Guest Posts, Popspiracy Theories

Popspiracy: Behind the Backpacker

Slanted Fish

(This is a guest post by Hyper Gamer, a PHB reader here to share some Poptropica thoughts. Keep in mind that what he presents is only theory, not to be taken as fact. If you have a Popspiracy, see below for details on guest posting! Enjoy! –SlantedFish 🐠)

popspiracy

How is everyone? It’s me Hyper Gamer. I’m here today to share a Popspiracy.

Last month, the Creators posted a Daily Pop sneak peek of this character, laden with gold and goodies, titled “Backpacker”:

sneakpeek_03-25-16
Backpacker: Time to hit the dusty trail.

Good news! The Backpacker NPC (non-player character) is finally released. He resides on Home Island, but it seems like not everyone has been able to see him there yet. You have to complete Monkey Wrench Island in order to be able to see him, but if you’ve done that, try restarting the island as well.

What does this Backpacker guy do? The Backpacker guy tells you how to get to more adventures, which is basically the blimp. Below is a gif of me interacting with this character.

backpacker

Let’s start by discussing potential reasons why the Creators decided to create this guy. Yes you might think it’s for tutorial purposes, but I think there is more to it than that. Take a look at the image below.

backpacker1

On the left is a conversation with Amelia Earhart. On the right is a conversation with Backpacker. Notice how they both have a tutorial on how to get to more adventures. Why would there be a need for two tutorials of the exact same thing?

Maybe it’s supposed to be like that, but I think the Backpacker is part of an unfinished project that lies within the realm of secret projects the Creators can’t reveal. Perhaps they released the Backpacker earlier so we would think that they were doing something. If that’s the case, Backpacker’s release was made to not seem like something random that was unfinished. It actually looks fine where it is.

Now let’s talk about his role as a character in the Poptropica world. Going back to the sneak peek, the caption says, “Time to hit the dusty trail.” Now where is this trail? Is it on another island? Now look at all that stuff he’s carrying and the medallions he’s wearing. There’s only one explanation: He’s one of us. The backpack is his inventory and the medallions he won from other islands. Now why would some great adventurer be spending his time telling us how to get to more adventures?

Let’s look at his backpack. The sword could be from one of his adventures, perhaps on Astro-Knights Island, the map appears to be the one from Mystery of the Map, and the green coins must be his credits, to name a few. What if the Backpacker saw Poptropica through our perspective? Maybe he only sees what we see. By that I mean, he can only go to the Islands that have been released. Sine he’s completed all released islands, he is at Home Island resting. It’s called “home” for a reason. Now he spends his time helping all the newcomers on their adventures while relaxing on Home Island.

He has an ax and a crystal, which could be from the Poptropica Realms. And here’s another thought: he must be a paid member. He has membership, so he has no use for credits. That’s why he has so many green coins (credits) in his sack. Also, only members-only items have goggles like the pair he’s wearing. Sure, they may look a bit different (perhaps greener for those items based on Dr. Hare) on the item cards, but that’s a very small thing to worry about.

What do you guys think? Is the Backpacker part of something bigger? Is he Poptropica’s first NPC to break the fourth wall? Write back with your thoughts in the comments!

-Hyper Gamer

—

Share your Pop conspiracies in the comments or on the PHC – we’d love to hear them. If you’d like to develop it into a full guest post like this one, contact the PHB (minimum 500 words). Stay popping!

Uncategorized

Top Five Connections in Poptropica!

Spencer

Wihi folks!

Yes, I am back at it again with the white vans another Top Five post. This time is focusing a bit on some awesome connections in Poptropica that you more than likely aren’t aware of. Let’s begin!

5. The Costumizer Shirt is wearable… kinda.

The newer (yet still rare) original Rock Star costume had a green shirt, yellow star, and just overall looks incredibly similar to the shirt on the (updated) Costumizer button, and leads me to believe it is intentionally the same one.

4. The Green Hawk

This costume from Masks & Capes on Super Power Island actually belongs to a superhero, the Green Hawk! The Green Hawk comes from one of the Poptropica toys. Also, I totally wore that outfit ironically at PoptropiCon, heh…

ironically.

3. Factual, Furry Monsters

Before Time Tangled became a SUI, most areas had these bubbles for an iconic creature called the Fact Monster, which when clicked would offer factual information related to the area. Although there was never an official Fact Monster character in-game, this costume was leaked around the time Monster Carnival was rumored to come out (before 24 Carrot).

However, as we know, the leaked monster parts were recycled onto a series of monster costumes.  Now that’s a good way to make your hard work not go to waste!

2. Doctor… who?

Doctor SmartyPants – seen on a poster in PoptropiCon – feels almost too similar to our kid-testing doctor in the beloved Poptropica parody island, Mocktropica. Everyone seems to be a parody of someone in that island, so it makes sense the doctor would be as well. Despite the two being of different genders, I do feel this is super awesome if I’m right. 😀

Now it’s time for one connection you wouldn’t believe. We all know the gods of Poptropica only appeared in-game during and after Mythology Island… but what if I told you one god was there from the beginning?

1. Apollo statues

On Time Tangled, an Apollo statue appears in Ancient Greece. Well, it doesn’t say Apollo, but if you click on it, it does. The pose also references an iconic real-life classical Greek sculpture known as Apollo Belvedere, with one obvious difference: the Poptropican version is clothed.

Three years apart from each other, with no consistent storyline by any means, the same character appears again as a statue – on Mythology Island.

Yeh, I know it isn’t as drastic as if Myron Van Buren had first appeared on Early Poptropica (which did not happen), and this Apollo connection is just a popular Greek mythological character who incidentally had a minor role in two islands, but it is super cool… and a connection I doubt you knew. 😛

Wowie Spencey, two Top Five posts in a week, how good do you feel?

Amazing.

Well, until next post comes around!

Wibi!

-Cobalt

PMFM (Poptropican Meme Face Mondays)

Poptropican Meme Face Mondays: Round 22

Ultimate iPad Expert

Heyyo Poptropicans, it’s Ultimate iPad Expert here.

Many great inventions would follow. Fire. The wheel. Sliced bread. But none would be as great as the fabled PMFM that was prophesized to be created by a great expert of an Apple product. In the fall of 2015, this prophecy finally came true, and came forth the greatest invention, not only in memes, but of all time. Welcome to round twenty-two of PMFM (Poptropican Meme Face Mondays)!

PMFM-Round22

The lucky meme-faced Poptropicans this week are Squeezy Starfish, Funny Ant, and Brave Dolphin! And here are the memes:

Feel free to click on the images to view them in their full glory. 😛

Want your own meme face?

Well, it’s simple. Comment on the most recent PMFM post (just choose the one of the list here). Be sure to follow the criteria below:

  • Very crucial: Wear the outfit you want to have in the meme face on Poptropica and keep it on for at least a week.
  • As mentioned, find the most recent PMFM post (it will be at the top of this list)
  • Include your Poptropican username in a comment.
  • 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 twenty-two 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.

Meme King out. 👑

• Ultimate iPad Expert •

Uncategorized

Top Five Poppin’ Items We Wish Existed in Poptropica!

Spencer

Hey folks, Cobalt here!

Poptropicanos, I’ve hopped on my blimp and traveled to the PHC (that’s our Poptropica Help Chat hangout) and beyond for answers… to ask the Poptropica community if they could have any item in Poptropica that doesn’t currently exist, what would it be?

pop items

I got some awesome answers, answers that I mostly agreed with, and I decided to compile my favorites right here in a top five list! Here we go!

#5: Boomerang

How awesome would it be to have an item that could knock other things down for you, and immediately come back to your Poptropicano? Sure, you can do something like this with the Realms hammer, but what about one for the rest of Poptropica?

Awesome idea, Draco! 😀

Screenshot at Apr 05 14-22-46

#4: Teleporter

Now trust me, this idea is awesome. Sometimes, walking from place to place just takes way too long, and we’re forced to pass through ads along the way. Islands like Arabian Nights, I would teleport happily. Ad teleporters are cool too, and have been known to exist if you know where to look (though we don’t want them getting patched!).

Regardless, it’s a lovely idea, and at certain times on an island’s quest, I only have to agree. Thanks for the idea, TechWizard! 🙂

Screenshot at Apr 05 14-20-01.png

#3: Shoes

We’ve all seen the booted bandit, and we’ve all seen how spiffy footwear can look on a Poptropican. While big ones like that may look goofy, an optional shoe feature would be pretty sick. Great thought, SHSLDespair! 😉

Screenshot at Apr 05 14-25-14

#2: Skateboard

This is actually my thought, but a skateboard. It wouldn’t really get in the way of speed, it could be the same pace as walking for all I care, but we need a skateboard, man! You press spacebar and it goes back into your hand. Now, while skateboards do exist, (ex. the teen in Early Poptropica), they aren’t functional for you or anybody else. Change that. Change that right now. 😡

No, I’m just kidding. Though, any kind of travel would be cool in my opinion. 

Here is my absolute favorite that I got, from our own HPuterpop. I was planning on putting this in a top five wanted game features post though to be fair, he interpreted it as an item card, and considering I had the same exact thought, I just had to put it in.

#1: Eye Changing Emotion Card

Screenshot at Apr 05 14-40-41

You mean no more ASG-ing for a specific eye emotion? Or glitching over it in general? Being able to display your eyes’ emotion besides the default actions in common rooms? Only sounds reasonable and logical, I can’t see that happening. 😉

I definitely think all these picks are worth having in-game, what do you think? What’s an item you want in-game? Taco bout it below! 😛

My Place in Poptropica

My Place in Poptropica: Cuddly Knuckle

Slanted Fish

This is the My Place in Poptropica story of Cuddly Knuckle, a Poptropican active in the community with his own Poptropica blog. See the bottom of this post for details on sending in your own MPIP!

cuddlyknuckle

Hey guys and girls, I saw many people on the PHB sharing their “My Place in Poptropica” story, so I decided to send mine in as well. 🙂 Here we go!

2008 | Discovery

I was in third grade back when my mother showed me an educational site called FunBrain. When I saw FunBrain, there it was – the ad for Poptropica. I saw that the characters looked kind of cute and the game looked fun to play. So I went on the site, made my first account, and completed some islands for several days.

That is, until I got stuck in a hard island and lost interest in playing Poptropica a few weeks later. 😦

2011 | Cuddly’s Birth

A few years later, I did come back to Poptropica, and I forgot my old account’s username from not playing Pop for so long. I was so unhappy about my old account, and I had to make a new one. Yeah, I know, it’s so sad losing Poptropica accounts. 😦

After choosing my gender and age during the new account creation, he exploded out of the box: Cuddly Knuckle. I gave him the username “hesnothappy”, since I was so unhappy because I lost my old account, stuck on a hard island with his username forgotten. With Cuddly, I completed so many islands (the first I’ve beaten was Spy Island, for those who didn’t friend me 😛 ).

2012 | Finding the PHB

I became so involved in Poptropica, I started to google it and found many Pop blogs to comment on. And then I found it: the PHB. I started to talk to the authors and readers and read all the awesome posts and pages, especially the guides and the Magazines. It was so fun, and eventually after visiting the PHB a lot, I came to admire the PHB, the best Poptropica blog ever.

2014 | Joining the Blogging Community

Using a sibling’s email address, I finally created my own WordPress account and made my first blog. I didn’t want to post anything because I had school stuff to work on, and sadly deleted it since I lost interest in blogging a few weeks later. 😦 I still browsed other Pop blogs, though! 🙂

But later that year, I REALLY made a blog. I started to gain a SO MUCH interest in blogging, I made another blog on WordPress called Cuddly Knuckle’s Poptropica Blog (CKPB), and made my first three posts. However, I stopped posting a few days later because nobody viewed it or ‘liked’ the posts. This made me feel very lonely. 😦

2015 | The Most Awesome Year

After another month of reading other Pop blogs and commenting on the posts and pages, I went back to posting on the CKPB, with even more viewers and followers than before as well as some fellow authors helping to make more posts in the blog and make it better.

I also had a great time with Poptropica – my first Realms creation was featured on the second new Realms banner on the Poptropica homepage with five other creations! I also finished all the islands, and I had a great time playing this game. It was so awesome! 😀

I would like to thank all the PHB staff and everyone in the Poptropica community for admiring me for so many great years. The PHB is the very best Poptropica blog in the world, and I hope I will never, ever, stop reading all the Poptropica blogs or playing the awesome game. Keep up the good work, guys! You all are so awesome! ❤

I’m Cuddly Knuckle a.k.a Wilbur, and this is My Place is Poptropica. 😎

–

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). Look out for more community MPIPs in the future!

~the PHB.