Blast from the Past, PHB Specials, Web Development

A Lifetime of Headers, Part III 🤩

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
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! 🍾

PHB Specials, Web Development

A Lifetime of Headers, Part II

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!

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,

~/🐠