Hey Poptropicans, we’ve got a whirlwind of little updates to visit! Pop in for shop drops, a guest blog, and a slew of fan art features. Let’s go!
First up: With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, the shop floor of Adventure Outfitters is filled with all things romantic, though nothing truly new. Many of these lovely items are available to all, though the “Crushing” head and a couple costumes are for members only. 💝
Thanks to Dizzy Feather for the tip!
As Instagram shows, there’s also a new rotation of costumes with cats in the spotlight. Check out the cat hoodie and backpack in stock! 🐱
Over on the Pop Creators’ Blog, guest writer Invisible Ring is back with a part two to her previous post comparing the fan-designed, contest-winning “Dream Islands” of Poptropica. This time she focuses on Goofball and Jade Scarab, concluding both to be easy yet exciting.
Finally, here’s a whole bunch of fan art features from the past couple of weeks on Poptropica’s Instagram stories! From costume designs to a redraw of a scene from Survival Island, there’s plenty to behold. Be sure to click the artists’ names to view their original posts in greater detail!
CUT TO CRAWFISH, sitting in the medical ward. He’s taking a close look at pretty much every item in sight as the doctors try to corral him to the table.
CRAWFISH
What’s this? Why do you have so many hollow ropes?
DOCTOR #1
They’re just tubes, ignore those they’re not–
CRAWFISH
Why are all of you wearing white? Don’t’cha think a darker color would be better with all the mess?
Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the January recap for Community Creations. January’s theme was Puzzling, so be sure to check out all the featured artists!
Good to know I’m not the only one who struggles with these sorts of puzzles! They may seem simple, but there’s something about them that makes them trickier than they appear. In Poptropica, the classic conundrum can be completed in Crisis Caverns. How long did it take you to solve on your first try? Find the artist in the comments and on the PHC Discord.
Espionage (Poptober Day 12: Sneak) by Lucky Joker
Spy Island is certainly an island known for its puzzles, and it has earned its spot as one of my personal favorites. From cracking codes to sneaking past B.A.D. guys, the puzzles seem nonstop. But hey, I’m not complaining! I loved using all the cool spy gadgets too (and I’ll admit, the guard dogs scared the heck out of me when I was younger). Great composition and story presented in this submission! Find his Instagram here.
Knife Monopoly by distorted-graffiti
A little unique, here we have some Poptropicans solving a different type of puzzle altogether! This meme-worthy parody of a board game seems, oddly enough, the perfect game for Myron to play. You know… other than hunting someone for sport. The simple drawing has a ton of humor in it, especially in all the little details. I appreciate the different style knives, the lil’ rat, and of course the wine glass. Find their Tumblr here.
The Stone Wheel by Blue Moon
The harsh mid-winter wind wrapped itself around the branches, covering them in frost, dead, bare, and leafless. What once was sunny paradise of nature and animals was now nothing more than a dim, gloomy bog.
But it was not the winter that had done it. I can be seen, from the anxious villagers’ binoculars, a lone silhouette of a Poptropican venturing in the moor. Her name is Sophia. Indeed, she had been warned many times not to go in there. But she did not listen.
In legends, it was said that the swamp was a place to burn witches in the medieval times. The spirits of the witches, seeking revenge, forced the kingdom to sacrifice five children each year, or else the whole island will be burned down. The kingdom chose the children randomly, and this year, Sophia’s friend had been chosen. Being the helpful Poptropican she always is, Sophia knew that she had to save her friend.
As she ventured further into the bog, she found a small cave, almost completely covered in moss and shrubbery. According to legend, it was the witches’ gathering place.
The entrance was blocked by a huge stone wheel, ornately carved symbols and alphabets embedded everywhere. At the center of the wheel there was a moose’s head, with the antlers and everything, in pristine condition. The witches have kept their entrance well.
The stone wheel, needless to say, was a place to input the password, in which Sophia had no idea of.
Suddenly, as though an invisible hand was writing, a string of letters appeared. “SLEEP IS NOT, DEATH IS NOT; WHO SEEM TO DIE LIVE. HOUSE YOU WERE BORN IN, FRIENDS OF YOUR SPRING-TIME, OLD MAN AND YOUNG MAID, DAY’S TOIL AND ITS GUERDON, THEY ARE ALL VANISHING, FLEEING TO FABLES, CANNOT BE MOORED.”
Luckily, Sophia was well-educated. She typed the name of author (can you guess who wrote this poem?), cranking the levers and rolling the wheel. It turned.
She entered, though she did not know what to expect at the end of the cave. But whoever she is, Sophia is not a coward. She will always remain loyal to her friends, and she knew at that moment, that she had to save her friend’s life, even if it meant that she had to face a coven of rebellious witches. She already made up her mind that she was doing this not only for the sake of herself and her friend, but for everyone in the village, the Kingdom, for Poptropica…
Despite its short length, this story really captivates the reader right off the bat. I love the establishment of mystery in the eerie environment and subtle introduction of characters. Does anyone else recognize the poem that Sophia read? Would you be able to solve it without a wifi connection? I’ll leave that mystery up to you. Excellent writing! Find the artist in the comments.
Where’s Your Boss by tillymeowjings-arsb
With the lore of Fairy Tale Island and the Baron growing deeper by the day, sometimes it feels like the more information we get, the more puzzling the story gets! I love this hilarious interaction with Ack, but it does make me realize how dense our Poptropicans can be sometimes… Honestly, if Ack submitted those drawings into Community Creations, I would definitely feature them. 🥺 Awesome comic design! Find their Tumblr here.
Honorable Mentions
No honorable mentions to feature this month, unfortunately. How puzzling… 🤔 But don’t fret! Keep those awesome creations coming next month!
February: How Do I Participate?
Community Creations is a cool series for anyone in the Poptropica community to join in on. To sum up what it’s about, it’s basically a chance to show off your artwork, creepy fan-fics, Pop clubhouses, costumes, and anything else that pops into your mind.
If we really like the piece you submit, we will feature it here on the PHB! As long as it relates to that month’s theme. So what is February’s theme? February’s theme is…
🚓💰 Thievery! 💰🚓
As February begins and occasions like Valentine’s Day sneak up on us, I want you to steal my heart with your creations this month. Yes, thievery is perhaps morally questionable, but let’s admit: some thieves are just super cool.
From Poptropica’s most infamous art thief (Black Widow), to the 40 thieves of Arabian Nights Island, and from the super-villainous criminals of Super Power Island to the cat burglar costume of Night Watch Island, Poptropica certainly has its fair share of robbers and pickpockets. So in honor of all these suave stealers, let’s make ’em some art! Just don’t steal anything. 😉
Results: Next month, I will feature 5 submissions that stood out to me the most as well as some honorable mentions.
Limitations: Just make sure you relate to both the theme and Poptropica (and nothing NSFW or otherwise inappropriate).
Due Date: I will take any entries before the end of this month. Submit as many things as you’d like!
I will be sure to let you know I have seen your creation. While quality counts, I’m mainly looking for something to simply catch my eye, so don’t be afraid to join in!
So what are you waiting for? Go make something awesome!
Hey Poptropicans! We’re approaching the end of the month, which means it’s time to announce another lucky Poptropican to win our monthly membership giveaway! 🎁
Congratulations, Popular Raptor — your new membership status lets you play various exclusive quests, including the recent relaunch of Survival Island, Ep. 3: Distress Signal. You’ll also get to enjoy exclusive items in the store.
Survival: Distress Signal — Digital WallpaperThanks to Dizzy Feather for the pic.
The Poptropica Help Blog hosts a membership giveaway every month, and it’s easy to enter! Just comment on our Free Poptropica Membership page and leave at least two other comments around the PHB within the month to be entered into that month’s giveaway.
We’ll announce a winner sometime in the final week of each month. If you don’t win, you can always try again for the next month! Full details »
Congrats again to Popular Raptor! Keep on popping on! 🦕
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Dizzy Feather. Enjoy!
Longtime players may remember an old feature that allowed one to copy outfit parts from NPCs and other players: the Costumizer. Accessible with a green shirt button, it used to be on every island. But nowadays you can only use the Customizer on a single island, PoptropiCon.
The costumizer was removed because we were receiving many complaints about the feature. Older players had to spend the credits to purchase a costume or they may have had a discontinued outfit from the early days that is unavailable in the store. Meanwhile, a new player would be able to instantly copy and wear the same items from any older profile, sidestepping the other player’s efforts.
As many players have pointed out already, the Costumizer was designed not only to allow costume pieces be copied, but also to prevent other, more exclusive pieces from being copied. All it would take to adjust a costume piece’s accessibility was a small change in the code.
Old store costumes from the Flash era
Besides, the lack of the Costumizer isn’t fair to new players, who have no access to what were once extremely common outfits. With the new store constantly rotating outfits that I’ve seen a thousand times before, there may seem like many options, but they’re all limited to that pool. Instead, to access more pieces, they would need to turn to unofficial glitching tools like the ASG, which still doesn’t have everything.
Not only are new players left out of old store outfits, but also outfits that were available when a player first entered Poptropica. For example, I loved the pink, gray-striped shirt, but I have no way of getting it anymore on a new account. I lost count of how many times I’ve seen someone else wearing it, but now I can’t use the Costumizer to copy it.
Removing the Costumizer isn’t fair to old players either. Those who enjoyed this amazing feature for years, all of a sudden, can no longer use it, now left as just a memory to reminisce on.
With the slow pace of porting the islands back, having the Costumizer around would have been a nice way for players to pass the time, playing around with outfits from NPCs and other players. You can only replay an island, decorate your clubhouse, and play arcade games so many times without getting bored.
Bring the Costumizer back, Poptropica, and give truth back to the old advertisement that stated the game offered endless customization. Without the Costumizer, the possibilities may be wide for those with a lot of outfits in their closet, but they’re not quite as endless as they could be with the Costumizer.
Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Dizzy Feather. If you did, you might also enjoy other posts of hers, such as her party clubhouse tour.
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!
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