We’re back outside the Dusty Gulch Hotel. WIDOW can be seen through the saloon doors at the bar counter, looking much less agonized. Meanwhile, MOREAU is getting her picture taken by a photographer outside. She is handed her photo, disappointed to find that DR. HARE accidentally photobombed her while he was lurking in the background for clues, walking around with a metal detector.
MOREAU runs to him, whispering:
MOREAU
You! Put that away! We don’t need to attract any more attention?
HARE pushes a button. The metal detector swiftly folds up into a compact case.
HARE
Do you have any better ideas?
DIRECTOR D.
(Off-screen)
Over here!
DIRECTOR D. is searching behind a nearby trading post. He’s looking at the base, where an old handkerchief is laying. Not just old–its threads are coated with a strange, dark substance, similar to the one found by the ship’s mast.
DR. HARE picks it up with a cloth and puts it in a bag.
INT. CAPTAIN CRAWFISH’S SHIP “H. M. S. SEA CHICKEN” – EARLY MORNING
Crack of dawn. No one is awake, not even the Captain himself–except for those trapped in the galley. The COOK is busying herself preparing breakfast while barking orders at RAVEN and HARE.
COOK
What is this? You’ll break the Captain’s gold tooth with this hard tack!
(She tosses it back at HARE)
Soak it longer!
HARE yawns, struggling to keep his head up as he stirs a bowl of pea soup.
HARE
…Ants…don’t let the ants…get in here…zzzzz…
The COOK lifts a couple heavy pans from a cabinet, turning to RAVEN with one in each hand.
RAVEN
I thought we were almost done with prep?
COOK
Oh, this isn’t for “prep”…
(She pushes the pans into RAVEN’S arms)
It’s time to get the others up. Off to the fo’c’sle with ye!
Well, actually I can believe it. I put a LOT of work in this series. 😂
Each drawing took me about 20 minutes (according to Procreate’s nifty little time-tracking tool) and there were a total of… 72 emoticons. 😳
…You do the math. 😂🙏
I actually really enjoyed it all, though! And if anyone’s curious, here’s my process with Ned Noodlehead:
SketchLine ArtFlat Colors+BlushShading and LightingColor inside lines and outline for FINAL!
So that’s how I draw them! 🙂
*dramatic sigh* Well, there’s no point keeping them all from you any longer… the final batch…
ROUND 10!!
H7— Sporty RunnerA6— Wild BearB9— Ned NoodleheadGolden- E9D6- Dr. LangeD7- Ringmaster RavenE2- Pink StarC6- Lone FlipperA5— White Rock
“And… wrap that up and give it to a child on Christmas, ’cause we’re done!” 😝
Typically at this point of the post, I’d just have the normal drill of “If you want YOUR Poptropican drawn blah blah blah” but since this is the last post in the series, I would like to give a special thank you to everyone who’s supported this series! Whether you’ve been here from the very beginning, or if you just found this a week ago, I really appreciate everyone who’s contributed a Poptropican and everyone who’s left a comment. THANK YOU! 💖
Happy Halloween, Poptropicans! It’s time to announce the winners of the PHB’s 16th Halloween costume contest! This year’s theme was Ghost vs Hunters, which opened the door for some spectacularly spooky looks. Without further ado, the winner of Team Ghosts is…
👻”Masked Maiden” by Creepy Boa👻
Put your hands together for the most gorgeous ghoul you’ve ever seen! This Masked Maiden’s voluminous hair and ballgown are eye-catching, and the half-skull mask provides a nice visual contrast with the bright makeup. Would you accept this ghost’s invitation to dance?
Let’s give a special spectral salute to Creepy Boa for making such a boo-tiful costume! But what’s a ghost without a hunter? The winner of Team Hunters is…
🏹”In-Specter” by Jean of Pop🏹
If there’s something strange in Poptropica, who ya gonna call? In-Specter!!! Not only does this costume have a perfect name, but it successfully captures the Ghostbusters vibe with the uniform and tech. Those heat vision goggles are sure to track any cold spots created by ghosts. Good luck with your ghostbusting ventures, In-Specter, and nice work securing the win, Jean of Pop!
Along with their costumes being immortalized in our Look Book, our winners can choose whether to receive a copy of Poptropica on Steam or a Poptropica merch item of their choice from Zazzle (up to US$20). They will also receive portraits of their Poptropicans from any PHB author of their choosing! 🏆🎮🎨
🎃Honorable Mentions🎃
Before we go, we want to share some more costumes in our Honorable Mentions segment! Let’s start by appreciating some awesome apparitions from Team Ghosts:
“Captain Nautica” by Lucky Fish“Powergeist” by Jean of Pop“Fiery Whisper” by MelonBobber“Opposite of Cupid” by Lazy Kid“The Black Lagoon Spirit” by Smart Star“La Catrina” by Jean of Pop
Now we must return to the land of the living and check out some slayers who slayed from Team Hunters:
“Inexperienced Ghosthuntress” by Lazy Kid“Missy Star the Ghost Hunter” by Smart Star“Swift Starlight” by MelonBobber“Librarian” by Creepy Boa“Lazy Kid hunts ghosts!!” by Lazy Kid“Ghost Luster” by Jean of Pop
Thank you for joining us for this year’s PHB Halloween Costume Contest! You can find more ghostly getups in the comments section of our contest post, and you can see all of our previous costume contest winners in our Look Book.
Thank you for reading, and have a Happy Halloween!
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by HPuterpop. Enjoy!
Hey fellow Poptropicans!
I’ve got a real head-scratcher for you today, one that takes us all the way back to the golden age of Poptropica merchandise. You might even call it a Kanji Secret. We all remember the awesome official plush toys that were released alongside the action figures, and super-fans may recall the unreleased early prototype plush toys that never saw store shelves… but there’s another plush toy waiting to be discovered, calling out to us from the past…
I wish we could go there!
Red Dragon Island marked the 19th island addition to Poptropica, a collaboration with the Magic Tree House series. Adapted from Dragon of the Red Dawn (Book 37 in Mary Pope Osborne’s series), the island transported players into Edo-period Japan. Among its memorable characters was Yokozuna, the towering sumo wrestler who served as one of the game’s most iconic boss battles. Players had to outmaneuver his charges and stomps until his own rage caused him to fall out of the ring. His design drew from authentic Japanese culture: his very name signifies the highest rank in sumo wrestling. Some fans even speculate that his look may have been inspired by WWE’s “Yokozuna”, Rodney Agatupu Anoa’i. Beyond the fight itself, the character was given nuance — fierce yet deeply adored by his fans.
Recently, a Yokozuna plush toy surfaced in an eBay listing, and it’s quite an anomaly. Yokozuna, remember, is the formidable sumo champion from Red Dragon Island, released back in 2011.
This sent me down a rabbit hole. I scoured the Poptropica Creators’ Blog archives, dug through old press releases from 2011-2014 (when the toys were hitting shelves), and searched for any promotional material. The result? Nothing. There is absolutelyno official record of a Yokozuna plush ever being announced, promoted, or sold.
Now, you might be thinking, “This (exorbitantly priced) plush toy was probably a fan creation.” But after getting my hands on it, I can confirm that the build quality is nearly identical to the official Poptropica plush toys from back in the day. It has the same distinctive felt details for the hair and clothing, the same fabric used for the eyes, and the overall professional construction that marked the official line of merchandise. A fan-made plush of this quality, especially for a less-mainstream character like Yokozuna, seems highly unlikely.
It all begins to make sense once the context is fully considered: Red Dragon Island launched in May 2011 for members (and June for everyone else), while Jazwares’ physical Poptropica toys hit Toys “R” Us shelves just a few months later, in August. The plush I found matches the official line’s quality but lacks retail tags: a hallmark of pre-production samples. And considering Yokozuna’s prominence as one of the Red Dragon Island’s bosses, it’s logical that the character would’ve been considered for a plush toy.
Sure enough, when I asked the eBay seller sweetsweet, they replied with exactly the information I was expecting:
(Shoutout to sweetsweet for the friendly and fast reply! Their store is a treasure trove of rare memorabilia, so check them out if you’re a collector.)
I’m really fortunate to own this rare piece of Poptropica (and Magic Tree House) history. The Yokozuna looks right at home along with the rest of his plush friends and The Dragon of the Red Dawn, the pages in which he first came to life.
Case closed… or at least, mostly.
– HPuterpop
Hope you enjoyed this guest post by HPuterpop. If you did, you might also enjoy reading more about his upcoming Poptropica-inspired game in development, Poptropica: Legends.
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? We’d love to hear from you!
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