Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Invisible Ring. Enjoy!
To celebrate my first early snowfall of the season, I have a Pop Quiz for you: What’s your favorite winter activity?
A: Snowball fights? 🥶
Nothing like a battle with the Whirley Street Kids or a good game of Snowpocalypse as I always say…
B: Christmas Decorations? 🎄
I know some people like to hang those up before it gets cold outside, but it certainly is a pleasure to have them up to see when the snow comes.
C: Skating? 🎿
Ice skating, that is—not roller skating. Don’t bring wheels to a frozen pond or rink! If skates aren’t for you, though, try sliding around in your shoes instead!
D: Staying indoors and relaxing by the fire 🔥
Those are your four basic options, but depending on how much snow you get, there are also snowmen, snow angels, snow forts, and snow sculptures to make!
If that’s still not enough for you to do, don’t worry. The holiday season is upon us all, (right after Thanksgiving, that is…) so get out there and have some fun! I’m going out to go catch some snowflakes! ❄️
Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Invisible Ring.
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? We’d love to hear from you!
Wazzup, Poptropi-lympians! In the last few weeks, our vibrant community representing the diverse tribes of Poptropica engaged in an exciting showdown to determine who would emerge victorious as the ultimate champion. With activities ranging from artistic creations and brain-teasing puzzles to an adventurous scavenger hunt, culminating in a grand closing ceremony, we hope you all had an unforgettable time!
The party was a typical mix of fun and laughter at Midas’ Gym on Mythology Island, where everyone gathered to enjoy some classic common room games. We chatted away in the Poptropica Help Chat (PHC), sharing nostalgic stories and funny gifs and pics. There were also plenty of pushups and dance moves to keep things lively! ⚡Can you find yourself in the collage graphic?
🖍 Gifted Gladiators 🎶
The kickoff round, Gifted Gladiators, which took place throughout the entire event, was a dazzling display of art and creativity. A multitude of Poptropicans showcased their talents by submitting written works, eye-catching visuals, musical compositions, and an array of Poptropica-themed fan creations! We recognized the effort behind each submission, granting players 20 points for their tribe for every piece they submitted.
We were blown away by the amount of artwork that the Nanobots created, which amassed a whopping 1,740 points! Hats off to the mechanical crustaceans for stealing this round. 🤖
Check out the awesome Art Gallery Exhibition packed with some spirited submissions for this event. There’s a ton of great stuff to see!
by Sleepy Biker of Pathfindersby happyclonetrooper of Seraphimby PHB author, Gentle Dolphin of Seraphimby Magic Kid of Nightcrawlersby Magic Kid of Nightcrawlersby Pegs of Nanobotsby Incredible Fire of Wildfireby Lazy Kid of Black Flagsby Lazy Kid of Black Flagsby Pink Star of Nightcrawlersby me, LJ of many tribesby Serious Heart of Flying Squid
💪 Brawny Brainiacs 🧠
In the second round, Brawny Brainiacs, there were several ways to rack up points such as a fun word search, a captivating character crossword puzzle, a tricky decode-a-message challenge, and a host of entertaining Pop the Difference games. Including bonus points, you could individually score up to 1,330 points in this round for your team if you completed every task.
It was the Seraphim who soared to the top this round, racking up an impressive grand total of 3,960 points! 🪽
🔎 Sensational Scavenger Hunt 🔦
In the thrilling final round, teams joined forces in a frantic dash to the finish line. A total of 10 clues awaited the tribes, each cleverly hidden throughout the blog’s many pages. The scoring system ranked participants from 80 points for first place down to 10 points for those who crossed the line last.
This time, the Wildfire tribe outshone all rivals, wrapping up their hunt in less than an hour—an astonishing feat unmatched by any other tribe. Standing tall and triumphant, they secured a stellar score of 80 points! 🔥
🥇 Final Scores🥈
Unfortunately, we have to say that the Yellowjackets are taking home the last place ribbon for the second time in a row, scoring just a tiny 60 points. Yikes! It looks like hibernation came early this year for these sleepy insects.
Worming their way into 7th place, we’ve got the Nightcrawlers. With a score of 845 points, it looks like the early bird caught these little guys before they could wiggle any further.
Wildfireis sitting at a tepid 6th place this year. They put in a solid effort with 1,025 points, but it seems like the flames have cooled off a bit this time.
Flying Squid takes our 5th place spot with 1,460 points! They just ‘squid’n’t manage to break into the top half of the leaderboard. There’s always next time.
The Pathfinders‘ pursuit of first place did not culminate in success, as they raked in a total of 1,520 points; however, they can take pride in their earnest efforts. Coming in 4th place is still a commendable achievement!
In 3rd place, we have the Nanobots! With an impressive score of 3,090 points, these robotic crabs were truly electrifying!
The Black Flags put on an absolutely ‘plunder’ful performance, racking up an impressive total of 3,570 points! While they couldn’t hold onto their title as champions from the previous games, they still managed to clinch an impressive 2nd place. Argh, super close!
Which means…🥁🥁🥁
The Seraphimhave emerged as the triumphant champions of this year’s tournament, scoring an overall 4,140 points! Their meticulous game plan, rather than ‘winging’ it, proved to be the winning strategy for this heavenly squad! 🏆🎊
🙌 G.O.A.Ts of the Games 👏
While we value each and every one of our participants, a handful of competitors truly excelled, pouring their hearts into ensuring their tribe brought home the gold.
We want to give a super special shoutout to these exceptional Poptropicans for their remarkable dedication:
Pegs of Nanobots, Lazy Kid of Black Flags, Sleepy Biker of Pathfinders, Magic Kid of Nightcrawlers, Squidney24 of Seraphim, Lune of Wildfire, & Bony Bones of Flying Squid
Thank you all so much, once again, for your efforts in maintaining the lively spirit of our Tribal Tournament! Y’all are the GOATs! 🐐
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. 😉
Tip: Open the image in a new tab to enlarge
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…
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!
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!
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!
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
Fancy Nyah by Kid Whom Has a Hat
Popover Masked Singer by Smart Icicle
Poptropica Fancy Entry by 1234rose18
Princess Scheherazade by Barefoot Knuckle
Cute Outfit for the Poppies by Dangerous Dragon
SB Poppies by Sporty Boa
Fancy by Friendly Feather
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!
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