May has just begun and per usual, all paying members can expect to receive three free gifts upon first logging in at any time within the month. The exclusive items are an adorable Baby Dr. Hare Follower (a nod to the ever-so-popular Baby Yoda), a wacky Noodle Guy Costume, and a Sanitizer Super Soaker (good timing!). Fun gifts this time around, wouldn’t you agree?
In other news, the daily login bonus continues! We spotted this feature in HAXE a while back and it looks like the gift is here to keep giving.
For every day you log in, you’ll gain more credits, up to 625 credits if you keep up a streak of 5 days in a row. We love free money! 🤑
And lastly, Poptropica just dropped a new promotional teaser for the cherished classic, 24 Carrot Island. It’s a short, 12-second animation that depicts Magic Socks, one of the island’s missing kids, pulling carrots at the farm and getting whisked underground to the carrot factory, where Dr. Hare awaits. It’s a take we haven’t seen before, so that’s pretty neat.
You know what would be even cooler though? A trailer for the theoretically upcoming return of Zomberry Island — or any word on that at all, for that matter. You remember, right? The one set to release by the end of 2019… Looks like we’ll just have to keep waiting.
Thanks for reading! That’s all I’ve got for you today. Until next time, pop on!
Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the April recap for Community Creations! April’s theme was Staying Home (and the featured work is not in any particular order). Be sure to check out all the featured artists!
During this period of quarantine, I would be surprised if you haven’t heart of the popularity of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing. I know the game has certainly gotten me through some intense boredom lately. But if you aren’t familiar with the game, this is a fantastic introduction to it! The character designs are all super cute, and so it is wonderful to see some of our favorite Poptropica villains pictured in that style. According to the artist, “Rebel is a snooty deer, Copy is a peppy cat, Betty is a sisterly ostrich, Ratman is a smug rat, Crusher is a bear jock, and Speedy is a lazy hamster.” I absolutely love the colors and personality in this composition. Excellent design! Find their DeviantArt here.
Staying Home by Midnightoilstudios
Another subtle nod to Animal Crossing, I see! With a Nintendo Switch in hand, this character is certainly doing what most of us have been doing lately: sitting in bed playing video games. Nothing wrong with that! I love the little details in the composition, such as the photos on the bulletin board and items on the nightstand. They tie into Poptropica excellently, and really add more atmosphere to the scene. The blanket and Switch even match the colors of Binary Bard! Fantastic ideas. Find her DeviantArt here.
Studying BY AdventurersNHunters
Oooh, another cool bedroom scene. Inspired by Studio Ghibli’s “Whisper of the Heart,” this composition gives me real lofi vibes. It captures what it’s like to be a student during this odd time, as we attend online classes and try to gather motivation to actually study. Yes, Animal Crossing has been distracting me from school work. I love the dramatic lighting and the little details all around the desk. Just look at that Dr. Hare keychain! A fantastic CJ feature. Find her DeviantArt here.
Staying Home by Quick Fang
Aw, what a cute piece! A simple, straight-forward design, but a perfect representation of our theme nonetheless. We all may be stuck inside, which certainly hinders a lot of our routines, but that doesn’t mean we can’t stay positive. I love that we get to feature some animation, and the plain, blocked off colors really remind me of my childhood. Maybe I should use this time at home to learn some animation? Never too late to get into some new hobbies after all. Find the artist in the comment section or on Discord!
Super Hotdog Boy by ray-of-flight
Ah, I love this piece! Made for the Creators’ “Draw This In Your Style” Challenge of Ned Noodlehead, this work definitely reflects one of the art trends that has resurfaced during quarantine. Whether it be a DTIYS, a SixFanArts Tag, or some other trend, artists around the world have found ways to connect with people online. In this work in particular, I love the comic book vibe that the background gives off. The plain colors and lineart are super smooth, allowing the figure to really pop off the page in a graphic way. Wonderful work all around! Find his DeviantArt here.
Honorable Mentions
Six Fanarts by ANNE14TCO
Poptropica DnD Shenanigans by BlazingAngel123
regret by Magniventris
Actual Schedule During Quarantine by PegaKid2012
Easter Buns by WitchyArtistGal
Wow, so many great entries this month! Should I even be surprised?
May: 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 May’s theme? May’s theme is…
Wild West
If I were to describe the current state of the world right now, I think “wild” is a word that comes to mind. Times are kinda crazy and everyone is being affected in different ways. It’s important to remember that we are in this together and that so many people are working hard to improve this situation, but at times it really can feel like the wild west. Illnesses, supply shortages, and empty streets can be seen in every direction. But hey, just look at how well the environment is doing, right?
Anyway, it’s time for you to push away that boredom of being trapped in your house and show me your most creative Wild West creations! I’m talking cowboys, horses, desert scenes, you name it. So bring it on!
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 3 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!
Surf’s up, Poptropicans! Catch the waves and ride on over to the latest island to surface in the Poptropica seas… American Girl: Joss’s Island.
Yup, as you can probably guess, this isn’t your typical island with a quest—instead, it’s Poptropica’s most extra ad yet, here to promote “American Girl” dolls, and specifically its “Girl of the Year 2020”: Joss Kendrick, surfer.
It’s not the first time Poptropica has built an island solely for advertising—the same tactic was applied with LEGO Island in 2018. Anyway, there’s quite a bit to do on Joss’s Island, which you can find on both mobile and desktop, including HAXE! (Thanks for the tip, Perfect Fish.)
Upon arriving, you’ll hear a jaunty, upbeat tune playing—and there’s more sound to come. But first, a quick overview: you can talk to the doll characters to see what’s going on, like the fact that you can click on interactive objects around the island. There are four buildings you can enter (from left to right): the cinema, Shine Athletics Gym, American Girl Place, and SoCal Board Shop. And if you head left, you’ll see a sign that tells you you’re in Huntington Beach (which is a real city in California!).
As Joss herself will tell you, there are four free prizes to be had on this island. You can pick up a Shine Bright Shirt by the entrance of American Girl Place, a Cheer Competition Jacket above the RV by the SoCal Board Shop, your very own Joss’s Tassel Bag to the left of your parked blimp, and a Catch a Wave Hoodie above the cinema. As usual, members get to keep ad prizes forever!
Inside the SoCal Board Shop, you can play a surfing game with mechanics similar to the cheetah run on Reality TV: Wild Safari. By clicking multiple times, you can jump higher as you ride the waves. However, in both my and Perfect Fish’s experience, it seems there are some invisible obstacles in the game causing it to be hard to win. Still, if you manage to beat it, you’ll win Joss’s Surfboard(thanks, Scrooge200!).
Moving on, there’s the American Girl Place, which is basically one fancy building to promote various parts of the American Girl franchise. If you head to the right, you’ll find a little restaurant with a video you can watch.
Next up is the Shine Athletics Gym, where you can play a Rock Band-like beats game where the goal is to lead a cheer squad by pressing buttons as they come along each of the three colored stripes. If your volume is up, you’ll hear the song “Go Joss” as you jam along. If you do well enough, you’ll win an adorable little Seal Pup that can go on your head!
Finally, there’s the cinema, which is of course playing all things Joss. You can watch eight videos in there: two are music videos, “Go Joss” (the soundtrack to the aforementioned beats game) and “Surf’s Up”; there’s also a doll stop-motion animated series of Joss’s story in six episodes.
That’s all for American Girl: Joss’s Island! What did you think of this most ambitious ad in the history of Poptropica? Did you momentarily get your hopes up about a new island on the map? Will you wear the new prizes? Don’t you think Poptropica should make the Seal Pup the next pet? Comment below!
As we wrap up the month of April, we come into our final week of the weekly store updates. While the costumes have switched around this week, they’re ones we’ve seen throughout this month, so nothing new.
Will we see the weekly updates to the store continue in May? Time will soon tell, as the next month fast approaches…
Last but not least, the Poptropica.com homepage got a little update! We’ve mentioned the new “Pick a Character” screen, but now, when you scroll down below that, you’ll find three square images highlighting Poptropica’s features: Connect with friends! Play epic adventures! Adopt your own pets!
So, although friends in Poptropica has been a little lacking after the post-Flash update, and has yet to appear in HAXE, perhaps this is a reassurance that friends will continue to be a priority for Poptropica’s future.
On another note, if you look at the links below those pictures, you’ll find one that wasn’t there before: Do Not Sell My Info (for CA Residents). That’s CA for California, not Canada, by the way. Apparently, residents of California can request to opt out of having their details shared with the third-party partners of Sandbox Network Inc, Poptropica’s parent company.
Of course, they will “need to verify your identity to process your request.”
As for the rest of us, um, Poptropica’s been selling our data…??? In their words: “Sandbox Networks Inc. (“SNI”) does share customer information with carefully selected third parties in order to create a superior customer experience and for permitted business purposes.”
It’s not clear what “customer information” entails here, but Poptropica doesn’t collect much personal info to begin with, so it’s probably nothing to worry about. (And to be fair, many other websites are already involved in legal data selling.) What we do know is that when creating a Poptropica account, you’re asked for your age (although this may be disappearing with the new HAXE setup), a username and password to log in with, and you can also connect an email account to your Poptropica account later on. Plus, the aforementioned “carefully selected third parties” are likely advertisers like American Girl, who want to know who they’re advertising to — which is fair enough.
Now that you’ve made it this far into the post, I hope that long title at the beginning finally makes sense. 🙂
What’s up, Poptropicans? It’s LJ with a series from the dead a Pop Fan Artist Spotlight, where I showcase a certain Poptropica fan’s artwork in an effort to give more recognition to their talent; this next artist definitely deserves it. Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to T-ropicaNation (who I will refer to as Nation in this post for a smoother read).
Nation has consistently been posting their Poptropica art online for a few years now, and every illustration is it’s own sensation. Although they primarily keep to their particular cartoonish style, some pieces are very bright and bubbly while others are dark and gloomy — making each one unique.
Take a look at this gallery of some of their best work, including the artist’s proudest piece, “Flowers” (pictured at the bottom left):
Simply amazing! I really like Nation’s use of value and colors, and I find the gigantic eyes on the characters SO flipping adorable. If you feel like I do, you’ll be pleased to know there’s plenty more where that came from. You should totally check out their page on DeviantArt; they have a pretty large Poptropica section, and they really deserve more followers!
Well, the spotlight dims for now. I hope you enjoyed this look into a Poptropica fan’s artwork! (I know, it’s been a long time…😅) I encourage you to share any of your own creations to our DeviantArt group if you happen to have any too. Now the question is, who would you like to see in the spotlight next?
Hey Poptropicans, I’d like to introduce you to some new friends…
Previously, we reported on the “Pick a Character” feature in Poptropica’s HAXE Javascript build. But we hadn’t mentioned that each of these guys have their own names—and now, their own poses! Meet the gang:
“Wild Fire” on the new “Pick a Character” screen
“Pink Crush”
“Got Game”
“Old School”
“Cool Slice”
“Girl Power”
“Fast Ride”
“Love Star”
(Thanks to PHB reader Perfect Fish for the tip.)
Wild Fire, who shares a name with a Poptropolis Games tribe, is rocking a big puff of orange hair. Beside him is Pink Crush, with the pink ponytail. Then there’s Got Game, who’s got a big afro and a big smile, and Old School, who’s dancing with a tuft of swishy purple hair over their eyes.
Cool Slice is out here flexing a snazzy plaid overshirt, and Girl Power is just staring defiantly, daring you to challenge her. Finally, there’s Fast Ride with the shades, and happy-go-lucky Love Star with the slight blush.
You can’t see these names from the character selection screen—which as we mentioned last time, no longer allows you to pick a name—but you can find them on the Avatar Studio (which may soon be obsolete, as it requires Flash) when you save a HAXE Javascript character and look up their username.
PHB reader Perfect Fish also reported seeing the URL change depending on the character picked, like so: poptropica.com/haxe/master-minified-200421-1657/?npc_name=FastRide (and “FastRide” is replaceable with any of the other aforementioned names, no spaces). You can also enter these URLs in your web browser to go directly to playing with certain characters.
And by the way, you might find that the “pick a character” screen now dominates the Poptropica.com homepage. (For me, it showed up on one web browser but not another.) Goodbye, “play for free” button!
All these bizarre yet seemingly permanent names, and now the added poses on these stock characters and URL integration, raises the question: are these pre-named, pre-designed characters here to stay?
On that idea, we’re ambivalent. Despite all the swagger these characters carry, this new feature takes away a key aspect of making a Poptropican one’s own: the naming. At the same time, though, it is convenient (especially for new players) to just be able to pick and play, and once you’re in the game, you’ll have options to customize your character the way you like it.
Since Poptropica on HAXE doesn’t have the friends feature yet, and Flash is making the Avatar Studio obsolete, we may be entering a time where Poptropicans’ names are inconsequential. But for us nostalgic older players, picking the perfect name for our Poptropicans among a list of strange but familiar nouns and adjectives was part of the fun. And if the names are going to show up anywhere (like the friends feature, if it comes to HAXE), having only a handful of possible names is going to be a little awkward.
Right now, if you want to create a character with more freedom in the naming process, there are a couple of options. You can try the Custom Name Genie from our Glitching page, which lets you make a character with just about any name you like. Or you can create one on Poptropica Worlds, which still lets you pick from a randomized list like old times. (Update: There’s a third option—you can still pick a name on the mobile app.)
That’s the latest in Poptropica’s post-Flash development. Share your thoughts in the comments—about your favorite HAXE character, the story behind your Poptropican’s name, or your conspiracy theory on why Poptropica seems to be foregoing player names. Or just petition to bring them back.
🦄 Ponytropica 🦄 