You may recall over a year ago, I came to the PHB with a similarly titled post. We started up a (planned-to-be) yearly survey for our blog readers. That survey was quite an interesting one, and we got a lot of super interesting information regarding what our community looks like.
Well, I think it’s about time for this year’s survey – so, here it is: the 2017 PHB Readers’ Survey!
Last year, the survey took place in January, purposely to correspond with the PHB’s half-birthday. However, it slipped my mind until recently, and I felt super angry at myself for forgetting about it. But hey, better late than never.
This survey contains all of the same questions from last year to help us see what changes have occurred among the community. There are 18 questions for this year’s survey, regarding you and your experience with the PHB and the rest of the Poptropica community. Your identity is kept anonymous for the survey, unless you desire to share it.
The survey is available right now to fill out! So, click the button below and help us all understand the community more as a whole:
You have from now until next Tuesday, February 14 to complete the survey. After that deadline, I will begin work on compiling the results and creating a post to discuss the results of the survey! I don’t have a definite date for this, but I will be trying to get it out by early March.
Did you take the survey? Are you excited to see the results? Comment below.
Include the meme face you would like on your Poptropican in your comment (a link to an image of the meme is very preferred).
Post your comment and wait! (PMFM is operated on a first come-first serve basis, so your meme face will come after all of the ones before are released).
Just a note: You do not need to re-comment on newer posts if you haven’t gotten yours yet. Once I reply to your comment mentioning “You being added to the list,” then I have seen your comment and added it to my literal list, so yours will be made after each one before is made.
This completes round sixty-one of meme faces. Tune in next Monday for the next Poptropican Meme Face Mondays!
What do you think about this week’s meme faces? Comment below.
Hey Poptropicans! This post is going to be a long one, so hang in there – it’s out of this world. 😉
Let’s talk about Poptropica Worlds. For those of you who have missed the memo, Pop Worlds is the massive overhaul project formerly referred to by the community as New Poptropica – the complete re-designing of Poptropica as we know it. It was officially announced on the Creators’ Blog in April of last year, where it was advertised to launch “later [that] year.”
Well, it’s early 2017, and we know that didn’t happen. However, we did get the trailer video last month, where the name Poptropica Worlds was announced, along with a new release time frame: spring 2017! You can check out the trailer below:
Let’s not deny that it has been a long time coming, though; even longer than expected. The frustrating part, as many Poptropicans can attest to, is not getting many updates on its progress (sneak peeks and the like). But if you’re reading this, it means you’ve held on for all this time, keeping the spirit of Poptropica alive. And that’s pretty awesome.
Waiting isn’t easy, but it’s given us some things to think about. Let’s get into the big questions.
Is Poptropica “dying”?
2016 was a very different year for Poptropica, in terms of production. As you may recall from our 2016 Rewind, there were events and updates here and there, but barely any new islands – the only one was Monkey Wrench, the tutorial for new players, which doesn’t really constitute a full island.
And so, understandably, there have been concerns from Poptropicans all over the community that the game is “dying.” That the only thing keeping it alive is the fandom community. These are legitimate concerns. We’re used to getting a new island every couple of months, as we have been for years, and Poptropicans were not prepared for the dry spell we’ve been having.
But: not all is lost. It’s true that a lot of the activity is kept up by the community, the players like you and I. Many Pop bloggers have been active in Poptropica-inspired fan projects and pursuits, and the PHB is no exception: we’ve averaged about a post a day (sometimes more) in the past year (just look at our archives in the sidebar). Poptropica has been busy in their other endeavors as well, even putting on a couple of contests for the fans as well as releasing books and other little updates.
Sometimes, in the midst of “lame” updates, we forget that we actually are waiting for something, that the New Poptropicais and has beenin development all this time. Even though we’ve gotten only a few glimpses of what’s to come, let’s not lose sight of the future ahead. Something bigger is coming.
Even as we wait, Poptropica is not dying. Poptropica is building a new kingdom behind-the-scenes, and it’s almost time for us to step into it. Are we ready?
Here’s another question to think about…
How is Poptropica doing in relation to other kids’ virtual worlds?
Poptropica is a pretty big enterprise, and it’s easy to dismiss the slowed signs of activity as a signal of its impending doom. But for almost a decade, Poptropica has done pretty well for themselves – they’ve achieved the ever-elusive “success.” Just think of the many other games, apps, and projects you’ve dabbled with for a period of time, only for them to fade from memory and use. So, for all that it is, it’s pretty impressive that Poptropica has stayed afloat for over 9 years.
Some of you may have heard about the imminent closure of another popular virtual world: Club Penguin. Well, closure isn’t fully accurate. But they are shutting down the desktop and app worlds in favor of a new, mobile-only game: Club Penguin Island.
You read that right: Island. Like Poptropica Islands! It’s funny that they’re embracing this term just as Poptropica is choosing a new one (Worlds).Poptropica blogger Tall Cactus noted the similarity on her blog as well. Could they even be trying to rub off on Poptropica’s success with one buzzword? This is only a speculation, but the possibility is there.
As Club Penguin enters this new stage of existence after 11 years online, so Poptropica approaches its 10th anniversary this coming September. The official Poptropica Twitter (and an ex-Creator, Director D aka @JamesDLema) has even acknowledged the big news from their competitor:
It is a bit sad, huh? btw, we're not discontinuing Poptropica when we debut Poptropica Worlds this spring.
Friendly reminder that, unlike Club Penguin, Poptropica is keeping its original game even after the launch of the new one. So you don’t have to worry about losing everything you’ve built just yet – and that’s a good thing. We’re going to need to ease into the big transition.
Speaking of kids’ sites, Poptropica’s social media person (though on a personal Twitter handle), Jessica (Skinny Moon) gave a shout-out to ex-Creator Director D’s latest endeavor, Lego Life:
Might catch your interest if you’re into Lego and social media! It’s brand new, and that’s the thing: Creators keep creating. Who knows how long it’ll be before it takes on a new form?
What next?: Our Hopes, Concerns, and a Call to the Creators
So now what? How do we keep our patience from running thin?
First, we remember that Poptropica Worlds is still in development, has been for at least the past year, and will soon be here. We remember that Poptropica is creating something totally cool for our interests.
Then we recognize that Poptropica has come a long way, has already delivered on many amazing islands and other events, and still has a bright future ahead with the development of a massive upgrade.
And then, of course, we hope for the best. Spring is right around the corner – you know, once we get through this winter. If all goes according to plan (and it would be embarrassing to backtrack on a release date a second time), we should be playing Poptropica Worlds sometime soon.
Now let’s address perhaps the biggest concern we’ve had during this whole waiting business: Poptropica’s silence. Their commitment to keeping development and progress reports under wraps for the most part did not bode well for many Poptropica fans.
Dear Poptropica Creators, it’s understandable that you don’t want to give too much away and spoil the fun, but if you’re going to keep us waiting for this long, you need to give your fans something more to hold onto than the same old lines about not revealing anything. Where are the sneak peeks? The progress updates? Is a little tease every once in a while too much to ask?
When it turned out that you could not make the release in the timeframe you had promised, why did you not acknowledge it? Many of us were left disappointed (though some of us unsurprised) when 2016 rolled away and New Poptropica did not arrive. Why didn’t you say something? Why did you keep our hopes up and wait for them to be dashed without a word?
Remember this holiday post on the Creators’ Blog, and the speculation it brought over the ambiguous but hugely suggestive wording – that we might finally get a New Pop update?
And how, we waited for the remaining week of the 2016 year, hoping for something with each passing day? What did we get? Two updates to the #MyPoptropicaCostume contest, and on the last day of the year finally delivering on… the behind-the-scenes look for an Island of the Month, promised since the beginning of the month. Don’t get me wrong, these were good things, but the fact remains that Poptropica chose to stay silent on the biggest matter of them all: New Poptropica.
Can you feel the disappointment?
So this is the call for Poptropica’s Creators: If you value your fans, listen to them. Address their yearning and give them something new to hope for, a little taste for what’s in the works. Don’t be silent.
Thanks for making it through this lengthy post, and I hope it’s given you some food for thought.
Creators, you’re awesome for working hard to bring Poptropica Worlds to life – just remember who’s playing the game. Poptropicans, you’re awesome for sticking it through a year of no new islands – so keep going, and of course, stay popping. 😉
All good things,
– slantedfish –
Update: Poptropica left a comment on this post saying the following:
Hi Poptropicans! Slanted Fish, thanks for writing this post! As I said in the FAQ post comments, there hasn’t been much to share because we’ve been building Poptropica Worlds from scratch. All the back-end work has to come before actual Island development, and then the beginning parts of Island development don’t have anything visual — so that’s why there hasn’t been anything to show for a long time. You’ll get peeks when we have peeks to show, and that should be in the near future!
As for that end of 2016 blog post where we said there would be some “very interesting stuff on the blog” the next week — I was referring to the post about having 12 instead of 2 winners in the art contest, and the post about Poptropica Worlds. The PW post got delayed for a few reasons, unfortunately. We didn’t mean to be silent at the end of the year, but sometimes in game development, unforeseen things happen!
Poptropica Worlds is going to be awesome and we’re so excited to debut it this Spring. I wish I could tell you more, but what I’ve seen is really, really cool. 😀
This is the My Place in Poptropica story of LillySparkle$, who runs a Poptropica fansite called The Pop Blog with her friend Mia. See below for how to send in your own MPIP!
Hi, I’m Lilly, and this is my detailed MPIP. I love this series so much and I thought it would be fun to write one myself – so here we go!
2010-2011 | Fun for the Whole Family!
Back in first grade computer lab, our teacher let us go on Funbrain. I played the fun mini-games they had for a while, and soon an advertisement popped up for Poptropica, which also looked fun. I asked my teacher if I could play it, and to my surprise, she said yes! The whole class soon got in on the action.
Eventually, the school blocked the game – but that didn’t stop me from playing at home. My sisters caught on as well, and unlike me, they actually played the islands – whereas I would just run around on Poptropica and do a lot of customizing. Later, my cousin also got in on the action, and it was pretty fun!
2012-2014 | A Million Accounts?!
I played Poptropica continuously throughout elementary school, eventually learning to complete islands by watching and pausing YouTube videos. My favorite island at the time was Cryptids Island.
Most people remember their first account like it was yesterday, while I – well, let’s just say I wanted credits to buy a costume, so I saved so many accounts and always forgot the password.
Slowly, starting around 2014, Poptropica faded away from my life: with school, friends, and other activities, I never really found time for it. My siblings, as they grew up, also grew out of Poptropica and forgot about it with time.
2016 | Coming Back, Better Than Ever!
One fateful day, I got sick and had to stay home from school. After several TV show marathons, I got bored and went on the computer. I was trying to think of a game to play, and then it hit me: Poptropica! I made a new account, LillySparkle$, and started Escape From Pelican Rock Island.
The next day, I was talking to my friends at lunch about it, and my close friend Mia said, “Oh yeah, I remember it!” She found her old account, and soon started playing Escape From Pelican Rock as well. We helped each other through the island, and it was a ton of fun!
Since we had so much fun helping each other, we decided to share our love with Poptropica to the world – by making a blog! That was how we started The Pop Blog, which you can check out here.
Anyway, when we first started The Pop Blog, we would play Poptropica at school. One random time when our teacher let us play games, I immediately went over to Poptropica and continued where I had left off with Lunar Colony Island. A boy walked up behind me and asked, “Are you playing Poptropica?” I thought he was going to laugh at me, but then he got on his computer and started playing Poptropica as well! It reminded me that no matter how old we get, we are still kids and should embrace what we love.
As the islands we attempted got tougher, we stumbled upon the PHB’s guides – they are so helpful! It’s great how this blog updates you right away about anything new in Poptropica.
I love Poptropica, not only because it’s a fun game, but because anyone can be a hero and save the day. No matter what gender or age you are, you can be important. In Poptropica, everyone is different, but together, we make ourselves one, and we are all heroes.
–
Hope you enjoyed this “My Place in Poptropica” story! Feel free to send in your own (please include a minimum of 550 words, type with good spelling and grammar, divide it into labeled sections, and include your username). If you send in your story, we will continue to post newcommunity MPIPs!
It’s Lucky Joker here bringing you some poptastic news regarding the #MyPoptropicaCostume contest!
Yes, it’s the announcement we’ve been waiting for – Just a little while ago, the two grand prize winners, along with 20 runner-ups (which I’ll talk about later), have been announced on the Creators’ Blog! There were over 750 costume entries submitted, but in the end it was Creepy Peanut’s “Ocean Princess” and Speedy Toes’ “Hip Hop Boy” costumes that took the grand prize!
“Ocean Princess” by Creepy Peanut
“Hip-Hop Boy” by Speedy Toes
As promised, each of their costumes will be created by Poptropica, sold in the store for a limited time and worn by an NPC on Home Island. Additionally, they will each receive a free 6-month membership. Now onto the voting information!
Again, 20 runner-ups have been chosen by Poptropica, and now the ones that become real costumes are up to us! Vote for 10 of your favorite costumes and make sure to do so before February 7, midnight ET over on the Creators’ Blog.
Each of the ten runner-ups will win a free 3-month membership and also have their costume sold in the Poptropica Store for a limited time later this year! (Hey, that’s what they said about New Poptropica too…)
As seen in the collage above, the runner-ups are, in order from left to right, top row to bottom row:
“Witch and Wizard” by Young Heart
“Cyborg” by White Coyote
“Watermelon Threads” by Shiny Penguin
“Winter Explorer” by Maroon Ring
“Elven Chic” by Little Ghost
“The Hipster” by Slanted Fish (the PHB’s very own founder!) *
“Celestial Mage” by Invisible Biker (congrats on placing twice!)
*Side note and update: “The Hipster” replaced an earlier runner-up, “Technology Girl” by Tall Hero, after it was pointed out to Poptropica that it was not an original drawn/invented costume. They decided to disqualify and replace it.
Thanks for the heads-up. That entry has been disqualified. We replaced it with another deserving entry.
🦄 Ponytropica 🦄 