The winter season will often bring about fond memories of childhood. At this time, we often look back on our lives and see how far we have come in relation to where we are now, always looking forward to the next year. And around this time, I am often reminded of a key part of both mine and thousands of other childhoods, often played at winter. That key part was the flash game ‘Club Penguin,’ although just being older than many of the Sixth formers here, would have experienced by many at some point in their life. So, what are these fond memories that spring back to mind? Why now? And what is the legacy that was left behind by Club Penguin?
Club Penguin was an online social game originally released back in 2005. It was the brainchild of Lance Priebe aka ‘Rocket Snail’, and was original called ‘Penguin Chat’ going through several versions over time. Priebe originally worked on the game as a side project, however when co-workers Lane Merrifield and Dave Krysko saw Priebe working on the game, they immediately recognised its potential and the game was picked up by their company – Rocket Snail Games. The trio wanted the game to act as an online chat room – as was popular with the time – but with a key difference. This game would be focused mainly on children, aiming to create a safe and secure website which children could enjoy playing. The game held the first of many in-game ‘parties’ (monthly events and changes to the map, with different themes and gimmicks) entitled ‘the Beta party’ where the elusively rare ‘beta hat’ first appeared. The game then came into full launch in October of 2005 and would go on to continue to thrive. It took place on a central Island covered with snow, featuring such landmarks as the Plaza, the Town, the Ski Hill and the Iceberg. It also featured a number of minigames like Sled Race and Mancala. The game would go on to add more infamous locations like the Lighthouse and Dojo, alongside games such as Ice Fishing and Aqua Grabber. The games’ original art style was homely, and whilst basic in look and sometimes lacking in the amount happening in a room, was very pleasant to view.
The language was often friendly as well, as logging out of the game, the player would always be told to ‘waddle on,’ until the next time they played. Quickly, a community sprang up for the game, made up of mainly young children. A key part of the early days of Club Penguin as well was its relationship with players. Many children were on the site were also accessing forums and other platforms like the newly emerging platform of YouTube. Many children would make videos theorising secrets of the Island, the most famous one being the ability to tip the iceberg if enough Penguins went on it and danced whilst wearing the hard hat. Other examples included the theories of Ninjas on the Island, with children citing random penguin like shadows that, when Ninjas were added, were updated to show movement, confirming these random shadows that weren’t meant to be Ninjas but were said to be Ninjas, were in fact Ninjas.
The game was constantly evolving, with parties and new events bringing new rooms and new parties and events. The game’s universe was incredibly detailed in explaining these phenomenons, with the first Halloween party (and the first time Club Penguin was ever set at night) being explained instead by a Solar Eclipse. No greater example of the games’ constantly changing landscape was with the character of Herbert P. Bear, a polar bear who, disliking the cold, made it his main goal to destroy the Island. Herbert was originally introduced in the PSA (Penguin Secret Agency) missions – point and click adventure games that were phased out eventually with the growth of the game and the cost it would take for overseas translation. Herbert would try several schemes to take over the Island, like stealing all the gold or blowing up the PSA with a popcorn bomb (leading into the new agency, the EPF). Eventually Herbert was incapacitated in a chamber that kept him in a deep sleep, however when the Island was tipped in the underwater party, Herbert was able to escape. Herbert would lay low for a while, appearing sometimes in random places – like the question section of the Club Penguin Times, alongside in the background of Club Penguin music videos, always hinting at a plot to block out the sun, which was eventually realised in Operation Blackout of November 2012. This party was another example of the relationship between players and staff, with ‘Blackout’ originally referring to a client blackout where staff could have a break and no new updates were released. This plan for a ‘blackout’ was written on a staff calendar that got leaked, and those aforementioned children theorised a new event, which blackout eventually became. The party was intense: the island becoming a dictatorship; several mascots being captured; the introduction of a Herbert NPC; the all-time record of players online of 1.8 million active users on the party’s finale day.
All of this is to say, Club Penguin was beloved internationally, and their commitment to parties, events, and their users was extraordinary. I regret that I did not discover Club Penguin until 2013, first experiencing the ‘Puffle Party’ of 2013, but even with this it is undoubtable that even with this, the game was still incredible to play.
Club Penguin was bought by Disney in 2007, but the game would be more ‘Disneyfied’ post blackout: in-game parties would contain crossovers with the likes of Marvel, Star Wars and Frozen; many original members of the team like Priebe, Merrifield and Krysko had left, and Disney asserted more creative control over the game, with an increase in unique characters with in-depth backgrounds; an increase in merchandise in real life, alongside spin-off games like ‘Club Penguin Game Day’ and ‘Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force’. The latter aspect of Disney’s impact is believed to be the main reason for the fall of the original game – with the brand spreading itself to thin in other properties, leaving the original game on the decline, lacking new ideas and content. This resorted in Disney trying to reinvigorate the brand via a new title ‘Club Penguin Island’ for mobile, which would also mean the shutdown of the original game, and even then, the new game performed poorly so that it too closed down.
Club Penguin shut down in 2017, and Club Penguin Island the year after, because Disney has felt they were unable to restart the franchise, they simply canned it. Both parties ended as the ‘waddle on party’ with the original Club Penguin also having such events as the tipping of the Iceberg, again showing the care they had for the player base, as to confirm this long held belief. Post Club Penguin Island the game has been restarted multiple times by fans creating fan servers (via reusing the original assests) however these often end in forced shut downs by Disney and are also unsafe.
Lance Priebe has gone on to a new project entitled ‘Box Critters,’ another online chat room-based game, but this time based on hamster like ‘critters’. Recently as well, some other original developers have launched ‘Party Parrot World,’ again like Club Penguin, except with parrots – and in 3D!
Club Penguin as been able to remain in the hearts and minds of many, even after the end of the website and brand as a whole. Furthermore, it has probably come back into the minds of many recently based on the original game’s design – the homely feel coupled with the snow-covered landscape being reminiscent of the classic Dickensian view of the time of year. As well, Club Penguin was often involved in the Winter and Christmas Period, with there being an annual charity donation on the game, with in game currency being converted into real donations the Club Penguin team would make as part of their ‘coins for change’ campaign. The island would always be festively decorated, and Christmas music was often heard all around the island. It is fair to say that for years to come, Club Penguin will continue to thrive in memory, even if the original game is no longer around, and all those original players who poured countless hours into enjoying the island will, in the final words of the game, ‘Waddle On’.