Tag: twitter

Advertisements, Monthly Costume Contests, Social Media, Store

Switching it up in spooky style 🎃😎

Gentle Dolphin

Hello, everyone!

After two weeks of judging (and a questionably handled submission reel), the Creators finally announced the winners of the Red October Halloween Costume Contest. Without further ado, the six winning designs are Heart Witch by Big Rider, Zombie Nerd by Cheerful Boot, Pumpkin Punk by Gentle Dolphin (me! 😁), Midnight Kitten by Quiet Crumb, Phantom by Maroon Cloud, and Will-O’-Wisp by Sleepy Biker.

We look forward to seeing these spook-tacular costumes get brought to life this Halloween! ❤️🧟‍♀️🎃🐈‍⬛🎩🔥

After announcing the winners, the Creators’ Blog post goes on to say that the Red Baron will be on Home Island throughout the month of October! Not only is the Baron bringing the winning costumes, she’s also bringing some other spooky items from Poptropica’s past. Perhaps we’ll see a Count Bram costume or a Jersey Devil plushie?

While we wait for the Red Baron to arrive with her spooky bounty, Amelia’s Adventure Outfitters introduced a new outfit to celebrate skateboarding becoming an official Olympic sport. Members can purchase the radical Street Style outfit for 250 credits. Now avatars can at least look the part of a pro skater. 🛹

The Pop Creators don’t always post on Twitter. But when they do, it’s to like and share tweets promoting their game. This week, they’ve been engaging with a few fans who want to see Poptropica on the Nintendo Switch. Seems they like the idea:

The idea of Poptropica on the Switch isn’t too far off. Some of you may recall that there were two official Poptropica DS games: Poptropica Adventures and Poptropica: Forgotten Islands. While a Switch port would be cool, the Creators’ priorities should perhaps be to port the old islands to the base game, which is pretty lacking in its current state. But still, imagine Poptropica appearing in an upcoming Nintendo Direct!

Image edit by me, and text by Sporty Boa

Before I end this post, I want to talk about a new ad that has been turning heads. Some players have encountered videos ads for Venom: Let There Be Carnage playing in both the video bar below the game screen as well as in between scenes. It’s pretty shocking that a violent PG-13 movie is being advertised in a game aimed towards children. We’re not sure how much control the Creators have over these video ads, but let’s hope they are able to take these particular ads down.

That’s all I have for now! Are you looking forward to the Red Baron’s visit this October? Would you like to see a Poptropica Switch game? Let us know in the comments below!

Stay tuned for a background look into one of the upcoming Dream Island winners. We’re sure it will have you rolling on the floor with anticipation. 😜🏠

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Fan Art Features, Social Media, Uncategorized

Illustrative Instagram stories and bizarre bunny memes 🐇

Smart Bubbles

Happy beginning of hot blazing horrible weather, everyone! 🌞

Poptropica’s social media activity has been up this week, with tons of new Instagram stories, as well as an odd Twitter post recalling our dear Dr. Hare. First, let’s turn to the ‘gram…

Among the feature are highlights to the latest Poptropica store update and the nearing end to the first of the new Monthly Costume Contests.

There is also a particularly large number of shares for fan art features:

There’s some really cool art in here! Glad to see entries for the Monthly Costume Contest as well. I personally love the sharp design and dramatic color scheme of the Black Widow piece! 🕷

Meanwhile on Twitter, the Creators tweeted a “Feel old yet?” joke, featuring Dr. Hare and a Snapchat photo of actor Matthew Gray Gubler in pink bunny ears with the caption “I hate it here.”

Wait, what was that?

While memes can be a fun way to spread hype and provide some comedy to a community, this more obscure and random one is a bit out of character for Poptropica’s usual social media antics. Several people were quick to comment with a mix of amusement and confusion.

What do you Poptropicans think? Are there any particular artists or pieces you like from the gallery, and what do you think of this odd addition to the Twitter timeline?

Until next time (yes I do remember the Island Flash-backs, they will be returning!) stay creative, maybe by making some Poptropica memes and joining our Community Creations this month!

Castori honorem ~ Maryann/Smart Bubbles

App, Paradise Island, Sneak Peeks, Social Media

Airways and Animal Jam ✈️🦊

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! In a stunning turn of events, Poptropica has suddenly, somehow managed to do the unexpected: shared actual sneak peek images of something they’re working on, and post a controversial tweet.

Let’s fly into the first thing: sneak peeks! Over on the Creators’ Blog, they shared a post teasing “new stuff” they’re working on. As is the case with their communications these days, the writing is sparse, leaving much to the imagination. But whatever Poptropica Airways is, it’s about to make a landing.

Could planes be the new blimps? That might explain the recent disappearance of the beloved, Poppies-award-winning blimp decor in clubhouses, even while blimps continue to be our Poptropicans’ mode of inter-island travel. But if that’s the case—even conceding that planes might be a more modern form of travel—Poptropica would certainly be losing a very iconic part of its identity! Even the Creators’ Blog uses the blimp in their branding.

And what to make of the blimp photo on the clerk’s desk? Is it a tribute to a soon-to-be past, or will blimps be relegated to being the beat-up rafts to the Phoenix Warbirds of the air? (That’s a Skullduggery Island metaphor, btw.)

Or is this part of a new island adventure? The post does also say they’re working on converting islands, with Time Tangled and Mythology in progress right now—which seems to leave little room for the planning and developing of an entirely new island. But who knows?

Now onto the next juicy news: yes, for the second time in 2020, Poptropica managed to tweet something controversial. (In case you missed it, Poptropica briefly endorsed Joe Biden for US president on Twitter.)

It all started when the Poptropica app reached #1 somewhere in Apple’s App Store, knocking out Fortnite for the top spot. Of course, this called for a celebratory post (and story) on Instagram that started innocently enough, mentioning how they’d outlasted games like Club Penguin and Animal Jam.

But Poptropica’s tone was a little more over-the-top with the gloating on Twitter. In addition to a similar post sharing the same news, Poptropica also responded to a Twitter thread from Animal Jam co-founder Clark Stacey by saying, “First #clubpenguin and now #animaljam too? It’s lonely at the top. #poptropicaforever.” Poptropica’s tweet was pulled in less than a day, but we saved some pics, plus Mr. Stacey’s unamused response, which remains.

Mr. Stacey’s original Twitter commentary had been about the struggles of kids’ game developers being incentivised to create their games for a general audience rather than specifically for the kids category of game lists, as well as Apple’s ambiguity about why they were rejecting game updates to Animal Jam and other kids’ games. And instead of offering sympathy from a fellow kids’ game developer, Poptropica decided to gloat.

The Animal Jam co-founder swiftly called them out for being “childish” and “sloppyheaded,” adding that “the Poptropica I know was above this sort of thing.” Which brings us to the question, what’s up with Poptropica’s lackluster communications to players lately? Since Skinny Moon left in 2017, the years of general silence (with occasional vague updates) that followed were unimpressive enough, but this year’s (albeit deleted) Twitter blunders are bewildering. We sure do miss the days when Poptropica had a dedicated social media manager who took the time of day to respond to players’ questions!

By the way, Fortnite’s fall from the top spot is likely related to the game recently being pulled from both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play store for trying to circumvent the stores’ 30% “tax” on in-app purchases by offering a direct-payment option away from the app stores.

In-app purchases give a cut of the cost to the app stores.

But Poptropica does the exact same thing: even though you can buy a Pop membership through an in-app purchase (which gives a cut of the costs to the app store), you can also buy a membership directly on Poptropica’s website, which would allow Pop to keep 100% of the earnings. No matter where you buy the membership, it gets applied to your account on the app (as well as on the computer). So perhaps some sympathy for the predicaments of games like Fortnite is in order. After all, Poptropica could very well be at the same risk.

You can buy a membership on the app and directly from Poptropica’s website.

That wraps up these peculiar updates! What do you think Poptropica Airways will be? Thoughts on Poptropica’s Twitter habits? Hoorays for the app’s achievement? Sound off in the comments below!

~Slanted Fish 🐠

Community Creations

Community Creations: June 2019

Spotted Dragon

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Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the June recap for Community Creations! June’s theme was pride 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

Pride Month 2019 by ArtisticAsianBunny

ArtisticAsianBunny - Pride Month 2019

Wonderful, colorful submission! With each character representing a different hue of the rainbow, I love the attention to the color here. The motion of everyone appropriately mimics that of a march, adding great movement to the piece. Distinct personalities are shown with unique poses and accessories as well. Great character designs! Find her DeviantArt here.

Pride Month Day 4: Cuddly Owl by WitchyArtistGal

WitchyArtistGal - Pride Month Day 4 Cuddly Owl

So cute! All throughout June, this artist drew their OC’s in various pride fashion. Not only were the colors of the flags creatively incorporated to each outfit, but the numerous orientations featured shows great diversity. I particularly like this depiction of Cuddly Owl because of the blushing joy on her face! A simple but endearing series to say the least. Find her DeviantArt here.

Pride Batch by Criaha

Criaha - Pride Batch

Now talk about diversity! This month, Criaha took pride themed requests on their Tumblr, all of which are shown in the batch above (OC’s and headcannon characters alike). Like other submissions, the colors of numerous flags are well incorporated into fun outfits here. I find the variety particularly fantastic, with orientations, personalities, poses, etc. ranging greatly. The differences between the characters shows an excellent grasp on design and attention to detail. An amazing bunch of Poptropicans! Find her DeviantArt here.

Desiree by DJay-Rosi

DJay-Rosi - Desiree

Another sweet entry, huh? DJ started a pride series of their own this month, similarly featuring the orientations of many OC’s. Desiree here is quite the eye-catcher, with another expertly incorporated color scheme. The detailed outfit and bright pink lineart make the character really pop, and I love the sugary vibe. The swooping lines, shimmery look, and cute expression make this feel like a super energetic piece overall. A simple bust, but stunningly executed! Find their DeviantArt here.

Happy Anniversary MissE and Cri by NineTenOnetyOne

NineTenOnetyOne - Happy Anniversary MissE and Cri

Loving these wholesome drawings! Showcasing the adorable Popsonas of two popular artists in the community, this celebratory drawing is perfect for pride month. The gift is straightforward, but is far from straight but certainly encompasses the importance of spreading love in our community. I love the joy in the expressions and the closeness of the characters! Totally precious dude. Find her DeviantArt here.

Honorable Mentions

Pride Fashion by xXLilAngel2004Xx
Something for Pride Month by MagicLightning124
Adventure Husbands by RainbowlightCHEESE

Super cute submissions! Enjoyed seeing all the colors this month. Keep showing your pride and spreading the love!

July: 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 July’s theme? July’s theme is…

Technology & Social Media!

With the appearance of Blue Tooth on the Creators’ Blog, more frequent Twitter updates/interactions, and a new island on the horizon, I think this theme is pretty appropriate for the times. There’s no denying social media’s prevalence in our lives, and the dangers that it includes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate its benefits! Technology is rapidly advancing and culture is constantly evolving, so of course Poptropica has been trying to keep up. But what that future may look like is up for debate?

No matter how Poptropica, or its Worlds counterpart evolves, social media and technology will always be a crucial part of the fandom experience. Soooo, bring it on! Send us your Poptropica memes, your hilarious gifs, the whole shebang! What would Dr. Hare’s Twitter feed look like? Draw us some of Shark Guy’s aesthetic Instagram posts. Would you follow Black Widow on DeviantArt? Draw, write, edit, and send us your applicable creations!

zeus selfie

  • Comment below with a link to whatever you’ve created OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) on DeviantArt, Twitter, or Discord.
  • Results: I will feature 5 of the submissions as well as 3 honorable mentions.
  • Limitations: Nothing NSFW, and make sure you relate to the theme.
  • Due Date: I will take any entries before the end of this month. Submit as many things as you’d like!

I will always be sure to let you know I have seen your creation. Bonus points if you make a compelling description for your piece! 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

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Shrink Ray Island, Vampire's Curse Island

Happy birthday – have a pencil!

LJ

Hello, everyone!

It’s Lucky Joker here, showing you a fabulous Poptropica cake!

Over on Poptropica’s Twitter page, Poptropica has just announced that they’ll be celebrating Poptropica’s 9th birthday this month! I’m not sure what Poptropica has in store for us, but we were promised some fun coming soon! 🙂

Moving ahead now! We’ve also got some unreleased items we may or may not see in Poptropica. Courtesy to idk for the photos.

poptropica_unreleased_item1

As seen above, we have a Pencil, a Shoe Box, and an Amulet. From the island logos imprinted on the cards, I’m assuming these were items that were cut during development. Both Shrink Ray and Vampire’s Curse logos can be seen, if you look closely. Maybe even items for the New Poptropica?

If I were to guess; I would say that some of the original islands may be renewed in the New Poptropica. Eh… Just something that came to mind. 😛 Here’s what creator, Skinny Moon, had to say in a recent Q&A we held.

skinny-moon-qa

Who’s excited? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

– Lucky Joker :luckyjoker~1: