If you were like me in 2010, you would rush home each day after school to play Club Penguin, a virtual world filled with other players, games, and activities. Penguins could chat with each other (with censorship of profanity), visit different locations on the map, dress up, adopt pets, and more. I begged my mom to pay $7 per month for the official membership, which unlocked more activities and purchasing opportunities in the game - the first glimpse of a wealth gap I had seen in my life, probably. And I received the membership one fateful day, embarking on an exploration of a dense universe that has since faded away when the website tragically shut down in 2017. Here were some of my fondest memories from Club Penguin. Let's waddle down memory lane!
Card-Jitsu
Playing this game at the Dojo really taught me a novel form of game theory. By using fire, water, and snow cards against each other, players combatted each other in a light-hearted (and sometimes, intense) battle. As penguins racked up their skills and victories, they earned their belts, until they defeated the Sensei and collected the highly-sought-after black belt. The game then introduced a fire, water, and snow game in addition to the classic card game, to expand upon the Dojo facilities.
The Pizzatron 3000
You know that one Drake and Josh episode where they were at a sushi-making factory and struggled to make the sushi rolls as the conveyor belt quickened? That's what this pizza parlor game felt like. Chaos and tomato sauce and shrimp. Or maybe I just wasn't good at the game.
Puffles
Adorable balls of fluff, puffles came in many different colors and personalities. You could adopt puffles as pets, name them, play with them, walk them, feed them, and more! There was even a minigame and app, Puffle Launch, that was centered on propelling the pets through the sky to feed them Puffle-Os, which are a processed form O-Berries, which are a native food that grows on bushes. (Hey, I told you the Club Penguin universe is dense.)
Secret Agent missions
Were you ever part of the Elite Penguin Force (EPF), formerly the Penguin Secret Agency (PSA)? A quick test at the Everyday Phoning Facility would let you participate in this secret spy program. As an EPF Agent, you could access your very own Spy Phone, the EPF Command Room, and mission games that really made you think and solve puzzles. (If you didn't search up the tutorials for how to complete these missions, you're probably a genius now.)
The fashion
Browsing the catalog in the Clothes Shop was always fun. Members got to buy fun wigs, shirts, pants, accessories - you name it! Each month brought a new theme and style, and long-time players collected items in their inventory.
Meeting “Characters”
Every land has its celebrities, and Club Penguin was no exception. The key characters of the game made appearances every once in a while, and members were able to meet them and collect a background and stamp. Characters included Rockhopper (a pirate whose ship occasionally docks at the Beach), Aunt Arctic (a reporter who ran the island's newspaper), Cadence (a DJ at the Dance Club), Gary (an inventor and EPF Agent), Rookie (an intern Secret Agent), and Sensei (master of the elements and Card-Jitsu).
Igloos
Club Penguin players each take residence in their own personal igloo - or colloquially, "iggy." Members could live out their home decor fantasies and browse the catalog for colored carpets/floorboards, paintings, home locations/backgrounds, and any kind of furniture, wacky and conventional. The igloo itself could also be transformed or expanded, with changing monthly themes.
The music
Each Club Penguin location had its own theme. From the jazzy pizza parlor music to the funky dance club tunes, Club Penguin's soundtrack was superb. Club Penguin later started releasing full songs like "The Party Starts Now," performed by DJ Candence.
Cart Surfing
This minigame in the mine was tricky; players had to perform stunts while riding in a minecart by pressing down on keyboard keys rapidly and with quick instincts to avoid falling at the mine track's sharp turns.
Ice Fishing
This minigame was an easy way to earn coins. Players simply had to raise their fishing line, complete with bait, up and down to catch fish while avoiding boots and crabs. They then caught the last fish, a big, seemingly mythical mutant creature, with a fish as bait itself.
Tipping the Iceberg
There was an urban legend that if enough members did the drill action at the iceberg location, the iceberg would actually tip over. It never did, and most players went on with their lives without spending too much time drilling. Of course there were a few adamant penguins drilling each day, focused on the conspiracy. The iceberg never tipped for 12 years - that is, until penguins flocked to the iceberg on Club Penguin's twilight hours. Right before the website finally ended, the iceberg tipped over.
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