Fanfiction, Guest Posts

Fanfic: Wilson School of Magic 🪔 Prologue

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Silver Sword/Shy Wing. Enjoy!

Hey Poptropicans! It’s me, Silver Sword ⚔️/Shy Wing 🦋. I know you haven’t heard from me in a while, so I’ve decided to to make a new fanfic! Also, this story features a Poptropican and PHB reader, Magic Kid. Enjoy!

WILSON SCHOOL OF MAGIC 🪔 PROLOGUE

One bright, sunny day on Home Island, Poptropicans were bustling around the whole place. There were lines of new Poptropicans trying to get into Poptropica for the first time, lines to Adventures Outfitters that went outside, millions of blimps taking off and landing, and so much more going on.

Magic Kid looked through her clubhouse window to try and figure out why this was all happening, when suddenly she remembered.

MAGIC KID: “How could I forget? Today’s the first day of Winter!”

She jumped down to the bottom level of her clubhouse and looked around for her winter coat, but when she found it, Magic Kid realized it was very old and dirty.

MAGIC KID: “Guess I’m due for a new coat. To Amelia’s shop!”

She ran out the door and past the line to Adventures Outfitters, accidentally cutting in front of the Poptropican who was up next.

AMELIA (breathlessly): “Good to see you, Magic Kid! What are you looking for today?”

MAGIC KID: “A new coat, please.”

Amelia passed her a brand new coat.

AMELIA: “Take it for free today. I thought I would never say this, but I think I’m gonna earn too much money today.”

Magic kid thanked Amelia and ran back home. She felt something in one of the pockets. She took it out.

MAGIC KID (gasping): “This lamp looks like magic! I’ll put it right here.”

Then she ran off to try her new coat on. However, Magic Kid was too busy to notice some weird noises coming from the lamp…

TO BE CONTINUED…

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Silver Sword/Shy Wing. If you did, you might also enjoy other fanfictions we’ve shared.

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!

Membership

Membership for $2,000 Buckys?! 🫣

Slanted Fish

Poptropica membership has been in for quite a ride lately. From being made free for all (supposedly a holiday gift that has continued past the holiday season) to the purchase page itself disappearing from the website menu, a new surprise emerges…

Now, a 1-month membership plan is being listed on the hidden purchase page for $2,000! For context, they used to be around US$3.95.

Surely, no one is going for this exorbitant price package, especially when all previously members’ content is still free in-game. Nor is Poptropica openly promoting this wild switch, so this just seems odd. 🤯

But where might Poptropicans actually spend their cash? Reddit user VillageInner8961 recently shared a pic of some permanent ink featuring the iconic disgruntled Bucky Lucas from Reality TV Island.

“I’ve been playing Poptropica since I was in like the second grade. I’m 20 now with adult money and a love of tattoos with stupid meaningful sentiments to me, so I got Bucky Lucas tattooed on December 19, 2023.”

VillageInner8961

Would you consider getting a Poptropica tattoo? Besides this one, back in 2022 we also featured another Poptropican’s ink of a Poptropolis Games-style character by @pworddestroyer69. Also pretty lit! 🔥

Only a couple days left to vote in our Favorite Poptropica Island Tournament (Preliminary Round)  — nominate your favorite islands to move on to the official tournament by Mon, Jan 8, 11:59PM EST! 🏝️

~🐠

Creators' Blog Guest Posts, Membership, Poptropica Official Series

Creators’ Blog and Membership Gone 💻❌

Gentle Dolphin

In an odd move, Poptropica started the new year with the removal of two important links on their website top menu: the Poptropica Creators’ Blog and the Membership page.

After almost a year of no activity, the official Poptropica Creators’ Blog is officially gone. Clicking links to the Creators’ Blog will redirect you to Poptropica’s homepage. Every news article, every behind-the-scenes look, every guest post… gone. It’s hard to believe that it happened. Rest in Pop, Creators’ Blog. 🪦🌹

On a slightly lighter note, the Membership page is still accessible, just not on Pop’s homepage. You can access it via Google search and a link on Poptropica’s Parents page. While the Membership page is here to stay (for now), the membership plans are still listed as $0.

When debunking the shutdown claim, Poptropica’s official accounts addressed the membership issue with differing details. Pop’s Twitter X account mentioned that membership would be free during the month of December, but Pop’s Instagram account simply said, “Poptropica is free to play for everyone!” with no additional notes. Considering recent events, I doubt that the prices will be added back anytime soon.

True to the Creators’ words, the game is still around. However, the loss of two integral pages is a sign of trouble for Poptropica as a whole. Buckle up, everyone, because 2024 is certainly going to be quite a year for Poptropica.

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Contests, PHB Specials

Favorite Poptropica Island Tournament (Preliminary Round) 🏝️🏆

Gentle Dolphin

Happy New Year, Poptropicans! 🎇🎊

You might remember the “Favorite Poptropica Character Tournament” that I hosted on Twitter X last year. Now, I’m hosting a new Pop-based tournament exclusively on the Poptropica Help Blog: the “Favorite Poptropica Island Tournament”! 🏝️🏆

Poptropica has over 50 islands to choose from, and I need your help to limit the scope. I have compiled a list of every Poptropica island from long-lost classics to fresh newcomers. All you need to do is select up to 10 islands in the preliminary round poll linked in this post. You have until Monday, January 8 @ 11:59 pm EST to nominate your favorites. The 32 islands with the most nominations will move on to the official tournament.

🏝️ Choose your favorite islands here! ☑️

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

PHB Specials

The Poptropica Island Eras Tour 🏝️🗺️✨

Slanted Fish

Poptropica has given us a lot of adventures to go on over the years, since the game first began in 2007. To celebrate the game’s legacy, in this post we’re going to go on a tour of its island eras! 🏝️

Compilation of islands on map by idk

This Poptropica Island Eras Tour, as some of you may have swiftly guessed, is inspired by another iconic Eras Tour — the 2023 concert tour of pop queen Taylor Swift, whose music career has also spanned a similar timeframe as Poptropica over the years. An enchanting connection! ✨

Speaking of Taylor, let’s kick this off with one of her hits! The PHB came out with “Backspace”, a parody on “Blank Space”, back in 2021 to petition for the return of old islands that have disappeared from the game since the end of Flash in 2020. Enjoy:

And now, let’s meet the Poptropica Island Eras…

The Classics (2007–2013)

Welcome to the beginning! The Classics are the earliest islands to have popped onto the map. These OG islands from 2007–2013 came with small screens and almost no sound. They were built with AS2, a Flash-based programming language, and are now only playable via Flashpoint.

Bonus Tracks — these mini-quests from the Classics era were not quite islands, and a couple were released on consoles besides the computer.

Episodic (2014–2015)

After years of solid standalone stories, Poptropica decided to shake things up by introducing episodic islands, breaking up an island’s story into a series of episodes. This Episodic era only lasted a couple years from 2014-2015, bringing shorter but more frequent releases.

Flashier (2013–2016)

Starting from 2013 and encompassing the Episodic era, Poptropica used a newer (but now still outdated) Flash technology, AS3. These Flashier islands came with more sound and bigger screens. These adventures can be found in AS3 Flashpoint as well as Poptropica’s paid Steam bundle.

Worlds (2017–2018)

With the looming demise of Flash, Poptropica Worlds was introduced as a new platform for the game’s future development. From 2017–2018, Worlds brought a handful of 3D adventures. Sadly, it remained inactive until it was quietly discontinued in 2022, and is no longer playable.

Haxe (2019–2023)

While Worlds went dormant, Poptropica continued updating its original platform. In 2020, Poptropica rolled out Haxe to replace the Flash build. This current era is characterized by islands that are shorter and simpler than in years past, along with a curious trend towards Roblox.

Like Taylor reclaiming her music by re-recording her previous songs, Poptropica has also since re-released some of their old islands after they were lost to Flash. The Flashier era and a few of the Classics are recovered on Steam, but we can only hope that more adventures join them someday. Until then, we also have the unofficial Flashpoint.

Anyway, that’s a wrap for the Poptropica Island Eras Tour! We hope you enjoyed this journey through Pop’s many storytelling eras of 16 years and counting. Share your favorite era with us in the comments! ✏️

Poptropica, it was enchanting to meet you.

~ 🩵 the PHB