Hey Poptropicans, pop in for fashion, ads, and art — all at once!
May’s costume contest fan submissions reel is out and ready to be admired! 🎞 Although the Baron hasn’t yet picked a winning costume to bring to virtual life, her airship is expected to land soon, as it often does at the beginning of a month. In the meantime, enjoy the creativity:
Over on Home Island, there’s a new ad building for Rainbow High fashion dolls! Enter and talk to the nearest doll to help out with getting ready for their fashion show by collecting 8 outfits in 3 minutes. With surrounding sparkles, they’re pretty easy to spot all over the venue!
When you start the game, you’ll get to choose which team you’re helping: Rainbow High or Shadow High. After you win, you can play for the other school to get both prizes, the Emi Outfit and Heather Outfit.
There’s more art to admire via Poptropica’s Instagram stories! From the Baron’s next great costume candidate “Boxing Barb” to a minor Monster Carnival character, check out the latest fan art features below. (Tip: Click the artists’ names to visit the original posts!)
To kick off the festivities, Adventure Outfitters has restocked their rainbow gear, featuring lots of the LGBTQ+ Pride-themed costumes and clubhouse items from last year, which will be around all month.
Just restocked June’s Pride collection! 👀 Pop into the store to scoop up this year’s free costumes and clubhouse it… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…— Official Poptropica (@Poptropica) June 01, 2022
In case you missed it, the store has also made more of its pets available to non-members! Plus, the pet wear has been refreshed, bringing back the Mustache, Pink Wig, and Pink Sunglasses (75 credits each). 🥸😻
Also, a new month means more prezzies for members! June’s member gifts are Succulent Seeds (equip to spread succ seeds!), Gardening Hat, and Succulent Follower — all wearables. 🪴
Over on the Pop Creators’ Blog, guest writer Muddy Kid is back with another installment of her Pop fan comic, The Adventures of Ruby!
We can’t miss mentioning the PHB cameo that appears as Ruby’s Flight Academy friend Syd (based on Spotted Dragon) shares a site she’s working on with — well, us 😜 — which has all the guides she needs to be a proper adventurer. Catch up on parts 1, 2, and 3 before diving into part 4!
Also, check out all these fan art features on Pop’s Instagram stories lately! There’s some really special stuff in here, from sidewalk chalk to blimp earrings (that you can buy!). Talented as always! 💙✨
Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the May recap for Community Creations. May’s theme was Jade Scarab, so be sure to check out all the featured artists!
If you weren’t prepared to see a bunch of paws-itively purr-fect cat art this month… well this is your first and final warning. With a theme like Jade Scarab, it should be no surprise who the star of this month is! In this design, I love the subtle glow effects and the shine in the cat’s eyes and collar, seemingly hinting at the true secrets that this fearsome feline holds. Find her Tumblr here.
Uhhhh meow? by distorted-graffiti
Coincidentally, I’m currently working on a screencap redraw challenge of my own in my current art class, so this submission just happened to catch my eye! A wonderfully humorous scene from Jade Scarab Island, this redraw successfully captures the mood of the moment. Not to mention how cool it is to see the exact scene from in-game in someone else’s style! Find their Tumblr here.
Cat Keyby TillyMeowJings
What did I say about cats this month, eh? I love this unique take on the “Jade Scarab kitty” and the idea of feline idols in general. Lots of thought was put into this design, and the display of information is quite clear and, well, informative. Very creative! Find their Tumblr here.
Egyptian Excavatorby Magic Poptropican
Here we have a Jade Scarab inspired costume, which I love to see for some variety in the midst of all these illustrations! Jade Scarab is in fact not the only island in which Poptropicans can visit Egypt, nor the only island including some excavation, so I love this sort of mix-and-match of apt accessories. And a very colorful outfit at that! Find the artist in the comment section.
Kitty Goddess by sleepybiker
Lastly, of course, another awesome kitty feature. Who knew Bastet could be so powerful AND so adorable? We only see the goddess for a short moment in her true form, so it’s interesting to think about what she would be like when she’s not sneaking around in her more furry form. I love the humor in this portrayal of some very cat-like behavior. Quite the fursona, I must say. 👀😻 Find their DeviantArt here.
Honorable Mentions
beetle boys by sleepybikerJade Scarab Kitty by TillyMeowJings
As always, these submissions were paws-itively purr-fect! Oh, I already used those puns, huh? Well anyway, they still apply! Keep up the awesome work!
June: 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 June’s theme? June’s theme is…
Since all this news is on our minds, why not relate it to this month’s theme? Despite the controversies, Ringmaster Raven remains a fan-favorite character, after all. So this month, anything carnival related applies! That could mean anything related to Monster Carnival Island for sure, but also extends to anything under the carnival umbrella like clowns, balloons, carousels, and more!
I also wanted to leave it a bit more open ended since this June is Pride Month, and so you could totally incorporate some sort of campy aspects of pride into the world of carnivals if you get creative enough.
Submit: Comment below with a link to whatever you’ve created, email it to the PHB team on our Contact page, OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) on DeviantArt, Twitter, Tumblr, or Discord.
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. You know Monster Carnival Island is full of shady shenanigans… but did you know that applies to the story’s end, too?
Beware: Spoilers ahead!
The original resolution from the island’s release in 2014 had Ringmaster Raven, who masterminded a plot to hypnotize the whole town to serve him, end up hypnotized by your character. You go so far as to make him believe that he is a chicken, giving the carnival a brand-new attraction: The Incredible Chicken Man. 🐔 He clucks, too!
However, some fans have since expressedconcerns over this character’s treatment going from bullied Bird Boy to shamed Raven, still outcasted by the townsfolk whose welcome he chased unsuccessfully. HfEvra wrote in 2021 that the tragic tale “dehumanizes a man of color who was already treated as a literal monster by the narrative because of an aspect of himself that he had no control over,” elaborating further in a video.
Bird Boy was disliked seemingly because of his freakish features of looking not entirely human (which is why Dr. Dan is so afraid to have his monster identity discovered in the bonus quest), and also had a reputation as a “troublesome carnival freak.” He was blamed for arson at Honest Gabe’s, although we find out from the current business owner that Gabe was actually quite dishonest and even serving jail time for fraud. This calls into question whether Bird Boy really committed the crime or was set up, which is left open to interpretation. Either way, it’s wild that the town threw out an at-risk kid with no one to care for him.
Newspapers from the island reveal that Bird Boy was a carnival orphan who was blamed for arson at Honest Gabe’s and exiled.
Also, in 2017, @concanelaatweeted that a line of dialogue from one of the Black townsfolk which originally talked about being nicer to people so they didn’t try to “enslave us” appeared to sound as if Black people were “blaming themselves for being enslaved.” The call-out led to Poptropica modifying that line to say “take revenge” instead.
Sure enough, in 2022, Steam brought along a new ending to this carnival caper. Instead of brainwashing Ringmaster Raven into acting like a chicken, you force him to be your friend. The next day, you’ll still find Raven caged, but instead of becoming a laughingstock, he’s being shipped off to Super Villain Island, presumably to be jailed there. As the trucks roll out, you’ll be left saying to no one, “But he’s my…”
As for the townsfolk, they’re now more remorseful of the way Bird Boy was driven out of town all those years ago, with new dialogue about how they should have “been better” replacing the lines about being nice just so people won’t “take revenge” (formerly “enslave us”) or “because it’s the right thing to do, I guess.” Subtle yet significant shifts!
But is the story satisfying? Before the Steam ending was released, the PHB reached out to former Pop Creator Mitch Krpata (who worked on the island in 2014, but not the rewrite in 2022) for an interview. Asked “Why such a tragic ending for Raven and the people?” he responded:
Monster Carnival was a hard one to write. There was a lot of pressure to come up with something spectacular, and while there’s a lot about it that I like, I don’t think the script ultimately ended up where I would have wanted it. I will say that the idea behind Ringmaster Raven’s comeuppance was to thwart the expectation of what usually happens in kids’ stories. It always turns out that the villain was just misunderstood, or lonely, and everyone agrees to let bygones be bygones and now they’re all friends. I kind of wanted to turn that on its head and say, no, this guy is actually pure evil and there’s no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.
Fans have had mixed feelings about the Monster Carnival ending, sometimes saying that Ringmaster Raven deserved better, which begs the question: What does “justice” look like for Ringmaster Raven?
Does it mean he never should have been caged at all? Never hypnotized, whether to be your friend or a chicken? Never exiled, blamed for arson, orphaned, or born with a deformity that others were afraid of?
And yet, these are all part of his story. Whether he is truly “pure evil” as Mitch suggested, or his circumstances led him down this path, he did try to hypnotize people into slavery, and two wrongs don’t make a right. Raven’s life was troubled from the start, but there’d be no story without these conflicts, even the injustices he suffered.
Now that you know the tale behind the Monster Carnival rewritten ending, what do you think of the way Ringmaster Raven is treated? 🐦 We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
First and foremost, you’ll need access to Steam, the video game distribution platform. Signing up for an account and downloading its app is free and easy. The game will run on both Windows and Mac computers, although M1 Macs (post-Nov 2020) are currently not supported, and Mac users will also need to download Adobe AIR.
Downloading the game requires 2 GB of storage space, and playing the game requires an internet connection and Poptropica account (free).
Running Poptropica on Steam
What’s new with Poptropica on Steam?
Most of the content has lived on the main Poptropica desktop and mobile game before, so playing it is more for nostalgia than novelty.
The only new thing is a twist on the ending of Monster Carnival Island. However, the changes are not particularly significant — just a bit of dialogue changed, with a somewhat less cruel fate for Ringmaster Raven. See what’s new in our updated Monster Carnival Island Guide! 🐦
You’ll also have the Flash version of Home Island (with summer scenery), which includes Amelia greeting you on a bridge, your clubhouse and Realms portal at the top, the New You customization building to the left (plus the movie theater, closed), and the daily spin wheel, store, pet barn, and Blast-off Arcade to your right.
In terms of features, it’s almost like going back to the 2020 version of Poptropica. You’ll get to access the Costumizer (on all islands, not just PoptropiCon), the crate menu, and the inventory layout with the item cards in two rows and horizontal scrolling. You can also visit common rooms and buy older store items, but can’t access the friends feature nor play in full screen — though it’s still bigger than the desktop version.
No full screen!
Since you’ll need to login to your Pop account, everything’s connected to your save data from Haxe (desktop) Poptropica (formerly Flash) and the mobile app, which means you’ll have all your store items, costumes, pets, clubhouse layout(s), island progress, credits, etc.
Is Poptropica on Steam worth the price? Do we recommend it?
At the risk of sounding like a cop-out answer, it depends! If you can swallow the US$19.99 price tag (varies by country), and are wondering if this is where you want to spend it, these are our recommendations:
👎 If you have Flashpoint (requires some setup): No
You might know that you can revisit these islands and more with Flashpoint, the fan-run preservation project, which is already free. All it needs is a bit of setup on a computer (Windows will be easier, while Macs might take more work, and Chromebooks are not compatible).
Flashpoint might occasionally glitch out, but if it works for you, then this Steam bundle won’t add anything new beyond Realms and the minimal changes in Monster Carnival. And if you’re looking to play the oldest of old islands, like Astro-Knights or Super Power, you’ll want Flashpoint, not Steam.
👌 If you have the pre-2022 Pop mobile app: Maybe
For those who have the pre-2022 Poptropica mobile app, the content will be similar — although you do gain Poptropolis Games, Mocktropica, Monster Carnival, Virus Hunter, and Realms, so long as you never update the app. Plus, if you just have the islands on mobile but want to play on the computer, the Steam bundle gives you that option.
👍 If you don’t have Flashpoint: Yes
Mac users will have to jump through more hoops to get Flashpoint working, so if you’d rather save yourself this effort, the Steam game offers an easier option (except for M1 Macs, which are not currently supported). If you can spare the cash, $20 adds up to about $1 per island, for about an hour of gameplay each, which seems like an OK deal.
Plus if you’ve updated your Pop app since 2022, this is also the only official way to access these old islands. Because of that, it should run more smoothly — if it doesn’t, you can always contact Pop support for a fix. You’ll also be supporting the development of Poptropica with this purchase. It’s true that these islands all used to be free, but alas, times have changed. Better a paid Poptropica than none at all?
Scene from Mocktropica Island
That wraps up the PHB’s review of Poptropica on Steam! You can also read more reviews directly on Steam. Will you be getting the game? What do you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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