I can show you the world… — “I DON’T WANT TO SEE IT!” Oh, but you’ll want to see this!
Hey Poptropicans! So last week’s buzz was about the release of PoptropiCon Ep. 1 for members, and Mission Atlantis Ep. 3 for everyone — but looking ahead, let’s see what we can find out about the upcoming Arabian Nights Island — in particular, the first episode: “How Bazaar”!
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW (but that’s what you want, isn’t it?)
:: overview ::
About a month ago, the PHB posted sneak peeks of some backgrounds of places we’d be visiting on the island, which had some rough notes on them. These have since been updated with backdrops, foregrounds, and the like. (Special thanks to Poptrickia for putting these together into corresponding images and allowing them to be used in this post!) First, here’s a look at the Cliff area (click to enlarge):
To the right of the cliff image with the notes, it says “to cave” — that’s because we’ll be venturing into one! Here you can see the updated Cave scene (where the bag of salt lies in a lower corner):
Anyway, at some point (perhaps the beginning), you’ll speak to the Sultan, who resides in a beautiful palace (with its lovely exterior illustrated by Nate Greenwall):
It’s not so pretty on the inside though — that’s because, as per the episode’s plot, it’s been ransacked by the Forty Thieves! The palace is in disarray, but more importantly, the sultan’s precious lamp has gone missing… and as those who are familiar with Arabian legend know, that lamp is supposed to contain a genie that has now disappeared!
image of the Sultan from Nate Greenwall’s portfolio site
You: What happened here? Sultan: The forty thieves happened! They ransacked my palace and left me with nothing.
You: You mean, you’re broke? Sultan: Money can be replaced, but the thieves took one precious thing from me: a lamp that is like no other. Find it, and I will grant you a fabulous reward.
You: How can I find the lamp? Sultan: I don’t know. But perhaps you can start your quest with this. It is my last jewel. Trade it wisely.
So, remember Blake’s post showing the items you’d obtain in Arabian Nights? You’ll be trading some of these in the Bazaar (a Middle Eastern market), and based on the above, it looks like you’ll be starting off with the Sultan’s crown jewel.
Inside these pretty patterned stalls, you’ll get to trade/barter with the store owners, which may or may not involve the items pictured below, placed in the various stall scenes:
And we can’t forget the Daily Pop sneak peeks! These can give some insights to the island as well, like the fact that the oasis may just be a mirage, that the palace is heavily guarded, and that the telescope item can be found atop a palace minaret. The Creators even referenced CliffsNotes! Oh my.
Open Sesame: Into the jaws of defeat.
Cliffs Notes: There are no shortcuts to knowledge.
Spelunky: At the end of our rope.
The Saddest Snowman: Think chilly thoughts, think chilly thoughts…
Camp Value: The pup tent sleeps one.
Missing: This place is a shadow of its former self.
Sleep Tight: Don’t let the desert locusts bite.
In Spired: I can see my house from here.
Whattya Buyin: Got some good things on sale, stranger.
The Sting: Watch your step.
Hump Day: Dromedarius to the maximus.
Shuttered: This place looks deserted.
Crystallized: The caves have come around again.
Palace Intrigue: Don’t let your guard down — or, better yet, do.
Mirage: Don’t trust what you see in the desert.
How Bazaar: Every time I look around.
By the way, for more Poptropica behind-the-scenes, particularly files and music, check out the PHB’s Behind the Scenes page, which includes part of the soundtrack for Arabian Nights Island and more!
On Arabian Nights Island, Poptropicans go on a quest across the desert to rescue a sultan’s genie from the Forty Thieves.
Now, onto the theories! From what’s been gathered here, it looks like the Sultan’s palace has been ransacked by the infamous Forty Thieves, and his most precious belonging — a lamp containing a (wish-granting?) genie — is now missing. Once you get past all the palace guards and manage to talk to the Sultan, he asks you to help him retrieve it. He gives you his last jewel to trade in the bazaar, in the hopes that you’ll eventually win his lamp back. Along the adventure, you’ll venture into a cliff, cave, and desert to look for various items requested by the barterers at the bazaar.
Ah, yes… the Christmas story. You may have heard it before: the nativity, the birth of Christ, the “reason for the season.”
Well, with all due respect no matter what your beliefs may be, perhaps you’ll enjoy this retelling of a traditional Christmas tale portrayed alongside some Poptropica imagery…
The Christmas Story: Poptropica Style
So there’s this young couple, Mary and Joseph, and they’re traveling to Bethlehem*, where they’re going to register for the census ordered by the government. *totally not Vampire’s Curse Island, by the way. Despite being a virgin, Mary’s expecting a child at any moment (the son of God, no less!), but there’s no room for them anywhere, and poor Joseph is trying his best to pull himself together… yeah, life hasn’t been easy for them.
Finally, they find a spot, and Mary gives birth to her son, Jesus. She wraps him in cloths and places him in a manger – quite a humble beginning for the king of kings!
Out in the fields nearby, there are shepherds watching over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appears to them and brings them the good news of the Savior’s birth.
The fluffy-haired shepherd boys decide to go check this out for themselves, and they are duly amazed, so they go out and praise God for all that they’ve heard and seen.
It’s said that some wise men (or “Magi”) followed a star and visited Jesus too, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (fancy rich things!). This would’ve been some time after his birth, but we can’t forget them, now can we? So there we have it.
Merry Christmas, everyone. 🙂
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
Hey guys, BT here. Now, the Creators actually posted TWO pieces of big news over the short span of two days! The first piece reveals the next classic island to get an update with sound and bigger screen… Time Tangled!
Yes, it seems that Poptropica’s 3rd island will be next to get this update.
And there’s a bigger piece of news that has spawned…
Well, the Creators finally announced it with everything but the Poptropica Store Members Only Gold Cards and the exact date of its arrival. Here’s the video trailer for the island:
(Is that a reference to the weird YouTube viral video “Cows & Cows & Cows” I see in the trailer?)
So I was right when I said that the Creators are parodying themselves (yes!). Anyway, the info page has some interesting info including the island’s approximate release time…
Brave Tomato: Looks like someone missed their morning coffee…
Coming mid-December!
Poptropica is under new management, and it’s falling apart at the seams! The newest Island isn’t finished, the staff is nowhere to be found, and you can’t take two steps without running into a game-breaking bug. Get ready to go behind the scenes for your most important adventure yet — because this time, you’ve got to save Poptropica itself!
An island about making an island? ISLAND-CEPTION! Time to break the fourth wall, peeps, and save our game! (Although I wonder if this is just an excuse to get away with ACTUAL bugs and glitches that can occur…)
Speaking of saving our game, here’s an odd bonus quest that… may bring in a new villain! O.O
Brave Tomato: Who’s that? And why did I think he was a girl when I first saw the pic?
Bonus Quest
A rogue programmer has conquered a rival website and now rules it like a king. You must venture outside the safety of Poptropica to bring him back — if you can last long enough to find him!
Who’s that? Is the rival website MegaFightingBots.com, that battling robots game showed in the island trailer? So many questions, yet so little answers…
By the way, the Creators just made that website real, although coming soon. This is what you’d see on the website:
It’s tiiiime for another PHB special! You may have seen my Poptropican in the header or sidebar, but have you seen her doodled? ‘Cause I’ve got a speed drawing video of exactly that right here…
I started out with a rough sketch, traced it in black, and under that layer I colored it in – all that took about 50 minutes, but it’s been condensed into less than 3 for the video. Digital artwork was done by me on Sketchbook Express using a pen tablet. Also, if you’re interested, the PHB has a guide called How to Draw a Poptropican under the Cool Stuff tab.
Get your fart guns ready, because there are two new advertisement buildings on Poptropica!
First off, there is a new ad on Main Streets for Despicable Me 2, in theaters July 3rd.
Inside the building there are three different games you can play. The first of which is Bee-Do: The Emergency Minion response game. This game is very similar to the old game Donkey Kong. You have to climb up through Gru’s lab using the arrow keys and put out the fire with a fire extinguisher. Make sure to dodge the falling cups that come at you! Pick up cupcakes, unicorns, and bananas for bonus points. Your prize is your very own Minion Costume!
The next game is a training mission from Lucy, an agent of AVL. This game is like a scavenger hunt. You have to find four items that have been scattered throughout the mall. They are a lipstick taser, a blue car, a freeze ray, and an AVL badge. You are provided with a radar which shows you where all of the items are located so it isn’t too difficult. Once all four are found you win the Lipstick Taser Power which lets you give other Poptropicans a little shock and the Fart Gun Power which lets you knock over other Poptropicans with that gnarly stink.
The last game is Bop-a-Minion. It is very similar to Wac-a-Mole. You have to hit the minions as they pop up. Hitting minions holding coins will earn you in-game money towards unlocking new minions to bop. Minions holding a 200 sign are worth 200 bonus points. Make sure not to hit minions holding bombs because that will mean game over for you. Your prize for this game is the Freeze Ray Power which lets you freeze other Poptropicans in blocks of ice!
Next is a new building for Disney XD’s Non-Stop Summer. Once you enter the building on Steamworks Island you can hop on a bike and make your way to the adventure. Once you have won all of the games, you get a special bonus prize, but that will have to wait until July 8th when the last game is released. (Note: You may find this ad in the transition area between places. Just click to go to the Disney XD ad!)
I see, it’s clever because the bike tires make an infinity sign.
The first stop on this summer road trip is at the Kickin’ It: Race the Black Dragons game. This game is a plain old race to the finish. Beat the Red Dragon bike to the finish by hitting green speed boosts and dodging puddles and pot holes. If you win you earn the Kickin’ It High Kick Power!
Next up on our road trip is the Crash and Bernstein Burp Along game. Hit the arrow keys in the correct order to copy Bernstein’s burp pattern. Once you match him burp for burp six times you win the Crash Follower.
The last stop on our road trip as at the Lab Rats: Virus Eddie game. This is a matching game, so you have to find and match both of pictures of each character. Once you have matched all four pairs you win the Adam’s Laser Vision Power which lets you shoot optic blasts where ever you point your mouse.
Which mini-game is your favorite to play? I personally enjoyed the Bop-a-Minion.
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