PHB Specials

PHB 15M Special: Poptropica Music Video for Soundless Islands!

Hey Poptropicans – as a special treat for visiting this blog and helping us reach the milestone of 15 million hits, I created a little something for everyone: a Poptropica non-SUI music video, matching songs from pop culture to islands in Poptropica that don’t have their own soundtracks (yet)! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. 😀

Each music segment lasts 15 seconds, for our 15M hits. Now, you might pair these islands with different songs (feel free to share in the comments!), but if you like these tunes or just want to know why I picked them, read on – you can also click on the song titles below to hear them on YouTube.

Early Poptropica Island: Lollipop by MIKA

Dark pits aside, Poptropica’s first island is a fun, bouncy adventure that gets the player a feel for the game – so why not a catchy tune? Plus, ‘lollipop’ has ‘pop’ in it, just like the island’s name.

Shark Tooth Island: Jaws Theme by John Williams

The great Booga shark is terrorizing the locals, and what better accompaniment than the soundtrack to a shark movie? It’s got suspense, but not without a little jaunty sub-tune thrown in.

Super Power Island: Discord by Eurobeat Brony

Despite being a fan-made My Little Pony mix, this is a fun song about villainy, which is rampant on Super Power – and it’s got deliciously evil laughter mixed in with cries of discord and anarchy.

Spy Island: Another One Bites the Dust by Queen

This classic gives the feel of the sly walk of a spy – perfect for the action and adventure of Spy Island, where you can feel like a boss for sneaking past guard dogs and avoiding lasers.

Nabooti Island: Circle of Life from The Lion King

Opening with cries in the Zulu language, this seems fitting for an island that takes place in Africa where we encounter jungles, animals, and other exciting life. (Even the Nabooti totem comes alive!)

Big Nate Island: Yakety Sax by Boots Randolph

In Big Nate’s world, we jump around in a cartoon realm chasing after comic strips, pulling pranks, and digging up a time capsule – and this goofy, recognizable melody embraces all sorts of shenanigans.

Astro-Knights Island: The Imperial March (Vader’s Theme) by John Williams

Ah, Star Wars. A galactic empire, a cyborg villain, a trapped princess – also elements of Astro-Knights! Darth Vader’s epic tune is a natural fit for our clashes with the robotic creatures of outer space.

Counterfeit Island: All the Rowboats by Regina Spektor

A beautiful ballad that sings of paintings forever trapped in their gold frames, this slightly-creepy sound clicks with the canvas caper. There’s even a verse about public mausoleums, like the tunnels we visit.

Reality TV Island: Best Day of My Life by American Authors

You’re competing in a reality TV show with a host of colorful characters – why wouldn’t this be the best day of your life? It’s all fun and games – until you get voted off, that is.

Skullduggery Island: The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything – cover by Relient K

Originally a silly song from VeggieTales, this pirate anthem might resonate with all the scallywags who feel like collecting enough doubloons for that Phoenix Warbird is just too much work. (It really is!)

Steamworks Island: Lone Star by Jim Guthrie

Traipsing through an abandoned steampunk world gets a little lonely, especially with only mechanical parts for company. This track from the indie game Sword & Sworcery kind of embodies that feeling.

Great Pumpkin Island: Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi Trio

This upbeat piano composition made for Peanuts animated TV specials, including one that inspired this island, captures the childhood misadventures that follow Charlie Brown and his gang.

Cryptids Island: Scotland the Brave – cover by the Pipes & Drums of the Royal Tank Regiment

Bold and patriotic, this unofficial Scot anthem inspires brave souls to take on the world – in this case, the hunt for legendary beasts, including the Loch Ness Monster of Scotland.

Wild West Island: Wild and Free by Rednex

Yeehaw! An adventure with bucking broncos and moustachioed men awaits on the desert plains of Wild West Island, and it wouldn’t be complete without cowboys whistling in the name of freedom.

Wimpy Wonderland Island: Winter Wonderland – cover by August Burns Red

It’s a winter wonderland in the black-and-white world of Wimpy Wonderland, but with all the teen troubles hounding Greg Heffley, this calls for a rockier version of the classic Christmas carol.

Red Dragon Island: Tokyo by Owl City

This Magic Tree House tale takes place in Edo of ancient Japan, which in our modern day is Tokyo – and all the synthpop sounds seem to bring home the fact that we’re far from home.

Mystery Train Island: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg

This recognizable tune that starts out slow, then quickens its pace is perhaps the perfect accompaniment for a mystery case – or for pressuring people to work faster. Either way, it works.

Game Show Island: Istanbul (Not Constantinople) – cover by They Might Be Giants

It’s a swinging song about a changing world, a little like the robot revolution that has taken over this island – plus, we even visit Istanbul (not Constantinople) for one of the game shows!

Ghost Story Island: Always With Me (Itsumo Nando Demo) from Spirited Away

Bittersweet but comforting, this melody from the Japanese animated film Spirited Away could represent the complicated union between Fiona and Valiant, even in life after death.

S.O.S Island: Let It Go (from Frozen) – cover by Pentatonix

Surely everyone has tired of hearing the original by now, so we’ll go Pentatonix’s impeccable cover. On S.O.S., we dive into frigid waters in a ship, so it’s safe to say “the cold never bothered me anyway”.

Vampire’s Curse Island: Finger Back by Vampire Weekend

Come on, the band has ‘vampire’ in its name. In any case, this fast-paced number intones tribulations that could be compared to roughing it up in the spooky spaces of Bram’s castle.

Twisted Thicket Island: The Fox by Ylvis

What does the fox say? This twisted thicket is just teeming with mystical wildlife, so it seems the strange proposed animal sounds in this viral song would not be amiss here.

Wimpy Boardwalk Island: A Little Vacation by Tiny Little Planets (from Dog Days)

From the soundtrack of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie Dog Days, which inspired this island, A Little Vacation brings us to the summer boardwalk with games, beaches, and of course, Greg’s problems.

Lunar Colony Island: The Adventure by Angels & Airwaves

Life’s waiting to begin in an alien realm, and tracking that down was an astronomical adventure in itself. Space-rock sounds and out-of-this-world lyrics suit this cosmic experience well.

Super Villain Island: Monster by Skillet

Here we infiltrate the dreams of four of Poptropica’s worst villains to see what evil powers make them tick – the monsters inside that have ruled their ugly rage.

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory Island: Oompa Loompa – cover by Primus & the Fungi Ensemble

Oompa Loompas always have a wise word to put in, don’t they? Listen to them and you may just avoid the pitfalls of all that could possibly go wrong when you’re in a room made of candy.

Zomberry Island: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

This is it, the zombie apocalypse is upon us – and as always, it’s up to us to save the day (well, night). Going through dark tunnels and seeing the city in ruins may leave our systems feeling ready to blow.

Night Watch Island: Let’s Go to the Mall by Robin Sparkles (from How I Met Your Mother)

Let’s go to the mall… today! Working the night shift comes with its own benefits: we get to play around in the mall when no one else is looking, and best of all, we get our own Segway. Time to jam.

Back Lot Island: Larger Than Life by Backstreet Boys

Lights, camera, action! Movie characters are always larger than life because they’re fixed up for the big silver screen – but the truth is, there’s a lot more that goes into production than meets the eye.

Anyway, that is all 29 classic islands without their own soundtrack, that now have music from pop(tropica) culture to back them up! What song choices would you give these islands? What about the SUIs (sound-updated islands)? Leave a comment and let us know!

Thank you for 15 million hits on the Poptropica Help Blog! ❤

App

Hold your horses, there are Poptropica English apps!

Hey Poptropicans! Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

Although it doesn’t seem to have been mentioned anywhere, there’s a Poptropica English app out there for iOS devices – and it’s created by Pearson Education, the company that owns Poptropica. It’s targeted to 6-11 year-olds and is free on the App Store, but comes with in-app purchases.

The game is populated with Poptropica characters and contains mini-games such as City Hub, Word Factory, Word Race, and Word Tower. If you’re looking to brush up on elementary-level English vocabulary, or know someone who might want to, check it out!

UPDATE: There’s another one! Thanks to PHB reader Why are you reading my name for the tip. It’s also by Pearson, and it’s called Our Discovery Island: Phonic Tricksters. You can get it on the App Store or Google Play for free, but it does contain in-app purchases.

In Phonic Tricksters, the Tricksters (masked Poptropicans) are stealing English letter-sounds (phonemes) and you can catch them by taking photos with your phone camera. This game is for ages 4 and up. Unlike the other app, this one doesn’t seem to explicitly say the characters are Poptropicans.

In other news, the PHC (Poptropica Help Chat) recently had a (hopefully more eye-pleasing) makeover! If you haven’t already, check out the PHB’s Christmas party 2014 recap, which includes a video introduction to the PHC community and the things we get up to. Think of it as the PHC trailer. 😉

Also, I’ve changed my Poptropican’s look, which you may see around various places, including the new PHB Twitter header. The maroon hair matches my scarf! Rad. 😎

slantedfish toss avatar3

Plus, the PHB recently hit 15 million views! Stay tuned for a special treat… 😀

Galactic Hot Dogs Island, Labs (Land), Realms, Sneak Peeks, Social Media

Happy Holidays! Creator’s tribute, a geological park, & more!

Happy holidays from the PHB! It’s been a great year and being part of the PHB has been absolutely amazing. You guys really welcomed me and it’s just been really awesome. 😀

Of course, the Creators want to wish us a happy holiday too!

happy holidays

This is by Kory Merritt, the artist for the Poptropica comics. Hehehe, I love the Neon Wiener (Galactic Hot Dogs spaceship) in the background.

But that’s not all! Another Poptropica Creator, Dr. Lange, unexpectedly made a tribute to the PHB.

phb art

This is just the best way to top off the year. I love this so much!!! Thank you, Creators! 🙂

They also recently tweeted a couple more behind the scenes pics. First up, “a paused project….

bts comic

Well, it looks like a comic to promote an island, like the Virus Hunter: Pandemic Panic comic series from before. For what island, I’m not sure. However, it does look a bit like the abandoned geological park idea that surfaced in the Daily Pop in July 2013, around the same time sneak peeks for the underground cave island showed up. Could they be related? Will this ever be a complete island?

The Creators also shared this Poptropica Realms sneak peek (see below). The caption: “Just grabbed from a Poptropica Creator’s computer when she snuck out to do some shopping.”

poptropica realms

I personally can’t wait for Poptropica Realms! 😛 In the meantime, members can still play with Poptropica Land – and if you need a guide, we’ve got one right here!

That’s it for now! Happy holidays everyone!

~SD

Comics, PoptropiCon Island, Sneak Peeks

PopComics Island sneak peeks, P-Con Ep. 3 news & upcoming release dates!

Hey guys! Slippery here.

Poptropica recently tweeted a couple of new sneak peeks, and they look like they’re for the upcoming (but yet to be officially announced) island based on the Poptropica comics. There’s Oliver and Jorge! I’m not sure whether the girl in the image is Maya since she wears yellow from what we saw in the graphic novel sneak peeks – or maybe she’s just a test player. Also, that is a very very sad monkey. 😦

comic chars

The next image shows the island’s temple ruins (relating to this sneak peek of “monkey ruins”) and as you can see, the monkeys are very messy. The Creators also confirmed that the island is now in development, which means we can expect this island next year!

monkeyruins

What do you guys think about the Poptropica Comics Island? I think it’s going to be really awesome. Perhaps all those islands that we’ve seen in the comics will come to life on this one Island adventure!

Speaking of islands in the works, while searching Poptropica’s files, I can also confirm that the final episode of PoptropiCon (which is going to be called Reign of Omegon) is in fact in development! Well, there are only two images of the scenes so far, and one of them is not yet done. Some of the items include a “bow”, “old shield”, “gauntlets”, etc. Uh oh. Omegon has made a big mess in the convention!

Moving along, Poptropica also gave away some upcoming release dates for 2015!

It seems like the Creators have a lot on their to-do list, but I’m sure 2015 will be a great year for Poptropica! Also, I can’t wait for Galactic Hot Dogs Island!

So, that’s the end of the post! Two days until Christmas! Happy Holidays everyone!

-Slippery

PHB Parties

Recap: PHB’s Christmas party 2014!

Hey Poptropicans! This weekend, the PHB invited Poptropicans young and old, meek and bold to join us in celebrating the holiday season on our chat, the PHC. Poptropicans met up in Multiverse rooms to throw fireworks and sneeze powder, picked and danced to Christmas songs on our plug.dj music station, chatted with PHB authors (Sam, SD, Blake, and yours truly) and more! Check out our recap:

If you’ve never been on the PHC before, especially during its peak hours, this video may be a good introduction to the shenanigans of the official PHB chat where Poptropicans regularly hang out!

Here’s a closer look at the recap picture at the end – the PHB’s Christmas card to all of you. 🙂

PHB Christmas 2014

Thanks to all who came; we hope it was fun! And even if you couldn’t make it to the party, remember that the PHC is always open as a hangout spot for all Poptropicans. 😀

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! ❤

~from Poptropica’s little help bloggers