PHB Specials

Poptropica Characters as Pokémon Trainers 🐰🐦🤩

Hello, fellow trainers! What would Poptropica characters be like if they lived in the world of Pokémon. What types of trainers would they be? What Pokémon would they use on their teams? We’ll look at three of these hypothetical trainers today. You can consider this as a spiritual sequel to our PHB Pop-over post about Popémon Go.

SCIENTIST DR. HARE WANTS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!

Professor Harvey Hare was once a respected professor who studied Pokémon biology. Everything changed when an incident involving Infinity Energy fused his DNA with that of a rabbit Pokémon. Now he goes about his days stealing berries and plotting world domination. 🐰🧪

  • Wigglytuff– This Pokémon matches Dr. Hare to a T. Both are perfectly pink, have similar rabbit ears, and hide great power behind their cute appearances.
  • Diggersby– Aside from Wigglytuff, Diggersby is the only other rabbit Pokémon that fits Dr. Hare. Its powerful ears can dig through the ground and lift heavy items. I can see Diggersby helping Dr. Hare build his inventions and laboratories.
  • Orbeetle– It’s a simple nerd turned mad scientist, fitting of our favorite mad doctor. Plus, its Gigantamax form is capable of controlling the minds of others.
  • Hypno– Speaking of mind control, Hypno’s most infamous Pokédex entry states: “It carries a pendulum-like device. There once was an incident in which it took away a child it hypnotized.” Dr. Hare would likely use Hypno to “recruit” children to work for him.
  • Alolan Raticate– The Alolan variant of this classic Pokémon can command Alolan Rattata to retrieve produce, which is extremely helpful for Dr. Hare. Plus, this could be a nod to the giant rats found in the carrot cake factory’s sewer system.
  • Durant– The Iron Ant Pokémon is a nod to the ants that plague Dr. Hare’s dream in Super Villain Island. Maybe he uses Durant to conquer his myrmecophobia?

GYM LEADER AMELIA WANTS TO TEST YOUR SKILLS!

Amelia is a lot of things in the world of Pokémon: a pilot, an adventurer, a landowner, an entrepreneur, and (most important for this post) a gym leader. She tests new trainers with her Flying-type Pokémon and sends them off with cash and words of wisdom. Her first four Pokémon are on her gym team, but her last two are her personal picks. 🐦🎈

  • Pidgeot– This iconic Route 1 bird is a great choice for many trainers. It’s a strong, fast, and striking bird of prey.
  • Braviary– Our American-born pilot has what’s probably the most American Pokémon out there. Aside from nationality, both are loyal and willing to fight for their friends no matter the cost.
  • Corviknight– While Amelia’s team has plenty of strong Flying-types, her Corviknight is the strongest of them all. Outside of battle, it helps her with transportation and deliveries.
  • Drifblim (Shiny🌟)– Amelia had a starring role in Monkey Wrench Island, which showed the origins of the iconic yellow blimp. It makes sense for to have not just any ordinary Drifblim, but one representing Pop’s yellow and blue. 💛💙
  • PolteageistAmelia’s side quest revealed a few things about her, one of which was her love of tea. Polteageist would be a tea-riffic companion, but it’s best not to drink too much of its ghostly tea.
  • Galarian Ponyta– Amelia doesn’t just love adventure and tea. Her side quest also revealed her unicorn obsession. Galarian Rapidash resembles the pastel “My Little Pony” type of unicorns that she loves so dearly.

POKÉMON COORDINATOR DJ SATURDAY NITE WANTS TO PERFORM!

DJ Saturday Nite is a Pokémon Coordinator, a type of trainer who raises Pokémon to compete in Pokémon Contests. Her performances have a focus on music, singing, and synchronizing her Pokémon’s moves to the beat. Of course, a coordinator needs a team that’s ready for the spotlight. 🤩👩‍🎤

  • Cosplay Pikachu– Anyone big in the contest scene would be crazy to not have Cosplay Pikachu. This special Pikachu is most frequently dressed as Pikachu Pop Star, matching her trainer’s style.
  • Loudred– The Big Voice Pokémon is the perfect partner for a DJ. Just watch the Detective Pikachu movie and see what I mean.
  • Oricorio– Oricorio is as talented as it is versatile. It can learn four different dance styles depending on which type of nectar it drinks.
  • Amped Form Toxtricity– Just like its trainer, this punk rock lizard loves music and knows how to put on a good show!
  • Tsareena– Tsareena is a beautiful Pokémon with a commanding stage presence. Its pre-evolution, Steenee, is known for dancing. Nite’s Tsareena would have likely kept this habit after evolving.
  • Starmie– Poptropica’s resident DJ incorporates a lot of star imagery in her wardrobe, and she’s a star in her own right. It makes sense to give her the biggest star Pokémon out there.

That’s all for now! I had a lot of fun designing Pokémon-styled versions of these characters. This might become a series if there’s enough interest from readers.

What do you think of these trainer concepts? What other Pop characters do you want to see as trainers, and what Pokémon would they use? Leave your suggestions in the comments below!

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Fan Art Features, Social Media

Gotta Win by Any Memes Necessary 🏆😂

Hello, everyone! Today’s Pop news comes not from the game but social media. We have fan art, memes, and poll results to check out. Let’s go!

We finally have the winner of the unofficial “Favorite Poptropica Character Tournament”! I’m sorry I didn’t keep you PHB readers updated on the whole tournament. I’ll do better next time. Anyway, the final round saw Dr. Hare vs Ringmaster Raven competing for the fans’ love and adoration. After tallying the votes, one animal-themed supervillain came out on top. And the winner is… DR. HARE! 🐰🏆

Congratulations to Dr. Hare, and thanks to everyone who participated in the tournament — even the Pop Creators popped in for the fun!

What other Poptropica tournaments would you like to see in the future? Underrated characters? Best islands? Worst islands? Favorite creatures? Leave your suggestions in the comments below!


While I was hosting the tournament, Pop was cooking some memes over on Instagram, like this one starring former child star Willy Bingleman from Back Lot Island. 🎬

Not a Tarantino fan? Here’s this reel harkening back to the days of completing islands with the help of Thinknoodles’ walkthroughs. (Psst! We have walkthroughs, too! 😉)

The Creators aren’t the only ones meming Poptropica. Pop’s recent Instagram stories feature drawings and memes by fans, a partnership post from Coolmath Games, and a flashback to Wimpy Wonderland from the official Diary of a Wimpy Kid account. As always, click the artists’ names to view the full, original posts.

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Fan Art Features, Social Media

Villainous Fashion: Dr. Hare in Designer 🕶🥕

Poptropica’s been in quite the dry spell these past few months, but every so often, the Pop Creators still throw us a few crumbs of entertainment.

A new meme on Twitter showcases how to mimic Dr. Hare’s style IRL with a collection of refined items, from a hot pink Valentino jumpsuit to… Walmart bunny ears. 🐰 Thanks, Poptropica Fashion Week!

Leave it to Poptropica to dress Dr. Hare in designer…

It’s been a while, but this week Pop finally popped back into the Instagram game with a host of story highlights. Enjoy!

And no, unfortunately so far this little spike in activity hasn’t translated to the game or the official blog, which hasn’t offered any updates in a hot month. Yes, we’re here in the middle of March, still waiting to hear about January’s costume contest winner and the Baron’s disappearance, with the airship last seen in December. All the fancy styles on social media can’t make us forget the missing substance of the game…

~🐠

Fan Art Features, PoptropiCon Island, Roblox

Dr. Hare in Roblox: City Slam Survival 🐰💥

Hey Poptropicans and Robloxians!

Poptropica’s spin-off Roblox games studio, Suit Up Games, just dropped a new Roblox game: City Slam Survival. Alas, it has nothing to do with Poptropica, save for one freebie you can get: a cubic Dr. Hare pet.

To get this pink bunny block following you around on Roblox, click on the backpack button inside the game and go to Pets. From there, enter the promo code as shown on a Home Island billboard — HareDoc (case sensitive, so only capitalize the H and D) — to get your li’l Dr. Hare. 🐰

As an ad for Lunchables 100% Juice, City Slam Survival is seeing much more impressive stats (25K+ visits so far) than Poptropica’s previous Roblox releases. The game’s premise is simple: smash to collect, collect to build, and build to survive. It’s quite the swerve from typical Pop…


While Dr. Hare is out getting his brand deal on another platform, another character isn’t so lucky. PHC user Fearless Star noticed that in the current PoptropiCon Island, Ep. 2, a poster was quietly removed.

The banner in the in-game convention center featured a superhero called “Proto-13” who resembled the manga character Astro Boy. We guess it might have been taken down due to copyright concerns, despite all the parodies on the island. Welp, RIP Proto-13 🙏


Despite the loss of one art piece, there’s plenty more to be admired on Poptropica’s Instagram stories. Here are their latest fan art features:

Don’t forget, the Holly Jolly Holiday Design Contest is open until November 16! Try your hand at designing the next batch of member gifts for winter — you might win your own idea made into the game. 🎄

~🐠

Fan Art Features, Roblox, Sneak Peeks, Social Media

Placing Poptropica on Roblox’s Map 🦢🗺

Good morning, gamers (or whatever time it is) — straight from Pop!

But maybe not just Pop. The Creators’ Blog just announced something major: Poptropica is releasing a Roblox game! And here’s a sneak peek:

Now what could this be? Our theory is that this looks a lot like Monster Carnival Island, with its dark mystical aura and swan boat reminiscent of the one inside the Tunnel of Love where you spoil a moment with two teenaged lovers. However, this will be neither an island nor quest.

Still, it will be “based on a fan-favorite island,” which could mean an off-shoot of Monster Carnival or something else. It’s certainly interesting that Poptropica is expanding into Roblox, a kids’ virtual world which nowadays has many more active players than Pop, and it’s possible Pop is trying to tap into this audience.

But we also can’t help but wonder about the implications of Pop building on another game — thereby focusing fewer resources on their own game. (Old islands, when?)

More news will be coming in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!


Poptropica recently tweeted a little activity titled “design your dream Poptropica map,” lined with icons of old islands and ranked with dollar amounts ranging from $1–5. The challenge is to fit your faves on an imaginary map with just $20 — which ones will make the cut?

Could this be a sign that Poptropica is taking player feedback on which of the more popular classics to bring back, or are they just playing with our hopes again? Is their pulse correct on which islands are considered more valuable? That’s all up for debate, but at any rate, it’s another critical hit for all the nostalgic players out there.


Odd memes with IRL crossovers continue on Twitter, with one on Wheel of Fortune hinting at Tessa Turncoat from PoptropiCon, and another on Dr. Hare-like costumed cyclists going wild:

Also on Twitter, Poptropica has been sharing some pretty cool fan art. Take a look!


Over on Instagram, Poptropica shared on their story a page of fan art doodles as well as a Pop poll on favorite characters. Check ’em out:

That wraps up this update. What do you think of the upcoming Roblox debut? What islands are on your dream Poptropica map? How did Dr. Hare break the fourth wall? Share with us in the comments below!

~🐠