Club Penguin was a free online game by Disney that ran from 2005 to 2017, and was known for the iconic quote "Waddle around and meet new friends!". This game became very popular among the late millennial/early gen-z generations, as it allowed us to create our own penguin, and then give it the life you desire by earning coins through games, then spending them on clothes, furniture, etc. If you are like me, and you played club penguin through the late 2000s/early-mid 2010s, then this list will take you on a trip down memory lane.
Begging Your Parents for a Club Penguin Membership
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Because who said money couldn't buy you popularity in Club Penguin? A membership was a player's key to unlocking many of the cool items in the game, such as hair, clothing, furniture items, and even cool-themed igloos. A membership was your ticket to popularity in the game. These memberships lasted from 1 month to 1 year, and the longer they were, the more money they cost.
Becoming A Secret Agent
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Nothing in Club Penguin was more "badass" then becoming a Secret Agent. Going on secret missions only secret agents had access to just felt cool. Also you got access to a special secret agent hideout where you could pretend to to secret agent things. Being a secret agent also earned you 250 coins each week, so that counts as a paycheck right?
Earning your Black Belt and Ninja Mask from the Sensei
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Finally defeating the Sensei in card-jitsu (which was HARD) and earning your black belt and ninja mask was a win that couldn't be beat. You also got access to a secret ninja hideout where you could become fire, water, and air ninjas. Not to mention those roles even gave you more unlockable content for your penguin to show off.
Trying to Tip the Iceberg
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There was a legend that if enough penguins used jackhammers on the iceberg, it would tip over. You'd gather all of your penguin friends, head over to the iceberg, get out your jackhammers and start drilling (even though it never tipped). It wouldn't be until 2017 that players finally saw the iceberg tip.
The Halloween Party
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Spooky season was turned into something even more spooky on Club Penguin. Dark clouds covered the sky and the entire island was given a spooky-themed overlay. Not to mention, the costumes you could buy from the catalog and dress your penguin up in were fitting for the haunting holiday.
Coins for Change During the Christmas Party
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Every year during the holiday season, Club Penguin would donate about $1-$2 million to a few charities each year, and got players involved virtually by having them donate their coins. Nothing like my younger self feeling like I'm making a difference by donating my hard-earned coins during the holiday season.
Meeting Rare Characters at Parties
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Whether Rockhopper the pirate was visiting on his ship, or DJ Cadence was visiting the nightclub, it was basically a huge hunt to find these special characters. During special events and parties, certain characters such as Rockhopper, DJ Cadence, Aunt Arctic, Gary, and more would randomly appear on different servers, and if you found them you obtained a free background from them. I remember spending hours on websites that would update you on what server and rooms these characters were in and trying to get to them (Those servers and rooms filled very quickly).
All of the Themed Parties
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Through the year, Club Penguin hosted many themed parties. The island would change to fit the theme, and there'd be many free items that players could receive. One of my favorites was the Medieval party. You could dress up your penguin as a knight, dragon, princess, etc. and travel through Medieval themed mazes and fight off dragons as well (that led to cool prizes)!
The Club Penguin Fair
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Every year in the fall, Club Penguin would host a fair. The island turned into one huge carnival, usually during the month of September. You were able to play games and earn tickets, in which you could exchange for cool prizes that were exclusive to the fair. Also, the iceberg turned into a huge ball pit, which was iconic in its own way.
Owning a Puffle in Every Color, and then Having to Take Care of them All
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Let's face it, we all wanted to have a rainbow of puffles to show off. Puffles were pets for your penguin to adopt that came in a variety of colors, and each color had their own personality. You could buy food, treats, and furniture for your puffle from the pet shop as well. But like any real-life pet, puffles had to be taken care of. Taking care of the cute little puffballs was a lot harder then it sounds, especially if you had a lot of them. This also created constant anxiety as puffles could run away if they were neglected for too long.
Learning that Club Penguin Would be Shutting Down for Good
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On January 30th, 2017; a little under 12 years after the release date, Disney announced that Club Penguin would be shutting down its servers after March 29th, 2017. This was a sad day for many fans, as years of childhood memories were about to be wiped away forever. On the night of March 29th, fans all over the world logged on in order to enjoy the final hours and minutes of the game. At 12 am on March 30th, the server was officially shut down, marking the end of a childhood era for many.
Only for Someone to Bring the Game Back as Club Penguin Rewritten
If you've been craving to waddle the Club Penguin island again, I have good news for you. Re-creations of the iconic game have been created by private servers and have brought the game back to life for many longtime fans. Now you can log back in, create a new penguin, and spend hours reliving your childhood. The best part? Everyone has a free membership, so no more feeling left out if you never got that exclusive membership experience.
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