Comics, Virus Hunter Island

When in quarantine, play Poptropica

Hey Poptropicans. By now, you’ve probably heard of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping over the world, causing school shutdowns, closing businesses, and more. With life on lockdown, why not turn to Poptropica to pass the time?

Like the postcard? You can download Virus Hunter Island printable postcards from Poptropica and send them to your friends!

Real talk, though: we haven’t heard from Poptropica in about a month, and with all of this going on, Poptropica Creators may have their workflow disrupted, too. That could mean a lull in activity for Poptropica, despite earlier promises about updates for this year. We’ll have to wait and see.

Anyway, whether the virus has been on your radar for months, or has just started to affect your area in the past couple weeks, at least one thing is clear: staying away from crowds helps keep you and everyone safe.

The outside world may be falling apart, but on the flip side, the online world is thriving. Here on the PHB, we’re bringing you recommendations for enjoying the best of Poptropica while under quarantine. There’s plenty to do inside!


Can you stomach the comics? ๐Ÿฆ 

One obvious island comes to mind: Virus Hunter. In this island released in 2013, your mission is to locate the person harboring a dangerous new virus, then enter his body to remove the disease before it spreads! There couldn’t be a more relatable adventure in these trying times, and whether it’s your first time playing or you want to revisit it, the PHB has a guide for you.

Before the island came out all those years ago, Poptropica created a six-page comic called Pandemic Panic as a prelude to Virus Hunter Island. Check it out below, and read tons more official Poptropica comics on the PHB!


More island adventures, for all the benchers ๐Ÿ

Besides Virus Hunter, Poptropica is also filled with lots of other great island adventures to play. If staying at home is starting to feel like jail, try busting out of prison on Escape From Pelican Rock Island. If you miss large gatherings full of people, mingle with the cosplayers on PoptropiCon Island. Or if you prefer to strike it out on your own, embrace the solitude of Survival Island. There’s something for everyone, and we have all the guides you’ll need!

Here’s an open secret: the islands currently on the map aren’t the only ones you can play. With the Old Island Directory, you can play about 30 more old school islands, which Poptropica had taken down from the official game due to the older technology causing bugs. Since Flash is going down, now’s the time to play them before they’re gone for good!


Create or compete, staying upbeat ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐ŸŽจ

Even beyond the decades of islands, Poptropica still has a fair amount of fun to offer. The Photo Booth is back, your club house could use a refreshed design, and worlds are waiting to be made on Realms. And while you’re at it, maybe you’ll enjoy giving your character a new look, too!

Meeting up in real life may not be a great idea these days, but you can still hang out with friends online! Drop by the arcade at the same time and you can play games like Star Link together, or head in solo and find new buds. You can also challenge yourself on solo games like Blaster Attack.

And last but not least, join in on the PHB’s Community Creations challenge! This month’s theme is Hobbies, and all this downtime is a great opportunity to explore some (within health precautions, of course). Whatever the hobby, you have until the end of March to capture it for us Poptropica-style. Details here.


What have you been up to in this pandemic panic? Share your stories in the comments, keep washing your hands, and take care, everyone! ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿงผ

โ€”the Pop-pandemic Help Blogโ€”

Advertisements, Member Gifts, Membership, Photo Booth

Big hair, big waves, and big comebacks

Hi, everyone! This is Gentle Dolphin here with the latest Pop news. Let’s start off with something pretty big from earlier this month: March member gifts.

This month, members will get to rock that “Big Hair, Don’t Care” attitude with three humongous hairstyles: Big Afro, Big Dreadlocks, and Big Ponytail. Speaking of big, we want to give a big thank you to Shiny Bird for these pics.

If you are an active member, these colossal coiffures will be added to your inventory upon logging in to Poptropica this month. Act fast and snatch these weaves before they disappear for good!


Moving along, we have a new ad starring 2020’s American Girl of the Year: Joss Kendrick. It’s a basic billboard ad showing Joss and her dog Murph surfing across the ocean waves, which will make many northern players long for the arrival of summer.

joss_billboard

All you need to do is watch a short video to win two prizes: Joss’s Cheer Outfit and the Murph Follower. I could make a witty American Girl joke here, but I’m pretty sure you guys know more about American Girl dolls that I do. ๐Ÿ˜œ


Next time you visit Home Island, make sure to walk past the Pet Barn. You will discover that, after being gone for almost six months, the Photo Booth is back in business! If you’re feeling especially photogenic, step inside and get ready to take some amazing photographs.

photoboothreturn

Inside, you will find that nothing has changed since the Photo Booth last appeared. You still have the classic backgrounds and characters, as well as plentiful props and effects. Even though the options aren’t new, that shouldn’t stop you from getting creative! Have fun making all kinds of silly scenarios and epic battles!

When you are done with your photo, click the green check mark button to save it to the Photo Board on your player profile. Unfortunately, your picture will not be saved to your device like before. The best you can do for now is take a screenshot on your phone or computer.

That’s all for now. Feel free to comment below what your favorite hairstyle is, or what you plan on creating in the Photo Boothโ€”or even share your creations! Or at least some American Girl facts, perhaps?

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

โ€”Gentle Dolphin๐Ÿฌ

Community Creations

Community Creations: February 2020

community-creations-logo

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

No clue whatโ€™s going on? Go see our intro post.

Top 5 Picks

Drake by PegaKid2012

Man, already starting out with a classic format, huh? This idea was simple, but creative and very appropriate for our theme! Just goes to show you that ideas can pop out of now where, no matter how much your inspiration may seem to be blocked at first. That’s the whole point of this series, right? Anyway, the layout is perfect and the emotion of the original meme is definitely captured well here. Very funny! Find her DeviantArt here.

Yall Remember Poptropica by ray-of-flight

Ah yes, a cat meme. The internet’s favorite meme format. And rightfully so a lot of the time! I love Black Widow’s coy expression in this design. She somehow perfectly matches the expression of that sly cat? Even in the face of a knife? Anyway, the lineart and coloring here is super clean and professional, with obviously some excellent humor backing up the work. Seriously, how amazingly fitting??? Find his DeviantArt here.

Cursed Image by Gentle Dolphin

Dang, another classic template! We’re really knocking this theme out of the park, huh guys? The reference to Amelia’s seemingly doppelganger in Poptropica is super relevant and funny. It perfectly fits the Spider Man meme format, both in subject matter and in art style! I must say, that 1960s TV vibe really shines through, and it makes for a simply excellent piece. The composition and the figures match the original super well, and the VHS style really shines through when combined with the style of the artist themselves! Find her DeviantArt here.

The Internet’s Slow in a Pocket Dimension by Magniventris

Okay, I know that pose anywhere, even if its in a Binary Bard guise. Another classic meme template! The top and bottom text are super reminiscent of some older meme layouts, and I must say that the Poptropican context is hilarious. The humor and emotion behind this is oddly fantastic, and I love the character design of Binary Bard here! The artist really let their own interpretation of the villain flair, putting in unique detail into his robotic half for sure. Seriously, great work in a simple layout! Find her DeviantArt here.

Jorge Dabs by ANNE14TCO

Pffft, okay, this is kinda silly but I love it. And it’s that what meme culture is all about? I love featuring characters from the Poptropica books, and the animation of this submission certainly makes it stand out from the rest. Dabbing is still cool……… right? *ahem* Stepping away from that, I think that the movement and random humor in this submission is perfect for our theme. Ridiculous, I love it! Find her DeviantArt here.


Honorable Mentions

Absolutely hilarious submissions this month guys! Really a theme to mark in the history books, so keep up the creative work!


March: How Do I Participate?

Community Creations is a cool series for anyone in the Poptropica community to join in on. To sum up what itโ€™s about, itโ€™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 monthโ€™s theme. So what is March’s theme? March’s theme isโ€ฆ

Hobbies!

Poptropica, for many of us, is a cherished lifestyle hobby. But it certainly isn’t the community’s only hobby! So why not showcase some of those other hobbies in our next theme, as much of the world moves towards spring?

Whatever you like to do, or whatever your Poptropican likes to do, is totally acceptable! Whether is be a sport, playing an instrument, theater, glass blowing, baking, ghost hunting, you name it! Maybe you just like, I don’t know, …trains? The limits are completely up to you, so be sure to show off your creativity, but more importantly, your passion!

  • Comment below with a link to whatever youโ€™ve created OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) on DeviantArtTwitter, 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 youโ€™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, Iโ€™m mainly looking for something to simply catch my eye, so donโ€™t be afraid to join in!

So what are you waiting for? Go make something awesome!

~SD

Web Development

Get on a different level with PHB game guides ๐Ÿ’ช

Hey Poptropicans, get your game face on! We’re about to blast you into the arcade scene and show you how it’s done…

Some distant time ago, Poptropica brought us the Blast-off Arcade, and with it, three new games. They also refined three other games (and took out seven others, rip). Anyway, here on the PHB, we’ve (finally) updated our Game Guides, complete with pages for the newer arcade games Blaster Attack, Crash-n-Bash, and Poptastic. (Better late than never, right?)

We’ve also updated our guides for the older games Balloons, Sky Dive, and Star Link, which, although they’ve retained the same gameplay and style, did receive slight graphic refinements. Have you noticed, for example, that the background on Sky Dive is colored a little deeper than before? Or that falling too fast doesn’t make a Poptropican-sized hole in the ground anymore?

To get to our new and improved Game Guides, look for “Pop Plus” on the PHB site menu and go to “Game Guides.” From there, you’ll find all the head-to-head and single-player game pages, with tips and tricks to make you a pro.

But that’s not all! Scroll down some more on the page, and you’ll also find a section dedicated to the Bygone Days with info about classic, now-retired games like Hoops, Pathwise, and Soupwords. Plus, we’ve included memories of old multiplayer hangouts like the Multiverse, tribe rooms, and even those good old five-star battle rankings โ€” all gone with Flash’s impending doom.

Oh well, at least we still have all these other flashy arcade games. I mean, did you know that the balloon animals on Poptastic move at different speeds depending on their color? Because if not, you might need that game guide. ๐Ÿ˜‰

๐Ÿš€ So what are you waiting for? ๐Ÿ‘‡
Get on out there and beat your high scores with PHB Game Guides!