PHB – Page 4 – 🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺

*THIS ROUND IS CLOSED

Welcome, Poptropicans of all tribes, to the second round of the 2024 PHB Tribal Tournament! (Not sure what’s going on here? Check out our announcement post.) Note: The first round, Gifted Gladiators, continues for the rest of the month, so keep submitting your amazing works of art.

We are now starting our Brawny Brainiacs Bout, and believe me, you’re going to need your thinking caps. Thinking helmets? 🪖

Unlike the Gifted Gladiators event, please send your answers for every challenge to your tribe representative on Discord through direct message, rather than your tribe channel on the Poptropica Help Chat—as to not spoil the fun for your tribemates. If you choose not to participate on Discord, you can contact us through email.

In this round, all of the puzzles are not an all-or-nothing deal, meaning you aren’t required to complete them to be eligible for earning points. Points earned will depend on how much of a certain puzzle is finished.

This round ends in one week (Wednesday, August 21) and comes in four different parts, so you won’t want to wait long to get a start. Let’s leap right into the games!

Poptropica Word Search Challenge

The rules here are pretty simple: locate as many Poptropica-related words on the grid as you can.

Each word you find will add 5 points to your overall score, meaning if you find all 24 words you’ll earn up to 120 points in this challenge, but no pressure! Here it is:

Tip: Open the image in a new tab to enlarge

You can submit your answers by bubbling/crossing out the answers or by simply listing them out. It’s up to you! 👍

Character Crossword Challenge

Directions: Fill the empty grid of crossing words using the clues on the right.

Down clues have answers that stretch vertically while across clues have answers that stretch horizontally. The clues are numbered, corresponding to the number of the answer on the grid. Once you think you’ve figured out an answer, make sure the name fits within the space provided on the grid. Each answer is a Poptropica character worth 10 points apiece. Let’s see if you can figure them out. 😉

Like with the word search, it isn’t necessary to actually fill in the grid (although, you’re certainly welcome to!); Listing the answers will be just fine. 🙂

Decode-A-Message Challenge

This one is a major brain exercise for sure. Below are 5 messages written in gibberish along with a clue on how to decode each one into something that makes sense. Most of these are actual bits of dialogue from Poptropica, and they become increasingly more difficult as you go along. This round is called Brawny Brainiacs for a reason. 😁 Because of the difficulty of this challenge, each message you decode will earn you 20 points. And if you guess all five, you’ll earn a bonus 50 points!

Clue 1: A-M & N-Z, the first above and the latter below…
Message 1: Gnyyl ub!

Clue 2: B is Y, G is T, and M is N
Message 2: Gvoo nv blfi hvxivg, zmw r’oo gvoo blf nrmv!

Clue 3: Take 8 steps backward (Tip: Use the alphabet as a clock, counterclockwise. When you pass “A” continue with “Z”.)
Message 3: Izm gwc twwsqvo nwz awumwvm?

Clue 4: Unscramble each word and follow the next step (#)
Message 4: steeh(7), lilw(1), frasn(9), idr(4), on(2), eon(3), fo (6), deomdeslem(8), em(5)?

Clue 5: Take 2 steps forward and reverse the message (Tip: Use the alphabet as a clock. When you pass “Z” start again at “A”.)
Message 5: ?rlckylpsmr jyzgpr cfr lg qsmgpmragt cz jjgu mfU

Pop The Difference Challenge

Another toughie! You may remember our Pop the Difference specials from many years ago here on the PHB. Well now, we’re repurposing the game for our Tribal Tournament as the last challenge in this round. Down below are the 8 common rooms of the Poptropolis tribes, but there’s a catch: there are two images for each one. Each pair contains 10 differences throughout. Some are easier to spot, while many others are more indistinct. Use the image compare slider to help you find all the differences.

You will earn 10 points for each difference you find. If you manage to find every difference from every photo, you will earn a big bonus worth 100 points!

When you submit your answers for this specific challenge, using pictures where the differences are circled would be preferred. If you can’t get a picture, try listing out each difference in detail so we know exactly what you’re talking about, otherwise you won’t get the points. This won’t be easy. You’ve been warned. 😅 (Tip: open both images for each common room in separate tabs by clicking on both sides of the slider & switch between both tabs to see smaller details)

Seraphim

Yellowjackets

Pathfinders

Wildfire

Flying Squid

Black Flags

Nightcrawlers

Nanobots

Believe it or not, you alone can earn a grand total of 1,150 points from this round if you complete every challenge! Can you imagine if two team members were able to accomplish this feat? That’s a lot for your tribe! But again, no pressure. With that said…

🤓 Have fun, and good luck to you all! 🤓

– the PHB tribe representatives –

LJ, Gentle Dolphin, Purple Paw, Smart Bubbles & Smart Icicle

Join us on the PHC Discord to get more involved!

PHB Specials

Who Broke the PHB’s Coffeepot? ☕️👊

June 17, 2024June 17, 2024 Gentle Dolphin

Something’s brewing over at PHB headquarters, and it’s definitely not coffee. Someone (presumably one of the authors) broke the breakroom’s coffeepot! Who could have committed such an atrocity?! Watch and find out:

…Fishy, how could you?! 😭😭😭

In all seriousness, I hope you guys like my silly little animatic. I had a lot of fun making it!

The audio comes from a famous scene in the show Parks and Recreation. This particular clip has inspired many parodies, and it was just a matter of time before Poptropica got the “Who Broke It?” treatment.

You may have also noticed some photos in this mostly-illustrated video. The broken coffeepot is lifted straight out of the original Parks and Recreation scene, the cat-ifited Purple Paw image is an edit of Chocolate aka OMG Cat, and the wall at the end features some art of the PHB authors: the current PHB banner by Slanted Fish and a “Draw the Squad” meme by Magic Kid and QueenCookieMonster. 📷🎨

Once again, I hope you like the video (and this post, I guess). You guys are more than welcome to share your Pop creations be it videos, art, or writing! You can post them on social media, on the PHC Discord server, or even on the PHB. We love seeing everyone’s work!

Thank you for watching, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Community Creations

Community Creations: July 2021

August 1, 2021August 4, 2021 Spotted Dragon

Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the July recap for Community Creations! July’s theme was Fancy (and the featured work is not in any particular order). Be sure to check out all the featured artists!

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

Top 5 Picks

Fancy Poppies Couple by BrittScarlet

Now, this elegant couple is in perfect attire for the Poppies, wouldn’t you agree? BrittScarlet captions the image on Instagram with “Breaking News: Smart Sinker a infamous adventure was seen at the 2021 Poppies with Binary Bard rocking out in their fancy outfits,” which adds all the more story to the scene. I can easily imagine all the flashing lights of cameras and pop-arazzi at this blue carpet event! And to think, a hero and villain couple? Scandalous! I love the smooth coloring, line art, and, of course, the fancy outfits. Find her Instagram here.

Awards Show by Midnightoilstudios

Another carpeted event (this one more red than blue) is quite the fancy setting. But what really stands out here is the villain-inspired clothing! Original character “Aria” is sporting a Dr. Hare inspired look while “Sean” showcases a Black Widow themed getup. I love that sort of creative design work, and, I gotta say, I’m a bit jealous of that spider-web suit jacket. You think I could pull it off? Either way, this is a fantastically fancy scene and I love the glitter texture added in many elements. Find her DeviantArt here.

Most Likely to Succeed by Barefoot Knuckle

Here we may have another carpeted awards show, but the awards themselves are a bit different. CJ from Shrink Ray Island is featured in this scene receiving a trophy for an invention. It’s a bit of a step up from first place at the local science fair, huh? I love how even in this fancier-than-average setting, CJ’s personality still shines through in her expression. And Barefoot Knuckle even researched science trophies and formal hairstyles/dresses when crafting their composition! Excellent work was put into this creation and it shows. Find the artist frequently in the comment section.

Getting Ready for the Poppies by Golden Heart

Ooo la la! This gown easily caught my attention. The shimmering blue dress paired with those elegant gloves just screams fancy! Or, perhaps politely whispers it? Let’s be mannerly here, of course. Anyway, I asked for glitter and I sure got it in this piece. But I also have to commend the pose of the character, as the closed eyes and bent arms seem to elevate the grace of the design. Simple, put certainly poised and well executed! Find her frequently in the comment section and the PHC Discord.

Month of Fancy Short Story by Shy Scorpion

The party that makes history, at least that’s what the invitation said. You look at the castle in awe. How did you get an invite into a fairy-tale ball on Fairy Tale Island do you ask? This ball is being held to celebrate the one year anniversary of We-Didn’t-Get-Out-Happy-Endings-Sucked-Away, and since you defeated Rumplestiltskin (the guy responsible for almost taking away all the happy endings) they invited you. That’s why you are walking up the red carpeted stairs in your fanciest, sparkliest, most expensive outfit you could find.
Wow, the place looks… Well, fancy! Massive chandeliers, bejeweled vases, and everything is shiny, right down to the people. Floor length gowns with so many flounces and pressed suits with expensive looking bow ties. But while all these things are nice to look at, you are really hoping to see your friends.
You look around and finally are able to spot Snow White looking stunning in a purple ball gown and an exquisite bun and tiara. “Hi Snow, how are you doing?” you say as you run over. “Adventurer Kid, hi, I’m doing great.” Then you notice the man standing next to her. Ringmaster Raven!
KEEP READING HERE!

This story takes our suggestion of a Fairy Tale Island fanfiction and truly brings it to life. I always love seeing what you guys can do with written submissions. Revisiting these characters a year after the ending of the island is super fun, especially with the addition of other fan-favorite characters like Ringmaster Raven. Maybe we should listen to the fans about rewriting the ending to Fairy Tale Island after all… But anyway, it suits our fancy theme quite well. I can just imagine the sparkly dresses! Find Shy Scorpion frequently in the comments, and read another fanfiction of theirs here on the PHB.

Honorable Mentions

Olympian Gods Dinner by AdventurersNHunters

My, my, everyone was quite fancy this month, indeed! I applaud all your dapper designs and chic creations. And I hope that everyone enjoyed the Poppies as much as I did!

August: 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 August’s theme? August’s theme is…

Flight!

With the arrival of the Baron’s airship on Home Island, the idea of flying (or piloting a huge airship) has been on my mind. The classic yellow blimp has been a trusted mode of transportation for all Poptropicans since the birth of Poptropica itself, so I’m sure you’re all familiar with it. But it isn’t the only mode of flight in-game, as we’ve seen!

Whether it be our blimp, or the Baron’s airship, or the hot air balloons, kites, planes, wings, and other devices that have been featured on different islands, or even… well, Balloon Boy himself! Flying is no strange feat in the world of Poptropica. So this month, I challenge you to use the power of flight in your creations. Perhaps design your own blimp or airship? Or write a story about the Baron piloting through the clouds? The sky is your limit! Literally!

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, or Discord.
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

Creators' Blog Guest Posts

Interview with Slanted Fish from the Poptropica Creators 🎤🐠

July 20, 2021July 20, 2021 Slanted Fish

This interview was originally published on the Poptropica Creators’ Blog along with a call to go vote in the 2021 Poppies. Enjoy!

1. How were you first introduced to Poptropica?

My younger brother found Poptropica on Funbrain and introduced it to me. Back then, we would go on Funbrain to read Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid before it became a printed book series!

2. Who do you think is the most underrated character? Overrated?

Most underrated character: Elf Queen from Twisted Thicket. She doesn’t seem to get mentioned much in the fandom, but her leafy design is absolutely magical, and her storyline very fitting for our modern climate crisis.
Most overrated character: Dr. Hare, who might just be the most marketed Pop character (he even had a whole LEGO campaign at one point!). But we love him anyway.

3. What are your favorite scenes, aesthetically and to play through?

It’s hard to pick a favorite scene as there are so many that are visually stunning! But to highlight a few, I love the aesthetics of the Imperial Garden on Red Dragon (especially the cherry blossom trees), and the various interactive puzzles on Nabooti, such as the mancala game and the fox-chicken-cornfeed conundrum.

4. What was your inspiration in creating and furthering the Poptropica Help Blog (PHB)?

I was inspired to create a blog after seeing lots of fan blogs for other online games I enjoyed at the time, especially Club Penguin (rip). I stumbled into a Poptropica focus somewhat accidentally when setting up the site on WordPress: while thinking about the URL, I discovered that poptropica.wordpress.com was untaken, and it felt like too good of an opportunity to pass up. So that was the PHB’s first URL, which illustrates the dearth of Poptropica fan sites at the time, and how we were able to fill that gap on the internet.

What inspired me to keep going was everything else that followed. I was amazed by how quickly the site grew in readership, fueled by all the amazing things Poptropica has been doing, especially in the heart and depth of storytelling through gameplay in its myriads of island adventures. Even as the game changes and people come and go, what I enjoy about the PHB is how it continues to be a space for Poptropicans to share their ideas, fan art, and friendships. If you’re interested, I’ve written more about this on the PHB’s Philosophy page.

Poptropica Creator Dr. Lange’s drawing of the PHB team (2014)

5. How has your PHB career surprised you?

As the previous Q&A touches on, I’ve been surprised by the rapid popularity of the PHB (it reached 1 million views in its first year, and 13 years later, has over 35 million). But I’m not too concerned about the statistics—I’m more interested in cultivating the quality of people’s visits, and to that end it’s been a blessing to hear from so many Poptropicans over the years who’ve enjoyed what the PHB offers.

Another surprise is the creativity and intensity of so many fans’ Pop-inspired passions, which help shape what the PHB brings to the fandom, from personal My Place in Poptropica stories to discoveries of Pop Places IRL. It’s definitely not a one-person operation—credit goes to the many, many Poptropicans who make it all possible!

6. What does the Pop community mean to you?

To me, it’s as simple as a gathering of people who enjoy Poptropica. They can be of all ages — some are even in their twenties like me. Poptropica fans are creative (just look at all the fan art, blogs, and videos), clever (we enjoy solving puzzles and finding trivia), and concerned (we support each other and sometimes critique for the good of the game we love). Above all, we’re united in our passion for Pop!

7. From your perspective, how has the community changed over the past 12 years?

The biggest change I’ve noticed personally is that the kids have gotten older. Though Poptropica has always been aimed at kids, it’s fascinating to see how teens and young adults (myself included) still participate in the fandom, often returning from childhood nostalgia and sticking around for the community and inspired storytelling (perhaps even creating some of their own). Of course, young kids are still around. From my perspective, even children are capable of enjoying Poptropica’s more sophisticated stories, particularly those from the classic islands.

Friendly Folk: All so nice and polite, for a while at least.

8. How have your experiences with the community and Poptropica influenced you IRL?

Poptropica’s many whimsical worlds — from the medieval madness of Astro-Knights to the genie glamor of Arabian Nights — have inspired my art and writing, and widened my appreciation for digital storytelling and cultural connections.

As for the PHB, it has given me a space to write about something I care about, to carefully consider how to express ideas, and help the blog’s staff and guest writers do the same. Having our content read by so many fellow fans is a responsibility, privilege, and a great encouragement to keep building the blessing.

The skills, friendships, and passions developed over many years of playing and creating carry over to other areas of life too. For me, that has included earning my undergrad degree in English and pursuing a career in communications. With all the diversity in Poptropica and its community comes great potential for many more Poptropicans!

Fish Face: These ocean-dwellers are getting animated.

Favorites

Costume: Fish kimono from Red Dragon
Island: Shark Tooth
Backstory/Lore: How islands appear in the world of Poptropica through a central spot in the sea called the Nexus, as described in Poptropica graphic novel #4: The End of Time.
Hero: Max McGullicutty from Survival
Villain: Scheherazade

The Nexus, land of limitless time crystals

Thank you, Poptropica Creators, for hosting this interview with me (and for calling the PHB “the leading fan-run Poptropica blog” in the original post 😁). Keep on popping on, Poptropicans! ✌️

~Slanted Fish 🐟🐡🐠💙

PHB Specials, Web Development

A Lifetime of Headers, Part II

July 24, 2017July 20, 2017 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)

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

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,

~/🐠

Tag: PHB

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