If you were wondering what went on while you were gone, look no further! This Neopets Hiatus guide covers the last few years.
The Latest:
| Species | Paintbrush | Non-PB Colour | World | World Revamp | AC Winner | Site Event |
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| Vandagyre | Oil Paint Brush | Burlap | Moltara | Lost Desert | Terror Mountain | Negg Fest |
Year 22 (2020)
| Plots & Site Events | |
|---|---|
 | The 8th Annual Neopies occured with voting in 16 categories! |
 | The Faerie Quest Event featured Mr. Krawley this year – with Neopians being asked to help with side effects from some of the merchandise purchased by faeries from this nefarious character. There was some confusion over requirements for the final bonus prize – with some believing you had to complete the faerie quests every day – however, TNT let everyone know that requirements had not changed and neopians everywhere rejoiced! |
| Neopets Releases | |
|---|---|
 | Neopets released some limited-edition merch – a throw pillow and a rug – to celebrate the 20th anniversary! |
 | The April Fools Joke this year was rather tame, with the return of Nick Neopia who brought plans for a site redesign and may have caused mild chaos turning site pages upside down! |
| Site Updates | |
|---|---|
 | Focus groups were held in Los Angeles in March to gather information from players (their thoughts on the Neopets brand, game, and community)! |
| New Releases | |
|---|---|
 | Nothing yet |
New Avatars
(Hover for details on obtaining)
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New Pet Colours
Neopets has released 80 new pet colours so far this year! A larger (and better) guide can be found here
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Year 21 (2019)
| Plots & Site Events | |
|---|---|
 | Lyra and the Lost Heirloom came to an end; visit the prize shop here if you participated! (Prize shop will only be open until 31 August 2019 at 23:59:59) |
 | Altador Cup XIV was wrought with intermittent site outages, requiring an extension by a few days. Terror Mountain emerged as the winning team, followed by Virtupets and Maraqua! Score one for the little guys |
 | Charity Corner returned with a new host, Atsumi, and a new name – “Living with Less.” Initially, the discard function was flawed and painful to use. TNT responded to User’s concerns and implemented a new discard function (similar to quickstock) and ultimately ended up extending the event by a week to compensate. The Perk Shop had its own issues, with some perks not working and some being taken down. This was still a work-in-progress over a month later. |
| Neopets Releases | |
|---|---|
 | Neopets released Legends & Letters, a mobile-based app. |
| The 2019 April Fools Day Prank featured a faux Charity Corner Gift Shop with some *ahem* interesting perks, including being able to spin a wheel with a chance to win r101 and r180 stamps at no cost, as well as a perk offering you to meet Sutek’s spirit at Sutek’s tomb (where if you could answer a riddle correctly, you would be granted three wishes for whatever you wanted!). Alas, it was all a prank. |
 | Neopets hosted a booth at Comic Con again this year. This year, there were multiple demos including the Neopets X mobile app which allows you to rebuild a new island (Dacardia) after it was destroyed. Additionally, there was a demo of Neopets Mobile which was a mobile redesign of the original website to make it much easier to use on a smartphone. |
 | Petpages now require you to log in before viewing – this broke a few features including being able to find petpages on search engines and complicating the finding of stuck pet finding |
 | TNT started a Social Media Creative Contest hosted on a site that Tweets! All winners received a Comic Con Code as a reward! |
 | Jumpstart CEO left the company |
| Site Updates | |
|---|---|
 | Trudy’s Surprise was updated to release items every 7 days in addition to winning 100k every 25 spins! |
 | A popular hosting site, Tinypic was discontinued in September 2019. Hopefully you still have those images saved somewhere… |
 | TNT deployed a new firewall in early September to help prevent bot use across the site. Initially this caused many issues including game scores not sending. This was quickly rectified with CAPTCHAs deployed across many pages and an internal delay of page loading if the site recognized you as accessing too many pages too quickly. |
| The Neopies returned! Last time these were a part of the site was in 2014! |
 | TNT began putting a 1 year restriction on consumption of Birthday Cupcakes due to prior abuse of this reward. |
| New Releases | |
|---|---|
 | Neopets released the Oil Paint colour and associated paint brush. |
 | Neopets released a lab-ray specific colour, Mosaic |
 | Neopets released a second lab-ray specific colour, Burlap |
New Avatars
(Hover for details on obtaining)
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New Pet Colours
Neopets has released 80 new pet colours so far this year! A larger (and better) guide can be found here
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Year 20 (2018)
| Plots & Site Events | |
|---|---|
 | Shortly after the Faerie Festival, Fyora was kidnapped and the site of the festival was heavily vandalized. The Wraith Resurgence plot emerged! This plot included the new faerie (Kaia) – the Darkest Faerie disguised herself as Kaia to attack Faerieland! |
 | Granny Hopbobbin decided to change the old format of Charity Corner up – gone are the days of receiving items for every five donations. You now sprend your earned points in a prize shop for site perks including 7 days of good events and increased bank interest! |
 | Altador Cup XIII sign-ups were transiently delayed for un-clear reasons, but the cup was successful and Tyrannia emerged as the victors, followed closely by Meridell and Terror Mountain! |
| Neopets Releases | |
|---|---|
| April Fool’s day was heralded by an announcement of a Neopets themepark in mainland China as well the launch of NeopetsTV in 2020 – a TV station devoted exclusively to all-new Neopets programming! |
 | New real-life neopets merchandise was released with new codes; unfortunately this release did have some hiccups, but the merch was cool and included baby neopet pins! |
| Neopets hosted a booth at Comic Con! |
 | Neopets Cryptoquest was released. This new site featured a game where you complete quests to escape the Haunted Woods. This required the purchase of a Cryptoquest Card (which came with a prize code) and awarded Reward Cards (which also came with prize codes). |
| Site Updates | |
|---|---|
 | After being down for a long stretch of time, the Random Contest was re-instated with some… interesting new challenge themes |
 | The User Shop cap was raised from 99,999 to 999,999. This resulted in some mild deflation of unbuyable objects, but overall was widely rejoiced |
 | Tons of stamp avatars were released (see below) |
 | Meridell was the recipient of a make-over, and was accompanied by a short game, Dragoyle Hunting, to help familiarize users with the map |
 | Brightvale also got a remodel and a short event involving a wizard creating portals throughout Brightvale. |
 | Rounding out the world map revamps, Lost Desert got a face lift. This was accompanied with a site plot, Lyra and the Lost Heirloom. |
 | With the introduction of a new faerie, new Kaia Faerie Quests were created – these quests only appear if you have an NC item in your inventory as well as a Pink Paper Bag (NC item); she will request the item in your inventory! |
| New Releases | |
|---|---|
 | Neopets released the Steampunk colour and associated paint brush. |
 | Neopets released the Origami colour and associated paint brush. |
 | Neopets released the Toy colour and associated paint brush. |
New Avatars
(Hover for details on obtaining)
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Year 19 (2017)
| Plots & Site Events | |
|---|---|
 | Chadley and Abagail hosted the Daily Dare, with AAA suspiciously absent… don’t worry, the last challenge was AAA’s revenge this year! |
 | Altador Cup XIII had its own set of issues once again this year, with score submissions closing 35 minutes early on the last day. TNT adjusted the level requirements to compensate for the time loss. The entire tournament was rife with its own drama, including allegations of cheaters in both KI & RI. Final results announced Kiko Lake as the winner, followed by Kreludor and Maraqua! |
| The Faerie Festival was shut down early, with a notice from Fyora herself to get your pets ready for battle! This warning wouldn’t come to frutition almost the end of the year, with the release of the Wraith Resurgence plot. |
| Neopets Releases | |
|---|---|
| TNT’s April Fools joke this year was the introduction of the Befriending Dome; this was a place where users could make new friends, give out compliments, give gifts, etc. Every user who visited the page was awarded a Rose of Friendship. |
| Site Updates | |
|---|---|
 | The limit of pets per account increased from 4 to 5! For premium users, this meant an increase of pets from 5 to 6!! |
 | The Petpet Protection League returned! |
 | Users were allowed to vote for the next neocolour. The winner was Candy, followed by Marble, then Floral. While intial plans were to only release 1 paint brush, TNT decided to release both Candy and Marble! |
 | Neopets gave the Site Rules a small refresh. |
| A new faerie was born just in time for the Faerie Festival! Meet Kaia! A lot of Kaia-themed objects were released to celebrate this release |
| New Releases | |
|---|---|
 | Neopets released a highly controversial item, the Burrito in the Wall, which was quickly redacted due to public reaction. TNT released a statement announcing the site would remain politic-free. |
 | Neopets released the Candy colour and associated paint brush. |
 | Neopets released the Marble colour and associated paint brush. |
New Avatars
(Hover for details on obtaining)
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Year 18 (2016)
| Plots & Site Events | |
|---|---|
 | The 2000th poetry contest was celebrated |
 | Neopets released a statement that a disease was spreading among some participants of Altador Cup XI, with symptoms of multiple personality disorder and temporary feeling of supernatural or magical performance. In order to stop the spread of this plague, TNT quarantined the affected players (and their scores) resulting in Maraqua and Kreludor dropping lower in the rankings toward the end of the cup. In the end, Mystery Island emerged victorious, followed by Tyrannia and Kiko Lake. |
 | In additional AC news, further cap adjustments were made to the number of games you could play for scores each day. This included a reduction in YYB from 68 to 46 games, SOSD & MSN from 762 to 401 games, and Slushie Slinger from 139 to 86 games per day. |
| Neopets Releases | |
|---|---|
 | Neopets did report on a data breach with a leak of a large amount of info from player accounts to third parties. This breach actually occured in 2012, but was not reported until 2016 (after Jumpstart’s acquisition). |
| The April Fool’s Day prank was the introduction of the Neopian Net Worth Calculator, where you could apply for clubs with eligibility depending on your calculated net worth. Additionally, prank items were released including an NC printer, name change certificate, and stamp retriever – all items requested by players previously. |
| Site Updates | |
|---|---|
 | The Cooking Pot was taken down from April to August to allow for maintenance! |
 | Trudy’s Surprise was updated so that it no longer appeared at the top of every page on Neopets, instead it now has its own page here |
 | Neopets released its first new game in a while, AAA’s Revenge! |
| New Releases | |
|---|---|
 | Petpets got a new colour with the release of the Spring Petpet Paint Brush |
New Avatars
(Hover for details on obtaining)
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Year 17 (2015)
| Plots & Site Events | |
|---|---|
 | The Faerie Quest Event introduced quests from Baelia (the Grey Faerie) and the Soup Faerie this year! These faeries decided to stick around after the event to continue to offer quests to lucky Neopians! |
| As expected there were a few hiccups for Altador Cup X (would it be the AC without them?). These included sign-up errors (10 year players not being able to sign-up), scores applying to the prior years stats, and scores not counting. The cup was also extended a couple days due to site maintenance and frequent down time. The winning team this year was Kiko Lake, followed by Kreludor and Tyrannia! |
| Neopets Releases | |
|---|---|
 | Neopets released Ghoul Catchers, an exciting mobile game where you play to match up (and banish!) ghouls which escaped from the Haunted Woods, moving through different lands of Neopia. This game introduced great rewards, stamps, and can earn you 50k a day! |
| The April Fool’s Day prank this year was based on user fears following the acquisition of Neopets by Jumpstart, with most features of the site temporarily being converted to more Jumpstart-y layouts. It was… terrifying. |
| Site Updates | |
|---|---|
| After the server migration of 2014, the site continued to experience frequent downtime and lag throughout the year with additional server ugrades. For a period of time, userlookups were taken down to help reduce the lag (though this didn’t really help much) |
 | The Noil was added to the list of Neoboard emojis to celebrate the one-off Noil Day hosted this year |
 | Sadly, Jumpstart’s CEO David Lord released a news update informing Neopians that some of their favorite (and long-time) TNT members had been let go due to ‘restructuring of resources. |
 | The neoboard filters and moderation system went ‘down’ requiring a shut-down of all Neoboards due to abuse of the downtime. This was rectified quickly. |
| Neopets introduced Trudy’s Surprise, a new daily where you spin the wheel daily to win prizes. On your 28th consecutive spin, you win 100k neopoints! |
| New Releases | |
|---|---|
 | Petpets got a new colour with the release of the Valentine Petpet Paint Brush |
 | Neopets released the Polka Dot colour and associated paint brush. |
 | Fanciful Fauna introduced a new petpet, the Muyang, in honor of the Shenkuu Lunar Festival. |
 | The Spring Korbat Toy was released and then disappeared after users realized the design was traced from fan art. |
New Avatars
(Hover for details on obtaining)
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Year 16 (2014)
| Plots & Site Events | |
|---|---|
 | Neopets was acquired by Jumpstart (previously, had been owned by Nickelodeon for 9 years!) |
 | Oh no! Site Events started acting a tad bit wonky this year, before disappearing completely. This was followed by some strange random events appearing with garbled text… this was related to a strange portal in Moltara opening which took you to Space – Aboard the Coincidence, where you meet Dr. Landelbrot. He asked for Neopian’s help with building three different components to fix his machine – a Random Events machine. Once this was completed, a new daily event, which is quest-based, was released – The Coincidence! |
 | Congrats to Haunted Woods for cinching the title of AC Champions this year! Second place was Virtupets, followed by Moltara in third! |
 | Trouble in Sakhmet! All of the main Neopian rulers were invited to the palace by Princess Amira and items were stolen from each guest! In a game similar to clue, you had to solve riddles to figure out who stole their items, filling out a chart. Desert Diplomacy then allowed users to solve a final riddle to win prizes! |
| This was the year of the NeoApocalypse. On September 17th the site went down to transition to Jumpstart’s servers. This was quite a disaster, as the site returned on September 19th for access but many parts of the site were non-functional. Accounts were locked for too many attempts at accessing, users were unable to purchase items from others shops (resulting in the great deflation event of 2014 – codestones were listed for as little as 1NP!), auctions were stuck, and items were duplicated and distributed resulting in the icing of many accounts. Small hiccups would continue to occur until early 2015. |
| Neopets Releases | |
|---|---|
 | An almost-release counts right? There was brief discussion of the development of a Neopets app prior to the acquisition of Neopets by Jumpstart. Sadly, this never came to fruition. |
| The pound was ‘closed’ for April Fools this year – but don’t fret, the Pound was kind enough to hand out actual pounded pets through random events to helpful Neopians! As the day went on, more pets were added to each account, bypassing the max number of pets! At the end of the day however, the pound was re-opened, and the pets were returned to the pound for your browsing pleasures |
| Site Updates | |
|---|---|
 | The Ruki became a limited edition species – Ruki day is July 29th so start planning ahead if you don’t want to buy a morphing potion! |
 | The LOUDEST (no seriously, mute your computer) new daily was released – Kiko Pop. This daily allows you to throw darts at balloons in an attempt to win prizes. |
 | Tons of new emoticons were released for use on the boards – ummagine, cloud, rain cloud, bottled sand, battle duck, dark battle duck, shop wizard, magic lamp, cupcake, book, chocolate ice cream, rose, heart, and popcorn |
 | Sadly, with the server transfer of 2014, Habitarium was permanently lost. This popular way to earn quick neopoints will not be returning. Professor Clodbottle does have some rewards you can claim if you previously participated in Habitarium here. |
| Though the homepage of Petpet Park may look active, this was also lost with the transfer to Jumpstart. The only features still active are two games – Catch the Petpet and Petpet Pair Up. |
 | Keyquest was also lost to the server migration of 2014; while there were initial plans to make a return, ultimately it was decided that this site feature would not be returning. |
 | Neopets added a coat-hanger icon to the left corner of objects that are wearable, making it much easier to figure out what you can dress your pet up with! |
 | Mystery Capsules got upgraded with an all-new look and new function – now you can get items specific ONLY to the theme of the capsule! |
 | On Sept 20th Neopets said goodbye to one of its most beloved staff members – Snarkie. Snarkie originally joined TNT in 2002 and was one of the most interactive and adored staff members on TNT! |
 | The Random Contest was permanently closed. |
 | The trading post maximum bid was raised to 2 million and the auction maximum bid was raised to 50 million!!! |
 | Restockers everywhere celebrated the shop stock update – now shops “clear” items occasionally, so that old stock is not an issue, allowing more expensive items to restock more frequently! |
| New Releases | |
|---|---|
 | The 55th pet was released! Big welcome to the Vandagyre!! |
New Avatars
(Hover for details on obtaining)
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Year 15
Policy Decisions
● Nothing yet…Revamps
● It’s been a long time coming, but Tyrannia finally got its revamp this year. If it’s been a while since you’ve set foot or paw in those dry plains and lush jungles, come and see flying Pteridactyls, bright paintings and the new Ugga Shinies shop.New Discoveries and Inventions
● The new Upcycle Fortune Cookie from the NC Mall allows certain Neocash items to appear in the Money Tree when the cookie’s users donate them. They will be listed as donated by “a generous NC Mall shopper”. So far, only relatively cheap items seem to show up (more expensive ones can be donated, but will not appear).
● The Pastel Paint Brush was an early gift for the Day of Giving this year. Its soft, fabric-like colours are sure to be a hit with those who like their pets to be pretty in pink, purple, and peppermint-green.Major Events
● April Fools’ Day this year was somewhat quiet on the Neopets Team’s part, but they did announce the upcoming release of a new line of real-life merchandise. Unfortunately, with items such as Sophie’s Stew-Flavoured Tea and the Home Cosmetic Surgery Kit, it’s doubtful their sales would have been much to write home about. The items “inexplicably” vanished from the Merchandise page the following day.
● A strange and powerful obelisk was discovered on the outskirts of Tyrannia this spring. Six factions immediately started fighting over it, making use of the newly revamped Battledome. Eventually, the Sway, an influential group of plotters and social manipulators, were successful in freeing a mysterious being called the Oracle. Smaller fights continue, but what further consequences this will have for Neopia is still unknown.
● It’s been a big year for Tyrannia! A war, a revamp, and first place in Altador Cup VIII. Let’s hear some roars for the dinosaurs.
● While Aristotle Avinroo was off on holiday this summer, a young Zafara named Chadley helped Abigail run Daily Dare. If you thought it wasn’t possible to get more arrogant than AAA, well, let’s just say this guy managed it! Normal service has been restored, thank goodness.
● During the Month of Collecting, an eating contest in the Haunted Woods went horribly wrong when one of the contestants transformed into a rampaging monster. Hotshot monster-hunting team Kell the Wocky and Corbin the Ogrin (who, all agree, has beautiful, beautiful hair) went in search of it, with assistance from players who wandered around catacombs getting hit by stray curses until the creature was captured.
Year 14
● Neopets has moved closer to its fan community with the introduction of Certified Fan Sites! If TNT find a really useful site that complies with the right rules and regulations, they may decide to list it on Neopets. Tried and trusted fansites can be mentioned on the Neoboards without fear of the moderators!
●Neopets Premium was overhauled this summer, with the newly revamped service being run by the Neopets Team themselves rather than a third party. This has led to some important decisions from TNT. Notably, Neopets Webmail has been retired and can no longer be accessed. The Premium Portal is also gone, and at the moment the Premium service no longer requires an invitation to sign up. Perhaps most noticeably, Premium members are permitted to own a fifth Neopet. This is currently allowed only on main accounts.
●The navigation bar was tweaked a little this year to contain the new Premium and Community menus. Pet Central can now be found in the Explore menu, rather than as its own category.
● It’s the end of an era, and the beginning of one to come; TNT announced this year that the current Neopets Battledome would be closing permanently, giving way to a brand new battle arena, which entered beta-testing before the end of the year. Grab your weapons!Revamps
● The Gameroom was revamped once again this year, just in time for the Y14 Daily Dare. The functionality remains much the same, but you may need to update your bookmarks if you’ve got links to specific games anywhere.
● After an infestation of bugs blockaded Roo Island, King Roo took the opportunity to call in the redecorators. The new island is much more spacious and detailed, but the surprise decision to relocate several of Neopia Central’s creative venues to Roo Island left many players a little conflicted.
● Site Spotlight has returned! This contest showcases Neopia’s greatest petpages, and all winners get a mention in New Features.
● Several popular daily activities, such as the Lost Desert Fruit Machine and the Tombola, received tweaks this year — new artwork, a larger range of possible prizes, or both.New Discoveries and Inventions
● The new Eventide Paint Brush invented this year lets your Neopets glow with all the colours of a beautiful sunset. How romantic!
● Whether you’re a veteran or a newbie, your Neopet can now look ancient and full of wisdom — or possibly just crotchetiness — with the new Get Off My Lawn Paint Brush, introduced this spring. This paint brush, like Royal, has two different looks, Elderly Boy and Elderly Girl.
● What’s that lurking in the shadows?! It could be a Neopet painted with the new Stealth Paint Brush, this summer’s shadiest addition. Not quite the same as Shadow, Stealth comes in a very shifty deep blue.
● A deep cavern in Shenkuu holds the Mysterious Clockwork Negg. Originally hidden away from Neopia by a band of brave Neopets, this mechanical marvel is now safe to open. The puzzle locks on it can be solved once a day for a variety of prizes.
● It glows, but it’s not Glowing. It’s bright blue, but it’s not Electric. The new Dimensional Paint Brush introduced this autumn gives Neopets a very futuristic look!Major Events
● April Fools’ Day fell on a Sunday this year, but that didn’t stop TNT doing their level best to alarm and amuse players. A supposedly misfiring lab ray and a new three-pet policy to save on server overload were just two of the hair-raising hoaxes played on Neopets users this year. Unfortunately, some pets’ unconverted appearances failed to correctly return to normal on time when the event finished, leaving certain players with a sadly sour impression of the day’s pranks.
●Congratulations to Team Kreludor (which just so happened to include yours truly!) for throwing, slinging, and yelling their way to a triumphant victory in Altador Cup VII.
Year 13
● This year, TNT decided to build their Facebook presence more closely into the main Neopets site. As such, the word “Facebook” is no longer blocked on petpages or the boards, and Flash games can now be “liked” at a click of a button. (If you really hate these buttons and don’t want to see them at all, go here.) Linking to or talking about your own Facebook profile or friends is still against the rules, though.Revamps
● With the rebuilding of Faerieland comes the return of Faerie Quests! These work in much the same way as they always did, with the exception that quest rewards are now granted to your active pet — no more hoping the Faerie randomly picks your Battledomer. A new face also joined the quest team with the introduction of Delina, a Dark Faerie who has more time for craftwork and machinery than battledoming. She doesn’t give stat boosts, but rather, exclusive Neocash items.
● Krawk Island is now divided into two areas: the main body of the island and its central harbour, Warf Wharf. Be sure to drop by and check out the new look… while keeping a tight hold on any money you might have with you.New Discoveries and Inventions
● If you like your Neopets misty, murky and an acid shade of green, then the new Swamp Gas paintbrush, invented this summer, is certainly for you.
● Lab ray enthusiasts were intrigued by the arrival of a new lab-only colour. Designed to mimic the pixellated computer graphics that existed several years ago, Eight-Bit is proving to be something of a polarising colour– most people have a strong opinion of some sort about it. At the moment, it appears that this colour is not compatible with most clothing items, making it the fifth “uncustomisable” colour on the site.
● A new chance game made its debut this year, aimed at those who really do have more money than they know what to do with. The Wheel of Extravagance costs a whopping 100,000 Neopoints per spin, but gives out some rather spectacular prizes in return. Come and try your luck if you can spare the NP…
● Ever looked at your Slorg and felt it was just missing a hat and some mascara? A robe for your Seece? Petpets can now be painted Royal!
● The Water Paint Brush invented this summer will certainly cool your Neopets down! Unlike Maraquan, this colour is actually made out of sparkling blue water, for a rather unique new look.
● Released just in time for the dark and spooky nights of autumn, the Wraith Paint Brush will make your Neopet as shadowy and mysterious as one of the Faeries’ Ruin wraiths! Don’t get scared of the dark.Major Events
● Early this summer, Neopets reached ONE TRILLION pageviews. That’s one heck of a big number! To celebrate, several rare items were given away or sold at low prices. Here’s to the next trillion!
● Altador Cup VI drew to a close this summer with a win for Team Virtupets, who managed to pull off a well-earned victory despite glitches resulting from a last-minute revamp of Yooyuball. Congratulations to all who took part!
● Krawk Island disappeared unexpectedly this year after sightings of what looked like a giant squid. However, it returned better than before thanks to the efforts of an enterprising Krawk, Gavril McGill.
Year 12
● Unconverted (UC) pets, that is, pets whose owners have still not made the switch to the current customisation system, are now immune to colour-changing random events such as Boochi and invisibility. Cue a sigh of relief from all UC owners.
● Support requests can now be tracked at any time of day or night. Just click “Help” at the foot of any page and press “My Support” (if the page refreshes, try it again). No more wondering if your bug report was eaten by gerbils.
● In early autumn, the Terms and Conditions of the site were revised. There were no major changes, but the terms were made a bit less specific so they could also apply to Petpet Park (and any future spinoffs). Apparently the collective term for these is “Nickelodeon Virtual Worlds” — swish, huh?
● Watch your mouth! People who say something they shouldn’t on the boards or Neomail can now be silenced instead of being suspended or frozen. They can still use their accounts, but for a set amount of time will be unable to communicate with any other users. Kad got your tongue?Revamps
● The most striking change this year was Faerielands relocation from the sky to a lovely leafy glade near the Haunted Woods. All Neopia’s mistresses of magic now live in a completely redesigned city full of plants and grasses. How could anyone ever miss being up on a cloud? (If you’ve been avoiding Faerieland due to its not safe for dial-up qualities, now might be a good time to check again!)
● TNT began working on new looks for many of the Neopian shopkeepers this year. They now look more individual and colourful than before, though for the most part they have remained the same species and colour.
● The Referral Programme was overhauled this year, to provide more useful prizes and clear out ancient high-score tables. Don’t worry if you’ve used link buttons on your favourite non-Neopets sites, though– your old referral link will still work.
● After many years of loyal service, the chance wheels of Neopia (Excitement, Monotony, Mediocrity, Misfortune and Knowledge) broke down this year. An enterprising red Lenny collected donations from Neopians to save them, and the wheels returned in more beautiful and functional forms. Unfortunately, the Wheel of Excitement’s “secret item” still does absolutely nothing…
● The login page was altered this year to be similar to Petpet Park’s. According to TNT, despite the absence of active Neopet verification, the new page is considerably safer.New Discoveries and Inventions
● On April 1st, a brand new paint brush made its way into Neopia… but for once, this new addition wasn’t a joke! The Relic PB turns Neopets into ancient statues from a long-gone civilisation. Only a handful of Relic pets are available as yet, but expect more to be added over the year.
● Users over three years old on the site can now access the Almost Abandoned Attic, a quiet little nook inhabited by a friendly Ghost Aisha. This shop works the same way as the Igloo Garage Sale, but there are some rarer items there that have only just seen the light of day. If you’re a veteran on a very fast connection, come and have a rummage! There are several other new treats for long-time players, too, including an increased number of safe transfers per month. Click here for a complete list.
● Remember Neoplants and the idea of owning a plant as your pet? Well, whether you do or you don’t, your pet now has the chance to become a little closer to nature with the Woodland Paint Brush, introduced in June. With leaves, bark and twigs attached, the Acara was the first pet to be made into a tree… without having a wooden look on its face.
● It’s not just Neopets that hunger for your brains any more. Petpets can now be painted Zombie! Run!
● The Transparent Paint Brush debuted this year, allowing curious owners to see right through their pets’ skin. Mad scientist wannabes, this one’s for you.
● It’s rare for a new site feature to be full of bugs on purpose, but this year saw the introduction of a game called Professor Milton Clodbottle’s Astounding Habitarium. This game, where players looked after a collection of Petpetpets as they worked, ate, and slept, was such a reliable source of easy Neopoints that it caused considerable inflation in the Neopian economy until it was retired in Year Sixteen.
● The beautiful Maractite Paint Brush also made its first appearance this year, creating a lovely blue-swirled look for your pet.Major Events
● A new Neopian holiday was celebrated for the first time this year. The Festival of Neggs was a tribute to Neopia’s most versatile vegetable. If you can think of a good reason for this, please tell me.
● April Fools’ Day saw the first ever interactive pranks being played on Neopians, with users able to throw pie, short-duration morphing potions and Slorg slime at their friends’ pets. These wearable items disappeared when the day was over, but in the meantime they made for a lot of fun!
● Tarla, proprietor of the Shop of Mystery, decided to set off on a short holiday around Neopia early this year. For a few weeks, she turned up in random spots around Neopia and those who clicked her could get prizes, including special wearables if you managed to collect a certain number of successful clicks. But eventually, Tarla returned to Terror Mountain to find that there’s no place like home. All together now… Awwwwww!
● It may not qualify as a major event, but this year saw the rise of what is possibly the first spontaneous Neopets-only meme. In response to an editorial question about contest judging, TNT picked a random Caption Contest entry out of their virtual hat and displayed it in the NT. It turned out to be a bizarre, over-wordy and strangely phrased dialogue between two (or possibly three) characters, ending with the words “GOOD NIGHT, mr. coconut”. Something in the absurd humour of this has taken Neopia by storm, and now it’s not uncommon to see references to Mr. Coconut in the editorial or on the boards.
● The fifth Altador Cup ended in a thrilling win for Team Lost Desert. Congratulations to all the LD players! Meanwhile in Glendale, Twitterpate scooped a win for Mystery Island in the Staff Yooyuball Tournament.
● Tragedy struck the Faerie Festival this autumn as Neopia’s Faeries were turned into statues. After many thrills and spills, the culprit– a student of Fyora’s, no less– was tracked down by heroic warrior Brynn and dashing thief Hanso. The Faeries were restored, but have they learnt their lesson about acting too superior? Only time will tell.
Year 11
● All new games on the site are now the subjects of the New Game Challenge. They can be played five times for Neopoints, and players are invited to beat target scores. Both these things end when another new game is released and the challenge moves to it.
● The image URLs for pet images were tweaked this year, causing a few unexpected glitches. If your pet is showing up as a grey cogwheel or a bizarre colour/species combination, put an item of clothing on hir, save, and take it off again. (For you UC owners– backgrounds work too.)Revamps
● Faerieland and Terror Mountain both got a long-needed revamp this year. With the revamp has come a couple of changes– the Hidden Tower is now to the east, not the west, of the castle in Faerie City, and the Wocky’s Scratchcard Kiosk is now out in the open air in Happy Valley.
● The site menu at the top of every page has undergone a few tweaks. TNT decided to retire the Neovision contest due to lack of interest, and so its button has been removed. For those who can’t get enough of personalising things, there is now a “Customisation” menu. (Yes, Customisation. The site is sticking to its British roots. I’m so proud…)New Discoveries and Inventions
● Undoubtedly the biggest discovery this year was the underground world of Moltara, a strange place filled with Neopets of above-average technical ingenuity, as well as with a fair amount of lava. Drop by and visit the caverns or the Cog’s Togs clothing shop (guaranteed 100% more buckles and buttons than you expected). You can also try to get your pet painted Magma at the lava pool, but don’t hold your breath– it’s a random small chance that you’ll be able to get through. Keep trying if you’re persistent.
● This year, the mystery behind the coveted Chef Bonju Avatar was finally solved after a few hints from TNT. To unlock it, you must have the “Mad about Orange” avatar active, and mix the items Blumaroo Steak, Orange Juice and Gourmet Cooking for your Pet at the Mystery Island cooking pot (NB: not Bonju’s cooking vessel). However, this avatar is only unlockable during the Month of Hiding.Major Events
● The fourth annual Altador Cup ended with a win for the ever enthusiastic Team Krawk Island. The prizes for this year’s tournament were seen by many as being a little lacklustre compared to previous years.
● The Atlas of the Ancients adventure, a primarily Flash-game based challenge with its own storyline, saw Roxton Colchester III and his newest companions, Clara Chatham and Jordie, set off on an epic quest to save the world from an unknown danger with the help of an old mapbook, which eventually led them to the underground world of Moltara. While Roxton fans were glad to see him back, many players found the dependence on Flash gaming a bit of a disappointment.
Year 10
● After almost exactly a year of downtime, the Neopian Pound was reopened this year, with a few new policies: pets’ clothes are now taken away from them when they enter the Pound; transfers to a specific owner should now be carried out using the Transfer Hissi, which is risk-free but can only be done once a month; and most controversially of all, users are now permitted to trade their Neopets if they want. Trades must be a single pet for a single pet, with no other factors (such as Petpets) being used to bypass this balance. Meanwhile, a new Neoboard was created for people to discuss adoption and pet trading.
● Players are now allowed to enter the Beauty Contest from any of their accounts, rather than from their main as was previously the case. However, you still may only advertise from the account the pet in question lives on, so no using your main to promote your side account pets even if it’s better known.Revamps
No major revamps this year!New Discoveries and Inventions
● TNT introduced a spin-off game, Petpet Park, this year. This Flash-heavy website was a little like Neopets, but a much simpler and more colourful game apparently aimed at a younger target audience. Players would adopt a single Petpet which they could feed, groom, accessorise, and help to complete quests. While it’s no longer available, this game gave plenty of players fond memories.Major Events
● Dr. Sloth tried to invade again in this year, beginning with Virtupets and Kreludor. However, a brave group of Neopets (including Gorix and Cylara, previous stars of a few Flash games) and some puzzle-solving Neopians managed to fend him off, and trap him inside a token. Neopia is safe again… for now.
● With Petpet Park on TNT’s minds, news that the Park might have problems due to missing Petpets was quite a concern. An ace team of Neopets from the Petpet Protection League set out to rescue the Petpets, and managed to secure them all before the launch date. Phew!
Year 9
● From Year Nine, Neopets are now allowed to wear clothes other than those that come with a paintbrush. Clothes can still come from painting a pet, of course, but can also be bought around the site or claimed in return for donating Realworld money (see below). A painted pet wearing the clothes that come with a different colour of paintbrush is known as “cross-painted”. Be aware– not all clothes will go with the pet when s/he is transferred (and none when s/he is disowned– see above under Year 10’s Policy Decisions).Revamps
● In the largest-scale redraw operation in Neopia’s history, every single species and colour of pet in existence was at least tweaked and at most completely overhauled. Because TNT realised the revamps came as a shock to those with certain unusually coloured pets, they allowed those owners to choose for themselves when to join the new revamp, by clicking a button in Quick Ref. Two years later, a fair few of them still haven’t. Pets whose owners still have yet to make the switch are called UC, short for “unconverted”.
● This year also saw a reworking of the site’s structure, with a menu-style bar replacing the old side panel, a Quick Ref pane being installed on the side so users can always see their active Neopets, and a change to the way event notifications were handled.New Discoveries and Inventions
● Those who wish to donate Realworld money to Neopets without the monthly commitment of Premium can now not only do just that, but choose from a variety of attractive virtual trinkets in exchange at the NC Mall, a special shop that doesn’t accept Neopoints. Instead, players sending money will be given a certain amount of “NC tokens” in exchange, which they can then use in the shop. The items bought from the NC Mall can be worn by a pet or displayed in a gallery, but they aren’t “real” items– they can’t be sold, traded, donated, discarded or sent to side accounts. If you don’t have the money to get NC, you can try to win some in the free Qasalan Expellibox Game, which can be played once a day. Be warned, it can also make your pet sick!
● A meteor crash-landed on Kreludor this year. If you feel like poking the giant lump of rock with a stick, some nice surprises could be in store.Major Events
● Gorgeously dashing, suave, debonair, smooth, intelligent, daring heartthrob… *ahem* …Lutari explorer Roxton Colchester III set out this year with companions Lilian Fairweather, Professor Hugo and Scrap to check out an unexplored area of the ocean. This Journey to the Lost Isle brought the intrepid group no end of perils and upsets, including the menacing attention of a Monstrous Moach. They escaped the island intact, but haven’t been back since, and many people think a return trip should be in order. The Isle still isn’t marked on the map of Neopia, and what it contains other than giant Moaches remains a mystery.
Year 8
● As of this year, news updates are now released several hours in advance. This was a welcome change, as the update time had been pushed back so far that most people were only finding out about a day’s events a few hours before they ended. News is now released on weekday evenings, with Friday’s updates covering the weekend.
● You can now add a P.I.N.(Protection in Neopia) code to several important areas of your account. That way, even if your account gets compromised, nobody can steal your pets or Neopoints!
● The limit on bank deposits was removed this year. Rich Neopians or those transferring money to a new main account are no longer limited to depositing a million NP at a time.Revamps
● This year, the view of Neopia on the Explore page was changed from a simple map to a globe! Believe it or not, some Neopians were surprised to discover that their planet had more than one side. You can now spin the globe to your heart’s content and study the countries on every side of it.
● A new filter was installed for petpages and pet descriptions this year. Many people were having problems with badly formed code, so the new filter (unlike the Neoboard filters, sadly) actually tries to point out any mistakes or disallowed words it spots in petpage code. Great if you’re sick of seeing error messages!
New Discoveries and Inventions
● This was the first year when the Altador mini-plot was open to the public. Unlike a normal plot, this activity has never been closed, and players can go through the steps in their own time. Be sure to visit the Archives for your share of puzzles, mysteries and the triumphant return of the Angry Yurble!
● A mysterious flying ship landed on Neopia’s coasts this year. The crew of the Cyodrake’s Gaze were having a bit of an altercation, but with it sorted out, they were free to return to their homeland of Shenkuu, home of a fascinating moon-centric culture, a royal family not composed of Skeiths for once, interesting food items and Neopia’s tallest and skinniest Neopets.
● In the spring of this year, a new pet species was discovered: the Lutari. These furry creatures are equally happy on land or in the water. Unfortunately, since they cannot be transferred or disowned in any way and there are no morphing potions at present, they have eclipsed the Draik and Krawk as Neopia’s hardest-to-obtain pet. The only way to get a Lutari of your very own is to zap one at the lab, or hope with all your fingers crossed that TNT decide to release a batch on Lutari Day. This was the second new species to be officially announced in Year 8: at the very start of the year, the Gnorbu (pronounced with a silent G) was introduced. These are not Limited Edition, so anyone can own one.Major Events
● Lovers of all things spooky, gothic and bittersweet, as well as avid puzzle-solvers, got a real treat this year. Gilly the Usul, best known for starring in The Castle of Eliv Thade, helped the tiny village of Neovia to overcome its terrible curse by investigating its Tale of Woe. This site event is widely ranked alongside the Lost Desert Plot as one of the best ever to happen on the site, thanks to its variety of challenges and engaging story.
● Year 8 saw the first annual Altador Cup tournament, in which players participate in a special Flash game, Yooyuball, which is completely unavailable during the rest of the year! You can pick your favourite Neopian land and play for its team, whether it’s Tyrannia, Kiko Lake or Krawk Island.
● It’s been quite the year for Flash gamers! This year also saw the introduction of the Gamesmaster’s Challenge, a Flash game competition that proved so popular it’s been brought back every year since. Players try to complete challenges set by the so-called Gamesmaster, Aristotle A. Avinroo (commonly known as AAA, which also sounds conveniently like “aaagh” for those times when you just can’t manage the challenge…) There are trophies and prizes for those who succeed.
Year 7
● Moderators now have the power to suspend accounts for offences that don’t merit a freezing (this time). Sussed accounts are locked for a predetermined period of hours or days, after which the owner can log in normally.
● As of this year, Neopets is now part of the Viacom Network. No, this doesn’t mean that TNT have all got the sack or that there’s going to be a Neopets channel on MTV. It does mean that the financial and marketing side of running the site is now handled by members of Viacom’s wider team, but the day-to-day content, new art and site events are still the responsibility of the Neopets Team we know and love.Revamps
No major revamps happened this year!New Discoveries and Inventions
● A Neopets Toolbar add-on is now available for your browser. Not to be confused with sponsor toolbars which were available in the past, this toolbar provides easy access to Neomail, Premie Webmail, a list of dailies and occasional free giveaways. It works in IE and some versions of Firefox. Download it at http://www.toolbar.neopets.com if you want to try it out.
● A Petpet Laboratory is now open! This miniature version of the Secret Lab is only open to those who have already put together the Secret Laboratory Map. WARNING: The Petpet Lab is known to occasionally cause Petpets to vanish, and even five years later nobody has figured out where they go and there is no way to get them back. Use the ray at your own risk!
● Feeling stressed? Why not go fishing? Pets can catch a variety of fish, books, toys, gardening items, odd potions and just plain junk. Click here for a guide to prizes.
● If Mystery Island just wasn’t mysterious enough for you, you can now visit the Lost City of Geraptiku tucked away in a corner of the isle. This dark place is mysteriously deserted. Wonder why all the inhabitants ran away?Major Events
● Thought dead for several years, the ancient underwater city of Maraqua was revealed to be alive and well this year when the intrepid Usul Garin stopped by for a visit and ended up in the middle of a battle with a pirate crew! The revived city is home to Neopia’s hottest destination, Kelp Restaurant. If you’re lucky enough to smuggle some leftovers out of this upmarket venue, you could get an avatar.
● Often argued to be the greatest puzzle plot ever, the Lost Desert Plot kicked off this year. Sakhmet City vanished from the desert after a cursed prince laid a spell on the entire place, and it was up to the plucky children Nabile and Tomos, and intelligent, determined and patient Neopians everywhere, to restore order. This plot marked the first appearance of the famous Angry Yurble, a nameless orange figure curiously beloved to plot-solvers everywhere, and is thought to be the origin of the fandom term “Obsessive Latest Darn’ Plot Disorder” (OLDPD). It’s remembered fondly to this day.
