black widow – 🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺

Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the February recap for Community Creations. February’s theme was Thievery, so be sure to check out all the featured artists!

No clue what’s going on? Go see our intro post.

Top 5 Picks

Veuve Noire Valentine by XMzhier

I think it’s fair to say that we can’t talk about thievery in the world of Poptropica without featuring Chief Inspector Veuvre Noire. Or should I say, infamous art thief Black Widow? I love the incorporation of Valentine’s Day elements, along with the inclusion of so many different characters in this composition! Black Widow obviously is stealing the spotlight, but all the background details bring life to the work. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stole those flowers too… Find their Twitter here.

Black Widow Valentine’s Day Card by distorted-graffiti

Keeping with the theme of “Black Widow but make it Valentine’s Day,” this card would certainly steal the heart of any who received it. I’m a sucker for purposely cheesy Valentine’s Day cards, so I really appreciate the humor in this one. Who doesn’t love a good pun??? I bet Black Widow is the queen of pick-up lines, even if all her jokes are actually stolen. Find their Tumblr here.

I Am Not a Thief by Magic Kid

It’s a morning happy and bright

In a city vibrant and full of light

I wander the streets

Unaware that I would meet

Someone who looks exactly like me

And that then I’d be brought into captivity

Well, it happened I’m sad to say.

To me on that ruined day.

My double was a thief,

And, let me tell you, it brought no relief,

When they used me, ME!

So they could still wander free.

When the police was called,

And I nearly balled,

“I did not steal this! It’s a lie,”

That was the point that I almost cried.

Because the chief just shook his head,

And sentenced me to prison ‘till I’m dead.

I was brought to Rock, Pelican

But when I arrived I longed for the prison van,

For inside it was full of mold,

And couldn’t block out the night’s cold.

Everyone thought that I was a thief,

Because he says, the chief.

But then I took, seagull eggs, three,

For a part of a plan to make me free.

It brings me relief,

To know I’m not a thief.

The next day I stole a spoon,

And sharpened it in the work room.

But, don’t listen to Chief,

Because I’m not a thief,

And then pasta I stole,

And mashed potatoes that were old,

And I’ll make this message brief:

I am not a thief.

Then I stole a drill, so I could prove to chief,

That I am not a thief.

Well, then I escaped, HOORAY!

And was exposed to the light of day.

Long story short, the real thief was found,

And, out of jail, I could hang around.

Even though I stole a few things, now believes the chief:

I am not a thief!

Even though Black Widow is undoubtedly a fan favorite, she’s definitely not the only thief in Poptropica! Based on Escape from Pelican Rock Island, this poem cleverly captures the relationship between the player and the Booted Bandit. It expresses the storyline of the island and the plight of the innocent player through their wrongful arrest in a fun, rhythmic manner. I especially appreciate the use of repetition and structure of the poem’s beats! Find the author often in the comments.

Black Widow by ghoolie

You thought we were past the Black Widow content? Nope! I told you she was a fan favorite. I especially enjoy this iteration of the villain, framed as if her theft is being caught on a security camera yet she doesn’t seem to care. Her expression is even better when you notice just how much it contrasts the terrified figure in Edvard Munch’s The Scream painting! The colors are really bright and eye catching without being too overwhelming. A wonderful composition! Find their Instagram here.

Speeding Spike by Emerald194

Okay, okay, we have some more non-Black Widow content too! Speeding Spike is a classic criminal in Poptropica, along with all the other Super Power Island villains. Though he is wanted in-game for “speeding in a school zone,” I wouldn’t put theft past his list of wrongdoings. I love the dynamic pose we see him in here and the cartoonish moneybag that he is seen running away with. Nice work! Find her Tumblr here.

Honorable Mentions

Your work really stole the show this month, everyone! Being this talented should really be a crime. Great job!

March: 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 March’s theme? March’s theme is…

🍀 Luck! 🍀

With March, of course, comes the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day for many people. And building off that holiday, there is a general theme of “luck.” But luck can be applied to a lot of things! Including Poptropica, where luck can get players out of countless situations.

There’s tons of iconic lucky imagery that may inspire you, or you can just draw a lucky situation. I’d even accept fan art of the PHB’s very own Lucky Joker! Maybe draw some of Elmer’s horseshoes from Wild West Island, or write a story about your Poptropican narrowly missing a deadly demise. OR, maybe make something UNLUCKY instead? Draw your favorite black cats in Poptropica, or spilling salt on Ghost Story Island. Take this in any direction you want! If you’re lucky, you may just be featured.

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, Discord, OR the PHB’s Instagram.
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!

~SD

Counterfeit Island, PHB Specials, Super Villain Island

Interpreting the Main Four’s dreams, pt. 3: Black Widow 🖌

October 28, 2021October 28, 2021 Purple Paw

Hello and welcome to a third dream interpretation! (If you haven’t already, you can check out the previous installments in this series here and here.)

In this post, I’ll be exploring the dream world of the crafty art thief Black Widow. Let’s pop into it!

Overall, there’s not a ton of material to work with in this dream. While the player enters stolen paintings and cleans up graffiti, the Black Widow herself mostly stands around and watches. The setting isn’t particularly interesting either, seeing as she spends a good deal of her waking life inside art museums; it’s likely just a reflection of her life and isn’t meant to represent anything.

With that being said, this dream isn’t useless. Not at all. For one thing, it gives us a new look into Black Widow’s shining personality, something we didn’t get to see much of in Counterfeit Island alone.

Her dream suggests that she’s a bold, fierce villain with a fiery temper and a disregard for hesitation, as shown when she chases and attacks you with nothing but her own two fists! (In a dream, attacking someone might represent confrontation against a threat or a defensive attitude.) And when she’s called out for her villainy, Black Widow refuses to listen and keeps focusing on her goals–traits she might share with the Binary Bard.

Another key part of this dream is the destruction of Black Widow’s own portrait. Dreams about any sort of damage and destruction could represent a number of things: guilt, failed expectations, hopelessness, or, most interestingly, a ruined relationship.

Remind you of anything?

The Strange Man (also known as the Brown Recluse) fits this interpretation perfectly. Throughout the happenings of Counterfeit Island, the Strange Man works as Black Widow’s right-hand man; until for reasons best known to herself, Black Widow betrays him, leaving him tied to a chair alongside the player in her underground lair. The Strange Man proceeds to side with the player and ends the Black Widow’s art-stealing career once and for all.

Could it be that Black Widow’s reflecting on this dismissal? From what I can tell, her betraying the Strange Man was entirely unprovoked, but then again, they don’t call her the Black Widow for nothing…

Looking closer at Black Widow’s attack, a final point I’ll bring up is her chasing the player to reach them, which could represent an attempt to be in control or get ahold of something.

Here’s what I’ve gathered based off of these hints: Black Widow is missing her right-hand man, but is trying to act as though she isn’t, hence the defensiveness suggested by her attacking the player. After all, she’s a solitary being akin to the spider she’s named for; she uses someone for what she needs them for and then lets them go. She’s the opposite of loyal.

But why? Pretending to trust someone only to betray them will only turn them against her, as shown when her entire villainous career slips down the drain thanks to the Strange Man. Wouldn’t it be more useful to have kept her servant instead of creating another enemy? The confrontation against a threat also suggested by her attack could add to this. As for trying to assert control over a situation, well, maybe she’s just frustrated that she’s hopelessly trapped inside a cryotube in Erewhon Prison instead of out resurrecting her art-stealing life. 🕷️

That’s it for today, everyone. I’ll see you for my next but possibly not last post in this series, highlighting the Binary Bard and his spectacular dream! Pop on,

~💜

Island Flash-backs, Uncategorized

Island Flash-back: Counterfeit 🖼

July 7, 2021July 7, 2021 MaryannTheConqueror

We are halfway through the year, and this series! I probably should get this post finished ASAP because I finished a workout earlier and will probably be sore in the morning.

One thing that helps many people get through the long, hot summer months is doing art! And it just so happens that there’s a Poptropica Island centered around that–along with a mystery that only you can solve. July’s Island is…

Counterfeit!!!

Counterfeit Island is one that a lot of people from the pre-Haxe days loved and remembered. The story revolved around a museum in an idyllic French city, and the thief who planned to ruin it all. (Plus, check out our Pop Places IRL take on the setting!) Of course, I think we can all agree that the Black Widow is the most remembered aspect of this island, like many other villains. 🕷

Sadly, there was little concept art to be found this time. I scoured the Daily Pop archives, but as Counterfeit was released before its creation and they never uploaded past art for it later, I only managed to find this sketch from an old Creators’ Blog post.

Concept art for the design of the secret puzzle to the museum

That doesn’t take away from the impressive design work though! While simplistic, it’s also chic with a lovely bright color palette and great designs of the locations such as the museum and the Black Widow’s lair.

This island should be brought back for those cool spider designs on the bunker walls alone.

Unlike its more fantastical and less educational predecessor Astro-Knights, Counterfeit includes many famous paintings with information on art history, as well as the art forgery that collectors and museums have to deal with.

(Small reminder that using the name “Inspector Veuvre Noire” in a FRENCH TOWN should prove that we would be a lot safer from these villains if only the all the other NPCs didn’t have a single shared brain cell.)

Before I say my closing words, I would also like to showcase this Skullduggery fanart for our previous Island Flash-back made by Dangerous Dragon! Thank you so much for your participation in this, DD! 😁

Now comes your turn, Poptropicans! Let’s remind the Creators why this island became so memorable, and why the efforts that went to create it should not go to waste! Encourage them to preserve their past stories and the potential they held!

Until August! (Hint: Olympics)

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

Fan Art Features, Glitches, Social Media, Video of the Week

Video from Alana and villainous fan art 🐍

January 23, 2021June 6, 2021 Slanted Fish

Happy weekend, Poptropicans! Pop in for a fun video, fan art highlights, and more from the community!

In this Video of the Week from the Pop Creators’ Blog, Alana returns to Poptropica after 8 years and plays through Arabian Nights, Ep. 1: How Bazaar. Watch as she rediscovers her old account, calls out an old man for being completely oblivious to theft happening before his eyes, and gets spooked by a handful of the forty thieves:

It’s kind of funny how the Creators’ Blog post starts with “Did you know there are people who have been playing Poptropica for YEARS!?” — more evidence that they’re expecting, and catering to, new players over longtime ones. Speaking of the official blog, did you know there was no Video of the Week last week? 🤔

What does appear to be a regular occurrence, though, are fan art spotlights on the Poptropica Creators’ Instagram story! Check out the latest features from this week:

In other Poptropica news, the formidable Avatar Studio Glitch (ASG) is still going strong, even after the death of Flash. The PHB continues to update its ASG collection, so if you like strange and hard-to-find costumes, keep checking back there for new ones! Here are just a few we’ve added recently, thanks to Silver Horse and Dangerous Icicle:

That’s all for this post. Be sure to catch up on the other fun things happening in the posts below, from guest writers on the official Pop blog to what Astro-Knights Island may look like IRL!

Keep on popping, Poptropicans. ✌️

~slantedfish 🐠

The Creators and Coffee: A Bad Mix

July 24, 2010July 24, 2010 coderkid

Yo,

Hey guys! The Creators have been posting a lot recently (wonder who slipped the sugar into their tanks…) and their most recent post is BEEEELOOOOWW:

Greetings, Poptropica fans!
Recently, the creators of Poptropica learned of an
exciting new development: Next week, a special
guest is coming to Poptropica!He’s well known to many of you
(especially those of you who like to laugh)
for his hilarious adventures, not to mention his loony
friends and family.
Let’s be sure to welcome him when he arrives.
Expect more information on Monday, Poptropicans.
You won’t want to miss this!
BLACK WIDOW

Not to ruin the surprise (._.), but it’s obviously…Greg Heffley, from the extremely popular comic-book series “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”. Perhaps he’ll make a guest appearance in an Advertisement of some sort? Questions, questions!

Are you a fan of vampires? We’ve got a whole new set of vampire looks just waiting to be costumized. Check them out in the Poptropica store!

MASTER MIME

Yaay..totally (not) awesome…vampires. (._.)

UNTIL NEXT TIME, I’M MARTIN BASHIR, REPORTING FROM NIGHTLINE AT NBC

Tag: black widow

Community Creations: February 2023