🏝️ Poptropica Help Blog 🗺️

Good day, Poptropicans! It’s Lucky Joker here popping into 2020 with one of my first non-news posts, a Pop 5 list. It’s a new decade and that means a new era for Poptropica.

With the new version of Zomberry Island on the horizon (or is it? we’re still waiting…), it feels like the perfect time to start compiling my list of islands I hope to see return to the game one day, in full sound-updated glory. Let’s begin! (If you haven’t played all the old islands: beware, spoilers ahead.)

#5: Mystery Train Island 🔍

Starting off this list is Mystery Train Island, which is possibly one of Poptropica’s most popular adventures — and among my personal favorites. Every island has a theme; and the theme of this island is a classic, yet compelling whodunit set in the late Victorian era. How appealing does that sound? Right up my alley, that’s for sure.

I can just imagine how calm and soothing the soundtrack would be with a soft piano playing beautifully if it was sound updated. And can we talk about how awesome the boss level is (or should I say was…)? It’s one of the most climactic scenes in the entire game in my opinion. A crescendo would go along brilliantly with it I’m sure.

#4: Wild West Island 🌵

Popping in at the number four spot comes another Poptropica fan favorite — Wild West Island! This Old-West-inspired escapade is full of many fun and exciting moments. With the multitude of western mini-games, lingo, and scenery, this island makes for one special and enjoyable experience that you can 100% immerse yourself into.

As for the soundtrack choice, it’s undeniably unquestionable — western folk music of course! Give Jeff Heim a banjo, a guitar, and a harmonica and I’m sure he could create at least a dozen hillbilly hits. It’s a sound we have yet to hear in Poptropica, I believe.

#3: Super Villain Island ⚡

Smack dab in the middle at third place is the super Super Villain Island! I mean, how could an island featuring four of Poptropica’s most prominent wrongdoers not be in this list? In my opinion, SVI has one of the most creative and out-of-the-box concepts — it’s like a cool sci-fi movie or something — and of course, some of Poptropica’s coolest characters.

The roaring storm over the ocean, each of the villains’ dreams, the colossal battle at the end — there are so many great tracks to be made here! I can already hear them now. Super Villain needs to return and there should be no doubt about it.

#2: Game Show Island 🤖

Just behind the top pick is the remarkable, robotic extravaganza that is Game Show Island! Sure, it’s not the absolute best to have graced the screen in the past 12 and a half years, but Game Show is arguably one of the most fun islands in the game; I don’t think there’s one Poptropican who doesn’t like it (even if it’s not their favorite). All of the mini-games and funny looking robots totally make the island interesting and amusing. I think having it sound updated would enhance that.

Each location could have a different background song. A modernized gypsy-like tune would be a good choice for the city of Istanbul. It would capture that unique Turkish sound perfectly. As for Japan, I’d like something kawaii, or something highly electric to really get my heart racing during Mr. Yoshi’s Super Terrific Challenge. Russia’s pretty diverse, so perhaps a remix of the national anthem would suffice? In Miami, a rad hip-hop track would definitely work well. And you can surely count on the vibrant sensations of tango to create an atmosphere in Buenos Aires. You could hear the world in one island! (Not to mention all of the mechanic and techy sound ops throughout.)

Honorable Mentions

Alright, before I reveal my number one choice, I wanted to honor a few other beloved islands that almost made this list. Give it up for Super Power Island, Nabooti Island, and Counterfeit Island! They’re all wonderful classics, and totally deserve to be in the top five as well.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for. Taking the trophy for the island I’d love to see return most…the astounding, the stupendous, the one and only — it goes to none other than…

#1: Astro-Knights Island 🚀

Astro-Knights Island! This thrilling quest is one like no other and is definitely one of my all-time favorites (along with Mythology)! This intergalactic island is jam packed with mythos, action, and adventure — everything Poptropica is all about.

Can’t you just envision a dreary, medieval melody accompanying the crummy streets of a fallen Arturus as you played? I certainly could! In addition, we could get some celestial tunes for when we’re journeying through the stars and an intense orchestral symphony with a battle like dynamic for when we’re defeating the evil Binary Bard.

Astro-Knights is an absolute must play for any Poptropica player and it undoubtedly needs to grace the map once again. What do you think?

And there you have it — the full list of islands that I think should make an epic comeback to Poptropica! (Psst, creators, if you’re reading…I’m sure many others would agree with me, so you know…)

Thank you so much for reading as always and I’ll talk to you all soon. Happy Easter to those who celebrate! 🐰🐤

– Lucky Joker 🍀

Haxe Javascript

The adventures begin in Haxe Javascript

April 10, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Remember back in February when the Creators mentioned their Haxe Javascript project, which they’ve been working on since last year, and which would allow Poptropica to survive post-Flash?

So far, there hasn’t been much to see—but recent developments are showing signs of progress, or at least, experimentation. Let’s take a look!

Poptropica’s Haxe Javascript build so far includes a limited Home Island, with some features like the Pet Barn, but missing others like the Arcade. It’s covered in fall leaves like the look we’ve seen in regular Poptropica, but this version is a bit emptier.

For some time now, the Haxe build has been accessible at a link that’s not too hard to guess: poptropica.com/haxe. Now, clicking on the “Play For Free” link on Poptropica’s homepage goes directly to this link, and players have been reporting some interesting features they’ve seen.

For starters, here’s a screenshot from Perfect Fish, showing daily login rewards of credits that increase as you keep up your login streak.

There’s also a new character selection screen, with about seven pre-designed characters you can pick from to hop into the game right away — no customization of name or appearance. (Thanks to Quick Fang for the tip.)

This “Pick a Character” screen used to be more similar to the one we’ve had since late 2018, but with different (one might say less appealing) colors of bright orange and purple. (Thanks goes to Scrooge200 for these screenshots.)

As seen above in the Home Island screenshots, your player clubhouse is among the features not yet ready in Poptropica’s Haxe. Still, a new clubhouse icon has popped up in the menu, replacing the friends icon. It might be a while before the friends feature is ready in this new Poptropica… 😢

If you visit the Haxe build at the link above, you’ll find that the map is looking even more sparse than usual: there are literally only 6 islands so far. (But don’t panic just yet—you can still find a more populated map by logging into the regular Poptropica, at poptropica.com/game.)

Along with Home Island, Snagglemast and 24 Carrot are counted as beginner islands, while “Adventures of Mystery” offers Survival 1, PoptropiCon 1, and just recently added for members only, Timmy Failure. (This is probably why they used the phrase “early access” when you click into it.)

But there is still one more page: the “Adventures of Deception,” which shows (unlabeled) Escape From Pelican Rock as coming soon. Silhouettes of two more islands can be seen on this page: Mythology up top and Shrink Ray on the right, by the looks of it. All these missing islands seem to suggest the Creators still have a long way to go with rendering AS3 (newer) islands into Haxe.

Survival 1 had me stuck in a never-ending loading loop over my character as soon as I’d crash-landed onto the island, and with this being the early stages, these few Haxe islands may still be working out bugs. Proceed with caution!

Poptropica in Haxe also brings in a couple of subtle changes to the iconography of in-game movement. When hovering over an entrance, the text that tells you what room you’re entering is now wrapped in a white bar, as opposed to the white outline on the text as before. Also, the movement arrow loses part of its white outline on the side facing your character.

That about wraps up what’s up in Poptropica’s Haxe so far. Not much, but not nothing, and with new features on the way, it seems!

Have you noticed anything else new in Poptropica’s Haxe Javascript build? What islands do you hope will return next on the map? Share with us in the comments or contact us by email, Twitter, or Discord. Keep on popping on!

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Store

April forecast: a weekly showering in store

April 10, 2020April 10, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, April’s showering of store items is here—with a new twist?

A billboard on Home Island is promoting several springtime items now available in the store, with the promise that there will be “new stuff every week.” That weekly part is a first, since we’ve been getting monthly updates in the store for a couple years now.

In the store, we’ve got followers we’ve seen before from other places, such as last year’s Easter items: Chick, Narf, Mini Astroknight, Woodstock. Pranks this time are the Silly Streams, Egg Launcher, and Sneezing Powder. And in Miscellaneous, we have Hiking Shoes and a Marshmallow Roaster.

Some items from last month remain as well: in Powers, we still have Torch, Phantom, and Electrify; while in Costumes, there’s the Chomper, Red Heart, Clover Kid, Lilac Star, Wrestling Gear (boy and girl), and Prom King and Queen.

And if the billboard is any indicator, we’ll probably see the return of the pink bunny costume and pastel green dress in the coming weeks!

Stay tuned for updates to the store, as well as our next PHB post! Coming soon: we’ll be exploring the latest in Poptropica’s HAXE Javascript project…

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Bonus Items, Fan Art Features, Member Gifts, Membership, Social Media

Folklore figures: wear ’em, draw ’em, join ’em

April 5, 2020June 6, 2021 Gentle Dolphin

Hey, Poptropicans! We hope you’ve recovered from the flash of shock we gave earlier this month and are ready to dive into what else April has in store.

The April member gifts promise a blast to the past with three costumes based on some famous historical figures: Cleopatra, Sire Lancelot, and Pocahontas.

Speaking of the last costume, it looks oddly familiar. The Pocahontas costume bears a striking resemblance to Sacagawea in Time Tangled Island.

And what’s more, she’s fully customizable, even for non-members! So even if you’re not a member this month, you can get at least one of the member gifts. 😉 Just head on over to 1805 A.D. (the Lewis and Clark expedition) on Time Tangled Island, and you’ve got your two-for-one Native American look.

(Creators, next time maybe don’t imply that distinct iconic characters of shared ancestry, yet different time periods, are interchangeable by their appearance?)

On Instagram, Poptropica challenged artists to draw Ned Noodlehead in their style and to share the drawings with the hashtag #NedNoodlehead. Interesting that they chose Ned, the comic shop kid from Super Power Island—one of the old school islands that have disappeared from the map.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Official Poptropica (@poptropicacreators)

Within a day, creative fans got to work, and Poptropica featured some of the Ned Noodlehead art on their Instagram story. Check out these magnificent Noodlehead doodles! Think you could give it a try, too?

Recently, Poptropica has been promoting Timmy Failure Island on various channels—social media, the Creators’ Blog, and even the Home Island billboard. (Did you know that Timmy Failure has its own Disney+ movie now?)

But something odd has happened: Timmy Failure Island, which was formerly free for all, is now only available to members. Unlike with previously member-locked islands, this time non-members won’t even get to play a demo before hitting the paywall message. (Thanks for the tip, Perfect Fish.)

Strangely, the message refers to “early access” for Timmy Failure Island being for members only, even though the island came out in 2015. Did they just forget to change the wording, or are they working on revamping Timmy Failure for the Javascript (post-Flash) project and letting members beta test it first? Whatever the case, let’s hope it isn’t a failure.

Thoughts on this month’s member gifts and the fate of Timmy Failure Island? Want to share a Noodlehead doodle with us? Drop them in the comments!

Also, check out the other stuff we’ve got going on in the posts below! Join us for Community Creations (current theme: “stay at home”), take the 2020 PHB readers’ survey, and get some ideas for passing the time in quarantine with some good old Poptropica.

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Community Creations

Community Creations: March 2020

April 3, 2020April 3, 2020 Spotted Dragon

Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the March recap for Community Creations! March’s theme was Hobbies 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

DnD Night by BlazingAngel123

Ah, DnD, a classic hobby if I do say so myself! Each character in this composition has a unique expression and design, which really makes the scene dynamic. Can you imagine these villains actually playing games together? It certainly would be a sight to see, and I think Raven would make a great DM. Excellent work! Find her DeviantArt here.

Painting by iLee-Font

I think it’s safe to say that if you’re a fan of community creations, you’re likely a fan of painting as well. Poptropica’s art community is strong and talented as ever, so of course painting is a perfect hobby to showcase! And who better to showcase it than Black Widow herself? I love her design in this piece, and I love the more pastel color scheme. Absolutely wonderful! Find their DeviantArt here.

Poptropica Chess Playing by AdventurersNHunters

Another classic game! For some reason, it is super easy for me to imagine our beloved Poptropicans from Mythology Island playing chess. And to be honest, my money is on Athena over Zeus. But anyway, I love the colors and detail in this design! The background and foreground work well together for sure. Great work! Find their DeviantArt here.

Extreme Work Out (Collab) by NineTenOnetyOne and WitchyArtistGal

Oooh, a collaboration! When two artists put their heads together, great things happen. I love the humor in this piece and the posing of the characters. Plus, dialogue always adds a unique layer of context and interest. You can definitely see the talents of both artists coming together here, which is a wonderful thing to feature! And exercising is certainly a good hobby to get behind. Fantastic! Find their DeviantArts here and here.

Ok by Criaha

Now music is a hobby that certainly has a place in Community Creations! This simple design shows a lot of artistic talent through subtle details and choices. The lineart and shading is smooth and the composition of the arms is excellent. Even the slight glow of the eye adds such great interest! Seeing Binary Bard in this style is really beautiful. Nice work! Find her DeviantArt here.

Honorable Mentions

No honorable mentions this month guys, sorry! Keep sending in those submissions though! In the meantime, did you catch the PHB’s annual April Fools prank? I think that the work Gentle Dolphin put into it definitely deserves a feature.

April: 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 April’s theme? April’s theme is…

Stay Home!

During these tough times, it’s important to stay at home so we can keep as many people safe as possible. But I definitely know that boredom can be a tough enemy during these times as well, but that doesn’t mean we have to stay bored! Finding a creative outlet that you can work on while stuck at home is a perfect boredom buster, so why not participate in Community Creations?

The theme is pretty vague this month so everyone can join in. Show us what you’re doing to have fun at home, with a Poptropica styled twist! Any Poptropica art (or writing, or costumes, or anything) you create purely out of boredom is perfectly acceptable to submit. So get out of bed and get creating! Having trouble? Check out our post on what to do in Poptropica during quarantine to spark some inspiration!

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 always be sure to let you know I have seen your creation. Bonus points if you make a compelling description for your piece! 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