details dropping very soon, so stay tuned… 🎃

~🐠

Community Creations

Community Creations: September 2020

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020 Spotted Dragon

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

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

Top 5 Picks

Duma Mask (Medieval Style) by CrazyPaintbrush

Wow! How cool is this submission??? Based off actual African mask designs, this project combines Sir Cador’s helmet with a fan role-play helmet design on the other half. It is super cool to see such a tactile and crafty submission! I love all the different elements, colors, and textures that come together here. I’d love to see it in person! Find her DeviantArt here.

Mask Selfies! by ray-of-flight

Aww, cute! During the pandemic, many of us have taken to social media more than ever to stay connected. Which totally works, because it is super, super important to socialize safely! Thus, these trendy photos are perfect for the times. I love the differing compositions across the three pictures, along with the different mask designs. Each goes great with their relative characters, and it sends out a fantastic message! Find his DeviantArt here.

Valdus, the Lord of Decay by sinnabinbun (previously ArtisticAsianBunny)

Ooooh, now here’s an interesting character design! The mask on this villain is definitely one of the most eye-catching elements of his outfit (even if it isn’t exactly regulation for the pandemic). The blue/gold/neutral color scheme is simple and really effective too. I love how everything in the outfit ties together, like the skull of the mask and the skull in the staff. I already want to know more about him! Find her Instagram (with other super cool Poptropican designs) here.

Poptropica Masks by AdventurersNHunters

Looks like we almost get four pieces in one here! I love that each panel incorporates a different kind of mask, and even creates a story around them. The Japanese style masks in the top left feature Game Show Island, the students on Shrink Ray Island (top right) are wearing some everyday masks to class, even Grande (Wild West) is staying safe with in his bandana in the lower left, and we have some masquerade masks from Cryptids Island in the lower right. So much detail, variety, and intrigue!!! Find her DeviantArt here.

Happy 13th Birthday Poptropica! by Gentle Dolphin

Not only does this submission prominently feature masks (on both the Poptropicans and the cake!), but it also simultaneously celebrates Poptropica’s birthday AND features Dr. Beev! Dr. Beev has been super popular this month… popular enough to spark an art contest of his own, so be sure to check all that beev art out! AND, yes, on top of all that, this submission is also in celebration of the Dimension Bros’ Poptropica Month event! So be sure to check out the video recorded around this artwork too. Phew, this one really is checking all the boxes, huh? And I love all the movement and colors of the design. It definitely deserves a feature! Find her DeviantArt here.

Honorable Mentions

Masked Ringmaster Raven by happyclonetrooper

Wow guys, amazing work! Even with such a seemingly specific theme, you’re always able to knock it out of the park. Remember to send me any theme ideas if you’ve got them! And most importantly: remember to wear your mask and stay safe!!!

October: 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 October’s theme? October’s theme is…

MONSTERS!

Oh yes, it’s finally October and you know what that means! Spooky month! *ahem* What I meant to say was… SpooooOOOOooooOOoooky month!!! Can you tell I really like Halloween? Anyway, it’s that time of the year when we can all embrace the dark side a bit, so why not embrace it in Community Creations too?

Luckily in Poptropica, there’s a wide range of monsters that you can work with. Maybe draw your favorite monsters from Cryptids Island? A mythological beat from Mythology Island, perhaps? And if Monster Carnival isn’t your jam, maybe you’re more into Time Tangled’s Fact Monster! Or maybe just dress up your Poptropican in their scariest monster costume! The only limit is your own creepy creativity.

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

Guest Posts, Social Media

Introducing: Poptober drawing challenge 🖌

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post from MaryannTheConqueror.

It’s October! We are finally in the midst of fall, a time of color-changing leaves, pumpkin spice, spooky season… and art challenges!

While art challenges can exist year-round, many are set in October, especially after the “Inktober” trend. Since then, many alternative challenges have sprung up, including something for Poptropica enthusiasts. Introducing the Poptropica drawing challenge: Poptober!

The goal of this challenge is simple: draw something every day according to each of the prompts! Of course, you will not be shamed if you cannot make all the days (I doubt I will). Or, if you’re feeling a lower commitment, check out happyclonetrooper’s version of the Poptober challenge, with weekly instead of daily prompts.

View this post on Instagram

here’s a fun little Poptropica-related art prompt list i made! the one i made in like 2018 flopped terribly, so i decided to make this one much more simple, being only weekly instead of daily! ✨ there aren’t really any rules, just draw anything that comes to mind when you see each prompt! (related to the game of course) i’ll be sure to participate in it too! let me know if you are, and tag me in your art!! 🙂 enjoy #poptropica #drawingprompts #poptober #list #prompts #art #hctart #october #weekly #participate #pop

A post shared by HCT (@happyclonetrooper) on Sep 30, 2020 at 8:45pm PDT

You can use any medium, make your drawings as simple or complex as you wish, and interpret the prompts any way you choose. If you want to, you can even combine challenges (such as making all the subjects cats, or doing all the drawings in ink like the original Inktober). Just have fun, don’t stress, and make art!

To share your Poptober drawings with the world, you can post wherever the Poptropica fan art appreciators are: some places to start are the PHC’s #art channel on Discord, the We-Love-Poptropica DeviantArt group, Instagram and Twitter with the #Poptropica tag, and even the comments of this post. Excited to see what you make!

And for more creative endeavors in the fandom, keep an eye out for the PHB’s monthly Community Creations coming later today.

Have a great start to the spooky season!

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by MaryannTheConqueror. If you did, be sure to check out another recent post of hers: a ramble review on Ghost Story Island. And of course, join in on the fun on the PHC Discord.

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! ✨

Guest Posts, Reviews, Super Villain Island

Ramble Review: Super Villain Island ⚡️

September 30, 2020September 26, 2020 Slanted Fish

Welcome to another Ramble Review! This guest post comes from Incredible Fire, who will be rambling about Super Villain Island.

Super Villain Island is just as thrilling as it sounds. Poptropica’s 30th island has you slipping into the minds of the most diabolical villains ever. Full of twists and turns, this neatly pulls together some of Poptropica’s most iconic characters for a whirlwind adventure.

The settings themselves—a mysterious prison on a dark and stormy island, magical landscapes, ghostly ships—give off chilling vibes to all who dare enter. And the sometimes annoyingly difficult gameplay gives the island a challenging edge.

The plot — extracting the source of evil from a villain’s dreams, all Inception style — makes this quest an exciting journey. This island is bound to keep players challenged as they strive to save Poptropica. It’s also worth noting that other islands make an appearance here, effectively raising the stakes, and keeping Poptropica connected.

All in all, Super Villain Island is an enjoyable experience, thrilling players by bringing back so many iconic villains in a satisfying way.

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Incredible Fire. If you did, be sure to check out the previous Ramble Reviews on Twisted Thicket and Ghost Story, and stay tuned for more! And of course, join in on the fun on the PHC Discord.