Contests

Create Your Dream Island (CYDI) runner-up #1: Bikers vs. Boards

Samwow5

Hey everyone! This is going to be one of those posts where I compile a lot of people’s opinions in as well as my own. Anyway, let’s get started…

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The girl who came up with one of the top 10 ideas* for the Create Your Dream Island Contest is Tori V. of Texas, also known as Quiet Berry. You can read about her island idea, Bikers vs. Boards Island, on the Creators’ Blog. (*since the Creators have said that they are posting runner-ups in alphabetical order, she is not necessarily the second place winner)

Remind you of something? Well if it doesn’t, I’ll explain. Here’s a snippet from the Creators’ post:

The pitch: Poptropicans try to stop the constant fighting between the bikers and surfers before anyone gets hurt.

Why we liked it: Tori’s Island idea had a great setting — a beach in the 1960s — and lots of fun ideas for gameplay. (Who wouldn’t want to surf and ride a motorcycle?) We also liked the message about helping two rival groups to understand that their differences aren’t as important as what they have in common.

At first I didn’t see anything wrong with it, but then HP and I were talking to each other later and he said the island was not original. I was like, how so? Turns out, she pretty much copied the storyline of Teen Beach Movie. I was blown away! This is the storyline (with some key words bolded):

Life’s a beach for surfers Brady and McKenzie — until a rogue wave magically transports them inside the classic ’60s beach party flick, Wet Side Story, where a full-blown rivalry between bikers and surfers threatens to erupt. There, amidst a sea of surfing, singing and dancing, Brady and Mack accidentally change the storyline, and the film’s dreamy hero and heroine fall for them instead of for each other!

In her interview, Tori even admits that her idea was inspired:

Poptropica Creators: How did you come up with the idea for your Island?
Tori: I got the idea from a movie I was watching that day.

Also, notice the ’60s beach party & bikers and surfers in the summary? This pitch also mentions bikers and surfers; and one of the reasons the Creators liked the island is because it was in a ’60s setting. Then, Scary Plug also pointed something out that I thought was really worth mentioning:

Remember that post by the Creators with tips to win the Create Your Own Dream Island contest? Tori’s idea may have stood out because of its “interesting time period” – but whatever happened to “no licensed properties”? Re-read what the Creators said about what the entries should include here, and you’ll see what we mean.

This was what Scary Plug had to say about the issue:

The Creators said the phrase above themselves. Yup, read the post over and over again until you find the phrase ‘So make sure that everything in your entry is an original idea!’. Ehem! What about Bikers vs Boards Island, Creators? The island is obviously based on the movie Teen Beach Movie, and you said the island must be ORIGINAL. You guys lied to us; how pathetic. 😦

And here’s my take: I think the Creators messed up and they need to apologize for their mistake. I could have sent in the plot for MIB 3 if I wanted to and I still might’ve had more of a chance than an original island idea someone invented.

I hope none of you are offended by this post, but it had to be said.

~SW5~

Shark Boy Mystery

Shark Boy… is now Shark Guy?

Slanted Fish

(recent PHB walkthroughs: Mission Atlantis & Survival)
or scroll down for updates to the Shark Guy mystery! the plot thickens…

Something fishy’s going on… it seems like beloved Poptropica Creator “Shark Boy” (also known as Nate Greenwall) has changed his name to Shark Guy! When did this happen? And why? That I don’t know, but if you look up SharkGuyCreator on the Avatar Studio, here’s what you’ll get:

sharkguycreator

Where’s the iconic dead blue fish he usually carries?! Now he’s inexplicably holding a video camera in his hand. (Here’s a far-fetched theory: what if this has to do with Mission Atlantis? A shark, a film device… it might make a little sense…)

Even stranger, if you look up Shark Boy’s old username, SharkBoyCreator, you’ll just get a random Poptropican named Young Catfish who’s wearing the Aztec warrior mask and Tiger Shark body – whereas before you’d get Shark Boy with his name and costume.

Besides, Shark Boy hasn’t posted on the Creators’ Blog in ages (the same goes for some other Creators…) – it’s almost always Captain Crawfish these days. (UPDATE:) In fact, Shark Boy’s previous posts on the Creators’ Blog have been replaced with Captain Crawfish listed as the author! Here’s an example from a cache from the Wayback Machine, and compare that to the current version on the Creators’ Blog. Other posts (like this one) have just outright been deleted.

HP’s theory on this (which you can read more about in the previous post) is that it might be a cover-up for some kid who got access to Shark Boy’s account, because those who had his old username friended but not his new one would see it replaced with Shark Guy (but with the name “Poptropican”).

sharkboyfacts

PHB readers Big Kid and Cuddly Lion confirm that Shark Guy has been holding the camera handheld ever since Back Lot Island came out (it’s the reward from the bonus quest).

Why are the Creators trying to erase all traces of Shark Boy, and what’s up with all this Shark Guy business? Share your theories in the comments section!

~thanks to Massive Raptor for the tip.

 

Daily Pop, Lunar Colony Island, Mission Atlantis Island, Shark Boy Mystery, Survival Island

Mission Atlantis aliens, more on Shark Guy, and facts on Hydromedusan jellyfish!

HPuterpop

What isn’t happening in the world of Poptropica? Prepare to have your mind blown with all the new things happening in the Poptropica universe! 😀

Mission Atlantis = Aliens?

Here’s a thought – Poptropica really likes making aliens the central element of island stories (e.g. Nabooti Island, Lunar Colony, and Astro-Knights Island). What are the odds that the rumored city of Atlantis that you will be discovering in Mission Atlantis are ruins of alien life? Sounds pretty intriguing, but not only is it possible – it’s very likely — and we have proof.

I was playing through Lunar Colony recently (I work in mysterious ways 😛 ) and was nearing the end of the island in the alien base. Inside are alien markings that probably don’t amount to anything – but I thought that they looked familiar. Sure enough, a recent Daily Pop had some of those same markings!

strangemarkingsss

But still, this could be a new alien island, or a follow up for Lunar Colony. Well, it could be, but under the markings are little fishies (insert nomnom here), and where there are fishies, there is ocean. And where there’s ocean…  you get the idea. 😛

strangemarkingsfishies

Upcoming Island Updates

First of all, Mission Atlantis Episode 2 will be named “Fortress of the Deep“, according to the files — and there will be many a pipe as it seems.

I also finished my walkthrough for Mission Atlantis Episode 1, and you can check it out here. 😀

pipes

Second, the theme for Survival: Episode 3 is finally here! Still quite spooky, still quite awesome! 😀

Thirdly, remember that book that I talked about a while ago named Future Island? Well, it’s back on the Amazon store! There still is no cover, but we know that the writer of the book (Caroline Laidlaw) has also written many other books, most being for the “Penguin Kids” series. It’s scheduled for January 8, 2015 — might I say a long way out! Could this be a book for an upcoming island? Other island books have been written by multiple people, so it is possible. If so, that could mean that Future island is coming out this year! 😀

Here’s another thought — Future Island is actually the Dream Island Contest winner! I know, the winner’s island is called Arabian Nights Island, but perhaps they just put Future there because they hadn’t decided yet, and haven’t managed to change it yet. Besides, the Penguin Group are the ones who sponsored the contest…

futureislandproof

Facts about the Hydromedusa

Fun fact: hydromedusae are just jellyfish. There are all types of hydromedusae, all translucent and dangerous — but, there is one thing that Poptropica falsifies about them in Mission Atlantis. In the island, a group of hydromedusan jellyfish shock your sub and make it loose it’s power.

However, jellyfish do not have a real electric shock ability, it only feels like a shock when you become in contact with them. Electric eels, on the other hand, do have an electric shock ability. Thanks to Poptrickia for pointing this out first!

 

The jellyfish on Mission Atlantis that does in fact “shock” (teehee) your sub is called a Hydromedusa (hydromedusae is the plural). (Compare the real-life image to the Poptropica version above!) Hydromedusae eat larvaes, plankton, and multiple soft bodied creatures. They belong to a class called hydrozoa, which includes types like the Aequorea victoria and Craspedacusta sowerbii. And even though they can’t electrify you, they can sure sting!

Plus, the name of the ship on Mission Atlantis is called “Medusa” – a scientific term for jellyfish. Check out the PHB’s Mission Atlantis Island page for more trivia! 🙂

More on Shark Guy

If you’ve read Slanted Fish’s latest post, then you know about the sudden maturing of Shark Boy — now known as Shark Guy. But I have some more things to mention about him. First of all, if you friend him, his name in the Friends list is just Poptropican.

Special names are not impossible in the Friends list (e.g Captain Crawfish), but Creators are the only ones to know how to make them. For example, Codien, a legendary PHB author, has a special name. However, if you friend him (theCodien), he shows up as Poptropican. So why wouldn’t Shark Guy have a special name in the Friends list? I mean come on — he is the first Creator alias!

sharkboyfacts

Second of all, the picture above was taken from my secondary account. I had the original Shark Boy username friended — but, when I logged in, it showed the new Shark Guy! I had never friended the new username (SharkGuyCreator) before, so perhaps the Creators replaced the original with the new one in an attempt to fix a breach of security.

What I’m saying is, this whole thing may just be a cover up for a kid who got into the original Shark Boy account, or a glitch that gave him the username. The Creators have not been on top of things lately, and the Poptropican thing might just be an error. Either way, I miss Shark Boy, and Shark Guy will never be the same.

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—

Yes, I am back. Did you miss me? 😛 Be ready for Poptropican Portraits Round 9 soon! 😀

-HPuterpop

Bonus Items, Membership, Mythology Island

Items gone? Is it a myth?

Samwow5

Hey everyone! Remember my post about the two new Mythology Island costumes (Icarus and Cyclops) in the Store and updated Tour page? Well, now they only have the Cyclops (for girls and boys) listed on the Tour page!

Mythology6

The Creators even changed the text underneath to “Members get an additional Mythology Cyclops Costume”, whereas before it said “Members get two additional Mythology Costumes”… which leads me to believe that perhaps the Icarus costume is for Episode 2!

The Icarus costume for Mythology Island is still in the Store though! I have a hunch it will go away very soon after this post – so members, go get it quick before it disappears for a while!

Mythology7

~SW5~

Mission Atlantis Island, Survival Island

Mission Atlantis (Ep. 1) for members & Survival (Ep. 1) out for all!

Samwow5

Psst… the PHB’s Mission Atlantis Island Guide is up! Go check it out!

survivalandatlantisout

Hey everyone! I just wanted to quickly inform you that Mission Atlantis Island is out for members! Plus, the PHB’s walkthrough is now up! No demo for non-members though. 😦

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But there is some good news for non-members! Survival Island Part 1: Crash Landing is out for all! If you need help on the island, feel free to use the PHB’s guide! Hope it helps! 😀

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So, non-members, how is your fire going? And members, what have you found under the sea? Take the poll below, and tell us what you think of these islands in the comments or on the PHC! 🙂

By the way, check out the resemblances between the construction workers on Super Villain Island and the ship crew on Mission Atlantis! (Thanks for the pic, Brave Tomato!)

doppelgangers

EDIT: Believe it or not, the infamous Dr. Hare finished 1st in the race completing for Mission Atlantis: Episode 1! I don’t know if it’s a hoax or not, but I’m pretty impressed either way!