Tag: blog

Blast from the Past, PHB Specials, Web Development

A Lifetime of Headers, Part III 🤩

LJ

Happy New Year, Poptropicanos! 🥳 We’ve made it a quarter of a century into the new millennium! Woah. 🤯

2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣

Speaking of being shook, can you believe the Poptropica Help Blog has been around for an incredible 16 years, and is now on its way to the 17-year mark this summer? It’s without a doubt that the PHB has made a significant impact on readers from all around the world during its time in the blogosphere, and I personally think that calls for some sort of recognition. 🫶

It’s been nearly 8 years since Fishy commemorated the many styles of headers past, and double that time since veteran former author, Codien, did it first. With that in mind, I thought a fun way to celebrate yet another 8 years of awesomeness would be to take a stroll down memory lane once again and revisit some of the old headers (2017-present day) that have graced the top of our homepage.

Most of these designs were crafted by our founder, Slanted Fish, but a few were created by other PHB staffers as well. During special occasions like Halloween, April Fools, and The Poppies, we sometimes find it extra fun to whip up some themed banners for merry measure. We even held a contest once! Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this trip back to 2017 (where we last left off) in…

✨A Lifetime of Headers, Part 3✨

(Hover over each image for more details & click to see them in full-size glory!)

November 2024, by me LJ
October 2024 (Halloween), by Smart Icicle
July 2024 (PHB Poppies 2024), by Gentle Dolphin
April 1, 2024 (Mount Olympus/Zeus’s reign of terror prank)
August 2023-2024, by Slanted Fish
July 2023 (PHB Poppies 2023), by Purple Paw
August 2022, by Slanted Fish
July 2022 (PHB Poppies 2022), by Smart Bubbles
April 1, 2022 (Poptropica Hate Blog prank), by Purple Paw
July 2021 (PHB Poppies 2021), by Purple Paw
June 2021, by Slanted Fish
April 1, 2021 (Poptropica Dating Sim Fan Blog prank), by Smart Bubbles aka MarayannTheConqueror
February 2021, by Slanted Fish
September 2020, by Slanted Fish
August 2020 (PHB Tribal Tournament 2020), by Gentle Dolphin
October 2019 (Halloween), by Slanted Fish
July 2019, by Slanted Fish
October 2018, by Slanted Fish
September 2018 (PHB Header Contest winner), by Gentle Dolphin
July 2018, by Slanted Fish
July 2018 (PHB Poppies 2018), by Slanted Fish
January 2018, by Slanted Fish
October 2017 (Halloween), by Slanted Fish
August 2017, by Slanted Fish

As you might notice, our method for designing headers over the last eight years has largely involved using illustrations instead of piecing together assets from in the game.

What began as an innovative approach in 2016 has now evolved into the norm, and I feel that the blog is even more unique and captivating as a result. It really demonstrates the remarkable talent of our community, don’t you think? 😁

Which ones do you remember from back in the day and which ones are your favorite? I really like the one Gentle Dolphin created for the header contest held in 2018. The Poppies headers are always a hit for me as well. Share your opinions and memories down in the comment section below!

(Don’t forget to check out parts 1 & 2 for even more nostalgia!)

Thank you so much for reading as always and I hope you continue to hang around for more moons to come. Pop on y’all! 🍾

Creators, Popstorms, YouTubers

Let’s Explain the Poptropica Iceberg! No Comment? 🧊

Gentle Dolphin

Good evening— or good morning depending where you live. Are you ready for Pop news? Let’s go!

Pop player KrishMortyJunior aka Krish made a video called “The Poptropica Iceberg Explained”. The 18-minute video covers each layer of the Poptropica iceberg, which details fun facts, Easter eggs, notable creators, and scrapped content relating to the game. Check it out:

There are so many facts covered in the video that you’re bound to learn something new. And we appreciate the inclusion of the PHB around the 5:44 minute mark — thanks, Krish! 🥰

In other blog-related news, it looks like we can no longer leave comments under posts on the Poptropica Creators’ Blog. We find that pretty suspicious, since fans have been calling for the Creators to update their blog, which has been silent since February. Instead of answering fans’ cries, they cut off one avenue of communication.

The Pop Creators’ Blog no longer accepts new comments.

What’s going on behind the scenes? The game still receives small updates, but the Creators don’t talk about anything outside of social media. For example, they recently shared a “Popstorm” tutorial on drawing a planet using artwork from Galactic Hot Dogs. It’s neat but nothing substantial, even with the Gatorade joke in the caption.

Poptropica is definitely in a weird state. At least fans like Krish are able to keep the game alive. If you want to talk to fellow fans, come join us over on our Discord server, the Poptropica Help Chat (for ages 13+).

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Creators, Social Media

Pop Creator Jess Brallier spills on “storytelling, games, and Poptropica”

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, we’re getting right to the heart of Poptropica with OG Poptropica CEO/publisher Jess Brallier! We’ve shared his vision for Pop and even interviewed him here on the PHB before, but there’s more…

  • from JessBrallier.com
  • Jess identifies as Zeus in Poptropica

Jess recently shared a personal blog post titled “Storytelling, games, and Poptropica,” discussing how it all began with our favorite virtual world—and it’s well worth the read. (Thanks to Brave Tomato, former PHB staffer, for bringing it to our attention!)

The post starts off affirming the success of Poptropica co-creator Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Jess ponders further potential…

What I really wanted (as I always did) was to publish stories for kids.  What was different this time, was that those kids were now intensely engaged in games.

Hmm.  There’s gotta be a gaming literacy with which to tell stories.

…considering that print, film, and theater all have their ways to tell stories. Jess goes on to share how, throughout his career, people didn’t take seriously his ideas for using gaming to tell stories to kids. That is, until he began collaborating with Jeff Kinney to create Poptropica.

Jess captions this photo: “Top row, second one in, is actually me. Makes sense, the old guy, with a worried look on his face, “How am I going to sell this up to ownership?””

The characters in the stories would be avatars.  The user would be the story’s protagonist.  So this avatar had to be human-like.  Able to fashionably dress in any historical or imagined time or place (just like stories!).  They would move—jump, slide, flip.  And express—facial emotions.  Just like humans.  This would not be a virtual world of cute little animals moving stiffly around getting rewards of bananas and apples. The art and design would be second to none.

Jess Brallier

Jess even quotes from an old PHB post, though without naming us. The commentary from “one critic,” about the scene of bubbles in Realms, comes from our post Pop 5: Most Beautiful Scenes in Poptropica, by Happy Lobster. Jess writes, “Good stuff! Our fans “got it.””

The PHB described this scene: “Based on Yggdrasil from Norse mythology, the tree containing all worlds, this scene may seem simple, but really, it is quite captivating. The minimal sky background, the way the colossal tree’s branches twist, and the shining bubbles containing enigmatic pinpricks of light all add up to its enthralling aesthetic.”

Jess continues his story of how Poptropica got started by describing the scramble to find room in the budget for two positions, a front-end and a back-end developer. They eventually track down Pearson’s CEO, Marjorie Scardino, who gives them ten minutes of her valuable time—and the green light to hire the people they need.

That wraps up Jess’s post, which you can read in full on his blog! The PHB reached out on Twitter to ask if he’d be sharing his thoughts on where Poptropica is at today, and he wrote back that he would. Considering how much the game has changed since his days as CEO, we’re definitely keen to hear what he has to say. Stay tuned with us!

The cool thing about all of this, which we thought about from day one, is if we did it right, we’d also be developing a next generation of storytellers, artists, and designers. Cool!

Jess Brallier

~🐠

PHB Specials, Web Development

A Lifetime of Headers, Part II

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Slanted Fish here.

As we celebrate the PHB’s upcoming 9-year anniversary with the Poppies this month, I thought it’d be interesting to look back on how far we’ve come in a visual way: our lifetime of site headers.

About 8 years ago, then-PHB “graphics guy” Codien released a post reminiscing all the headers that had gone up on the PHB over the life of the blog, many of them designed by himself. He has since moved on to other things, but the PHB has continued his practice of adorning the top of the site with a graphic that tells who we are.

This post is here to commemorate the many designs we’ve had since his post, and as it’s been 8 years, there are many! Most were designed by me, with some graphic assets from Poptropica mixed into most. Other contributors have also been credited on their respective headers. Hover over each image for captions, click to see in full-size, and enjoy!

July 2017
May 2017 (release of Poptropica Worlds)
March 2017
February 14, 2017 (Valentine’s Day)
December 2016 (winter)
December 2016 (holiday season)
October 2016 (Halloween)
August 2016 (PHB Tribal Tournament)
July 2016
July 2016 (PHB Poppies 2016)
April 1, 2016 (Pop Help Vlogs prank)
March 31, 2016 (Pop Help Vlogs prank)
December 2015 (winter)
November 2015
July 2015 (first Poppies)
April 2015
February 14, 2015 (Valentine’s Day)
December 2014
November 2014 (Arabian Nights Island recently released)
November 2014 (winter)
October 2014 (Realms contests hosted by Poptropica Creators)
October 2014 (Halloween)
August 2014 (PoptropiCon Island released)
May 2014
February 2014 (Monster Carnival Island released)
December 2014 (holiday season)
November 2013 (Poptropolis Games Island rises again)
October 2013 (Halloween)
August 2013
June 2013
May 2013 (Virus Hunter Island released)
April 2013 (Back Lot Island released)
April 2013 (Back Lot Island released)
February 14, 2013 (Valentine’s Day)
January 2013 (Poptropolis Games Island sinking)
January 2013 (Zomberry Island released)
December 2012
December 2012 (winter holiday season)
October 2012 (Halloween) – created by MT
September 2012 (Super Villain Island released)
July 2012 (PHB’s 4th anniversary)
July 2012
July 2012
December 2011 (winter) – created by Bluorang
April 2011 – created by Frostdragon
December 2010 (holiday season) – created by Metsfan21
November 2010 (American Thanksgiving)
November 2010 – created by MT
October 2010 (Halloween)
October 2010 (Spirit Day) – created by Frostdragon
September 2010 – created by MT
August 2010 – created by Blooberry
August 2010 – created by MaroonFire23
July 2010
July 2010 – created by Frostdragon
July 4, 2010 (American Independence Day) – created by Frostdragon
June 2010 (World Cup)
May 2010 – created by Coderkid
November 2009 – created by Coderkid

Well, there you have it! PHB’s headers from 2009 onwards. Don’t forget to catch Part I here, which in addition to Codien’s brilliant designs, includes my awkward attempts at a header from when I first created the blog in 2008.

How many of them were you around to see? Which ones did you like most? Do you feel like the designs have improved over the years? (I personally do.) Share your thoughts and feedback in the comments!

Thanks for sticking with the PHB. Here’s to many more years.

Keep on popping,

~/🐠

PHB Sneak Peeks

The Dr. Hare Glitch

Codien

😦 Update: This glitch does not work anymore. 😦

The secrets to Dr. Hare will be revealed. The secrets will be revealed...
The secret has been revealed.

The PHB Dr. Hare Glitch

[Credits to Codien for finding it.]

 Are you sitting around Poptropica, waiting for ages till that new island comes out? Have you got nothing else to do?
Then why don’t you try “The PHB Dr. Hare Glitch” on for size. You will be hairy in no time.

NOTE:

  • This glitch will only work if you haven’t completed the 24 Carrot quest. Make a new user to try it out though.
  • This glitch will change your whole costume into Dr. Hare. Remember that anything you were wearing will be lost.
  • The glitch will make you turn into to a boy even if your a girl because Dr. Hare is a boy. If you want to become a girl again press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [R] until you change to a girl. Remember this randomises everything and you will loose the Dr. Hare costume and you wont be able to get it back.

Follow these directions to complete The PHB Dr. Hare Glitch:

  1. Head over to 24 Carrot Island via the blimp.
  2. Complete most of the quest until you get to the end when you are about to enter the codes onto the computer.
    [For more information and help on completing 24 Carrot Quest click here.]
  3. Enter the codes to become control of Dr. Hares ship.
  4. Now the aim here is to crash into the asteroids to destroy his ship. When you crash into the asteroids his face will pop up shouting at you.
  5. When his face pops up click and hold [Ctrl] + [Shift] and rapidly press [S] at the same time. This should change his skin color/colour.
  6. When his face pops up again press the same buttons to change his skin again. (This is just to make sure you did it the first time.)
    [MAC Users] Press [Command] + [Shift] + [S]
  7. Crash his ship completely and you should be out of the game. BUT WAIT! I’m still myself!
  8. Head down to the bottom and walk out the door on the left. You should now feel and look different. 😛
  9. Go into items and use the telaporter to go back to the top.
  10. CONGRATULATIONS! You are now Dr. Hare!

[!COMPLETE!]
_________________________

Here’s a video tutorial if you need more help. Provided by Blooberry

ARE YOU READY TO WITNESS THE BEST GLITCH IN POPTROPICA SINCE ITS CREATION?
_________________________

AND ITS ALL BECAUSE OF THE PHB

-The PHB Team-

Scary Tomato Smockers Codien