Note: The following event is not organized by the PHB, but will be taking place on our Discord server, the PHC! Hear it from MaryannTheConqueror…
We, a group of Poptropica Month participants, have decided to announce a very special day for all Poptropicans, in honor of a very special character. Even though the Poptropica Creators hardly acknowledge him, this character is much loved by the Poptropica fan community, which is why we have decided to hold this event:
πΏ In Honor of the Great Dr. Beev πΏ
What: Beev Party!
When: September 15, 2020 (Tuesday) at 12 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Central / 10 a.m. Mountain / 9 a.m. Pacific β for other time zones, use a converter. It may be late night Tuesday or early morning Wednesday in some parts of the world.)
Where: 24 Carrot cinema common room (Flash version) and the PHC (including voice chat!)
What to prepare: Anything Beev related!!! Stories, theories, fan art, your love, etc.
In addition to partying it up in the cinema on 24 Carrot Island (home of Dr. Beev’s inferior mirror, Dr. Hare) and hanging out on the PHC, we’ll also be playing through Mocktropica Island to find the elusive picture of the beloved beaver-doctor in the trash can. Some of us may also be making videos in honor of this great character and his takeover, so keep an eye out for those. Mark your calendars and join us for a fun time!
We will not stop showing our support for the great Dr. Beev until the Poptropica Creators give us a Dr. Beev costume, beaver pets, and maybe even an entire Beev Island! (And it better not be for members only, or there’ll be rioting in the common rooms…)
Update: Here’s a video announcing everything mentioned above!
MaryannTheConqueror (with IsaacEntertains, Theo’s Ghost, TheOrangeHe, and Mess of a Being)
Hope you enjoyed this guest post by MaryannTheConqueror. If you did, be sure to check out Poptropica Month, the fan event that’s spawned this upcoming Beev party! And of course, join in on the fun on the PHC.
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. You can find some tips and guidelines on our page on how to Write for the PHB, and share blog posts on the PHC.
π° If you have an idea for a PHB post, send it in! β¨
Hey Poptropicans, it’s another new day of events here on Animal CrossingParadise Island! (In case you missed it, catch up on the first two days of Poptropica’s latest endeavour in yesterday’s post to make sense of this one.)
Day three’s festivities: a party on a new character’s paradisiacal island. It’s like your Paradise Island, but with more stuff. Remember that message you got from the blonde girl who can’t wait to visit you on your island? She shows up, and before you can even respond, you’re whisked away to her island party. At this point, no names of characters have been introducedβnot yours, not hers, nor anyone else you meet. How strange?
Anyway, the girl says you’re just in time for the surfing contest, but there’s not much contest about it: you surf alone on the waves of a familiar game from the recent ad American Girl: Joss’s Island. And not only do you still not know who all the other randos on the party host’s island areβwell, except for DJ Saturday Nite from Zomberry Islandβyou can’t even talk to them!
Moving on, here’s your chance at 1000 credits. After the waves, the host will introduce you to the next activity, a starfish scavenger hunt. There are five to find, and it’s not a big island, so it won’t take long. However, there’s one that’s a little trickier to grabβthe one on the sand near the surf shop. To get that one, jump into the water from one of the island’s edges and swim over to pick it up!
That’s it for day three, but let’s check out what else is on this alternate Paradise Island. Some of these fancy thingsβlike the glowing dance floor and the pen of horsesβdefinitely aren’t in the Ko-Kea catalog. Nor are the renovations to the beach house exterior! But perhaps we’ll get these features in the future?
At any rate, it looks like the ability to visit other players’ customized islands might be on the horizon. Now that would be a party!
Looking ahead in a message received, day four looks like it’ll bring a beach party. Wait, wasn’t this already a beach party? Guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens next. (To join the fun, see our initial post on Paradise Island.)
π Why “Paradise Island” doesn’t land with many Poptropica players
Since sharing about Paradise Island here on the PHB, Poptropicans everywhere have been popping in with their takes on this latest development. Here are a few thoughts from players on the PHC, our Discord server (and my own addendums):
“Poptropica is supposed to be a game of storytelling, and what the creators have been making these days just doesnβt cut it. We older players know early Pop well, and know that it was nothing like this. I say this with heart, but Poptropica is simply not Poptropica anymore, what with all these new updates that only take away from the game we know and love. The creators have been focusing more and more on worthless updates instead of continuing the educational yet fun format they had before, and right now, what I want more than anything is to see Old Poptropica, in all its glory, show up on my computer screen.”
Purple Paw
Absolutely. Just as has been written about elsewhere on the PHB, Poptropica was created as a unique digital platform for modern storytelling for the next generation. It was never meant to become Mocktropica Island.
“Mmmmkay… so it’s our third (fourth?) redo of Home Island, and once again they’re chasing current trends… that’s it. I don’t want to come off as overly negative, but the only thing that can save Pop at this point is an entire new team of Creators, or a fan remake/spin-off. It’s like they’re intentionally doing everything except what people actually want, in an attempt to cater to a nonexistent audience!”
MaryannTheConqueror
A few things come to mind about Poptropica’s chasing of trends: there’s Realms, a sandbox creation that mimics Minecraft; the recent-ish emphasis on new clothes, pets, and home decor that feels like Club Penguin; and now, the personal islands with daily tasks that copies Animal Crossing.
Animal Crossing | image: Nintendo
Instead of making inferior versions of things that already exist, Poptropica might do well to go back to the unique product they used to be so good at creating: immersive island worlds filled with meaningful storytelling.
“The whole reason Poptropica is my favorite game is because of the storytelling. It’s the only thing I’m good at, and the reason I much prefer it to other amazing games that are mostly gameplay, like Super Mario Bros. So it’s been really disappointing nowadays. I haven’t played the new makeover yet, but from what I’ve heard it sounds pretty nice. Except for the daily tasks. Those games are always so boring. They lull you with a false sense of progress, and completely destroy all enjoyability in very little time. Like Sims. I’d like to have something simple and quiet, that I can come to on my own time for a wholesome storytelling experience, like long ago.”
Incredible Fire
The daily, mandated, straightforward tasks are a bit reminiscent of Poptropica: Forgotten Islands, an old iOS and Nintendo 3DS game that probably lives up to its name by being so uninspiring as to have been generally forgotten by the fandom. It was basically a sequence of nonsensical fetch quests, and you can read all about it in our Forgotten Islands Guide. Let’s hope Paradise Island doesn’t become like it.
Poptropica: Forgotten Islands
Do you have a hot take on Paradise Island? Talk about it with other Poptropicans on the PHC Discord or share it in the comments!
π Want a good Poptropica party? Come join us at the closing ceremony of the PHB Tribal Tournament, which takes place this Saturday, Aug 29 at 8 p.m. Eastern! (If you live elsewhere, check a time converter for the time in your zone.)
We’ll be announcing the winners of the Games and having a good time on the PHC and in Poptropica common rooms. See you there!
Hey everybody, it’s almost that special time of year when we all come together to celebrate the PHB’s birthday!
Of course, all are invited to share this momentous occasion with the PHB staff, where we’ll be announcing the winners of the 2020 Poppies. The big day is Saturday, July 25, so don your finest attire and prepare for a night of fanfare and fun! (The PHB’s birthday is technically the 26th, but we figure Saturdays are more festive.) I’ll drop the deets below:
π₯³ WHO: All Poptropicans are invited! PHB staff will be there too!
π WHAT: Hanging out in Poptropica’s common rooms in both Flash and Haxe (since people have accounts in both versions, and they’re not so easily interchangeable). Cheer on your picks for the awards and chat with Poptropicans on the PHC, where weβll be revealing the Poppies winners!
π WHEN: July 25, 2020 (Saturday) @ 9 p.m. Eastern / 8 p.m. Central / 7 p.m. Mountain / 6 p.m. Pacific. If you live in a different timezone, you can use a time zone converter to see what the time will be where you live.
π WHY: To have fun while we announce the winners of the 2020 Poppies and commemorate 12 years of the PHB with the amazing Poptropica community!
Friendly reminder to go VOTE for the nominees you find most deserving of the Poppies awards if you haven’t already! Every vote matters, and the ones with the highest tally of votes will win. Time is of the essence: the voting round closes Wednesday, July 22! Again, here’s the link to the voting survey.
We can’t wait for the festivities to begin! Mark your calendars, spread the word, and prepare for a night to remember. A recap of the event will be posted here on the blog afterward. Stay tuned, stay safe, and…
Hey Pridetropicans β we’re proud of you for standing up for love.
Last week, the PHB invited everyone to Poptropica’s first ever Pride Party, a celebration of showing kindness and dignity, particularly to our LGBT neighbors who don’t always get that love. Though we may all have various perspectives on the topics surrounding them, we do not have to agree on everything to agree on the most important premise: loving our neighbors by extending them their due respect as fellow humans.
Just in time before Pride Month wraps up, we had our party the other day over on the PHCΒ and a couple of Multiverse party rooms on Poptropica. Everyone was dressed up in dazzling rainbow hues and funky parts like antlers and crescent moon masks. Check out all the fun colors and costumes in the recap pic above! Lots of PHB staff came, and the Pop CreatorsΒ and Mitch Krpata even retweeted our mentions of the party, though they did not make it to the event.
Of course, the lag soon began with the explosion of firecrackers, confetti bubbles, and other special effects… as it tends to go. We planted some peaceful decor as well, including rows of Poptropolis grass statues and flowers, which really brightened up the rooms! It was a great space for chatting and battling in head-to-head games.
Over on the PHC, it was cool to have people supporting one another, be questioning and investigating issues of identity, and striving for peace. At the heart of it, that’s what a Pride Month event such as this tries to do: inspire thoughts and discussions about what it means to love, even when other people love differently.
Whether or not you believe gays should marry or see gender as either a binary or a spectrum isn’t nearly as important as how you choose to treatΒ the members of the LGBT community. Even if you could not make it to this party,Β we hope the dialogue we have started will inspire you to ask questions, hear more of their stories, and affirm their value as equally created human beings. Likewise, if you’re already a big supporter, remember to be gracious when you express your views to those who are not so familiar.
The PHC is always open for Poptropicans to hang out, and we strive to be a place where all can feel welcome, LGBTs included. Come join us anytime.
Hey Poptropic-athletes! After a month of solid competition, the Poptropica Help Blog’s first ever Tribal Tournament has now come to a close. Thanks to the tons of Poptropicans who cheered, dressed up, and got involved in one way or another – we hope you had fun!
At the Closing Ceremony, we announced on the PHC the winners of the Tribal Tournament, breaking it down by each category. You can also see a collage of some party pictures above. But don’t worry if you missed it – we’ll be recapping them here as well! Since we’ve broken it down, you’ll need to get to the bottom of this post to see the overall winners.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
Medal Marathon
The first contest we announced was the Medal Marathon, which ran throughout the month, and all one had to do was play Poptropolis Games and show us the resulting scoreboard to earn points! As many times as one could! Higher results earned more points (1st place = 8 points, 2nd place = 7, etc).
Here are the standings for the Medal Marathon:
Seraphim – 1284
Wildfire – 931
Yellowjackets – 902
Pathfinders – 816
Nanobots – 645
Black Flags – 167
Flying Squid – 113
Nightcrawlers – 23
Congratulations to the Seraphim for flying high and proving their merit in medallions!
Artistic Athletes
For the Artistic Athletes round, we asked you guys to create and send us your best Poptropica art in a number of categories: visual art, written work, fashion, and Realms.
The PHB tribe reps then went through their respective tribes’ entries and picked one for each category, then brought them to the rest of the PHB team to vote, with each rep not voting on their own tribe’s entries to eliminate bias. After our deliberating, we’re ready to present our top selections for each tribe!
To calculate points, the PHB team ranked each chosen piece for every category, except for ones from their own tribe. From there, the placement numbers (first place, second, etc.) were added up and then divided by the number of placements that had been given to form an average.
Then the average scores were ranked within each category from lowest to highest, as lower amounts meant it had received higher placement ranks in the judging. From there, each category awarded points based on the final placements: 80 points for first place, 70 for second, and so on down the line.
You can see the overall placements for the Artistic Athletes after all the art categories below.
Visual Art
Click to view each image at full size.
by Criaha (Seraphim)
by Wanderesa/White Ice (Wildfire)
by Ripley (Black Flags)
by Lucky Joker (Pathfinders)
by Yumi-Chan-Chu (Nanobots)
by Orange Shell (Nightcrawlers)
by Magic Flipper (Flying Squid)
by Tall Cactus (Yellowjackets)
Congrats to all tribes for participating in this category!
These are the amounts of points earned by each tribe for the category of Visual Art:
Seraphim – 80
Wildfire – 70
Black Flags – 60
Pathfinders – 50
Nanobots – 40
Nightcrawlers – 30
Flying Squid – 20
Yellowjackets – 10
Written Work (Fan Fictions)
Poptropolis Games by Bony Bones (Flying Squid) β click here to read. (+80 points)
The New Tribe by Happy Lobster (Seraphim) β click here to read. (+70 points)
Hurdles by Wanderesa/White Ice (Wildfire) β click here to read. (+60 points)
No written work entry received from Black Flags, Nanobots, Nightcrawlers, Pathfinders, and Yellowjackets.
Fashion (Costumes)
Click to view each image at full size.
by Rocky Rockstar (Wildfire)
by Perfect Sky (Yellowjackets)
by Incredible Shark (Black Flags)
by Small Carrot (Flying Squid)
by Magic Panda (Seraphim)
by Short Feather (Nanobots)
by theredburger (Pathfinders)
No fashion entry received from Nightcrawlers.
These are the amounts of points earned by each tribe for the category of Fashion:
Wildfire – 80
Seraphim – 70
Yellowjackets – 60
Flying Squid – 50
Black Flags – 40 (tied for 5th)
Nanobots – 40 (tied for 5th)
Pathfinders – 40 (tied for 5th)
Realms
Click to view each image at full size.
by Muddy Kid (Nanobots)
by CBauthorofUPCandPTB (Black Flags)
by Small Carrot (Flying Squid)
by Magic Panda (Seraphim)
by Ultimate iPad Expert (Yellowjackets)
No Realms entry received from Nightcrawlers, Pathfinders, and Wildfire.
These are the amounts of points earned by each tribe for the category of Realms:
Nanobots – 80
Black Flags – 70
Flying Squid – 60
Seraphim – 50
Yellowjackets – 40
Honorable Mentions
These entries did not influence the voting process, but we thought they were too good not to be shown here! A few of them are from PHB authors, who did not enter unless their tribe did not make an entry. Click to view full images.
These are the amounts of points earned by each tribe for every art category combined:
Seraphim – 270 (80 + 70 + 70 + 50)
*Flying Squid – 210 (20 + 80 + 50 + 60)
*Nanobots – 210 (40 + 50 + 40 + 80)
Black Flags – 170 (60 + 0 + 40 + 70)
Wildfire – 150 (70 + 0 + 80 + 0)
Yellowjackets – 110 (10 + 0 + 60 + 40)
Pathfinders – 90 (50 + 0 + 40 + 0)
Nightcrawlers – 30 (30 + 0 + 0 + 0)
*Flying Squid and Nanobots are tied for second overall in Artistic Athletes.
Congratulations to the Seraphim for their championship in the field of artistic endeavor!
Tribal Thinkers
In the Tribal Thinkers round, we set out some brain-bending puzzles to test your Poptropica knowledge, with trivia questions and Stolen Snapshot challenges abound. Check out how your tribe fared below!
Placements
Pathfinders – 245
Seraphim – 180
Wildfire – 175
Flying Squid – 170 (tied for 4th)
Yellowjackets – 170 (tied for 4th)
Nanobots – 170 (tied for 4th)
Black Flags – 130
Nightcrawlers – 0
Congratulations to the Pathfinders for finding the path to the most answers!
Answers
Now for the answers to each question! How many did you get right?
Questions about Poptropica (5 points each)
When was Poptropica founded? September 2007
What brand of soda does Gamer Guy drink? Valley Rain
What item on Shark Tooth Island isnβt actually needed in the quest? Shark Fin
What is carved on the tree in the Lewis & Clark Expedition on Time Tangled Island? βClark was hereβ
What are the names of the B.A.Dβs guard dogs on Spy Island? Fang, Slasher, and Fluffy
How much did the Astro-Knights Early Access pass cost? 500 credits
The Tabloid on Reality TV advertises an article about dating who? Black Widow
What Greek letters are on the Drachma coin on Mythology Island? AΞΈE – alpha theta epsilon
What does Sprocket from Steamworks Island want to call his autobiography? I, Robot
For which island did Poptropica first launch its own external website as a promotion for the island and what was the website? Cryptids Island – mewsfoundation.org
Which islandβs name is also a possible Poptropica player name? Red Dragon
Which island contains an altered version of the painting American Gothic by Grant Wood? Game Show Island (inside the museum on Main Street)
What does the binary code found on the recycle billboard outside the Game Show Main Street factory translate to? βRobotβ
Which island has a common room that has no name, and what is the room? Vampireβs Curse – a barn (also accepted Poptropolis Games room as an answer)
What is the name of the ship in Captain Crawfishβs dream on Super Villain Island? H.M.S Seachicken
Which time period on Time Tangled Island requires an item from another time period to collect the misplaced artifact? Vikings, 831 A.D.
Which island has a character claiming to be from βTime Twisted Islandβ? Shark Tooth
Where did Dr. Spyglass, from Spy Island, use to work? PASE
Who was the Ice Arrow, seen in Astro-Knights, crafted by? Rime the Wizard
In the trash bin on Mocktropica Island, what is the name of Zeusβs tree character? Spruce
Questions about the PHB team (5 points each)
What is Brave Tomatoβs favorite island? Mythology
What was Slanted Fishβs first Poptropica account? Scary Tomato
Spotted Dragon made a fansite about Poptropica and _? Adventure Time
How did Slippery Raptor discover Poptropica? A magazine called K-Zone
Which island did Ultimate iPad Expert play first? Super Power
Who is HPuterpopβs character designed to resemble? His dad (a younger version)
What was the name of Koi (Spencer)βs second Poptropica account? Friendly Gamer
What place did Ylimegirl win on the Reality TV Island Champions Map? 4th place
Bonus question (10 points): Whatβs the name of Skinny Moonβs puppy? Toby
Stolen Snapshots (10 points each)
These were the Stolen Snapshot challenges given by Slippery Raptor in the Tribal Thinkers round. Below, you’ll find the answers for where each snapshot can be found in-game.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
SOS Island
Lunar Colony
Arabian Nights Episode 2
Wild West
Poptropolis Games
Game Show
Counterfeit
Ghost Story
Poptropolis Games
Mythology
Shout-out to Creepy Goose of the Pathfinders tribe for getting all of them right! π
Overall Standings
And the winner is…
Well, to keep the suspense going, we’re going to work from the bottom. In 8th place, we have β lean and mean, but not too keen β the Nightcrawlers! Better seize the day next time, ‘Crawlers.
Waving their mighty dark banner above the sea where the squids dwell, in 7th place we have the Black Flags! Arrr, at least they weren’t dead last.
Swimming in at 6th place are the Flying Squid, who, for a small tribe, still played a decent share in the tournament! Not bad, Squiddies. Just keep swimming!
Who’s won 5th place? According to our heavy data-crunching calculations, it’s the Nanobots! At least their processing power got a workout.
Following their GPS, the Pathfinders have found their way to 4th place. A fine finish to their journey, and nobody got lost on the way!
Swarming in at 3rd place, we have the Yellowjackets, with not even a little sting in their pride. These buzzers were pretty close to the sweet taste of victory with winning the bronze!
The intensity is heating up for 2nd place – and it’s Wildfire who nabbed the silver! Feel the burn, because this team isn’t going to be extinguished without a fight. And the crowd goes… WILD!
Which leaves, in 1st place… Seraphim! Congratulations to our champions who reign from on high! (cue angelic choir) Spread those wings proudly, because the glory is yours! Gold jerseys get the gold!
Thanks to Slippery Raptor for these awesome animated tribe gifs!
Here’s a look at the overall standings for each tribe, with the total amount of points won:
Seraphim β 1734 (1284 + 270 + 180)
Wildfire β 1256 (931 + 150 + 175)
Yellowjackets β 1182 (902 + 110 + 170)
Pathfinders β 1151 (816 + 90 + 245)
Nanobots β 1025 (645 + 210 + 170)
Flying Squid β 493 (113 + 210 + 170)
Black Flags β 467 (167 + 170 + 130)
Nightcrawlers β 53 (23 + 30 + 0)
Before we wrap up, there’s one more award we want to give out… the Most Valuable Player!
This Poptropican pulled more than his weight in the Tribal Tournament, making up the majority of the Pathfinders’ tribe’s score and bringing more spirit on their PHC tribe channel than the PHB rep of the team. According to this player’s profile, he’s played through the Poptropolis Games almost sixty times!
So from all of us at the PHB… Lucky Joker, you da real MVP.
Shout-outs also to Messy Thunder of Seraphim and Perfect Sky of Yellowjackets for also playing a ton of Poptropolis Games enough to rival LJ’s score – however, it was Lucky Joker who carried his team even when no one else did. Congrats to all three!
Well, that concludes the first ever Poptropica Help Blog Tribal Tournament! We hope you had fun competing and participating in our various competitions, cheering on your tribe, and enjoying the tribal colors on the PHC (Poptropica Help Chat)!
Remember, the PHC on Discord is always open for Poptropicans of all ages to hang out and have fun in a safely moderated chat environment, and you’ll often see PHB staff around too. We hope you’ll stick around and get to know this great community!
