If you don’t know what Club Penguin is, you probably had a terrible childhood. If you do know what Club Penguin is, we raise our flippers in a tribute to the greatest social networking site ever created. It was announced that towards the end of March 2017, Club Penguin will shut down. Another application, Club Penguin Island, will take its place. But it’s not the same. That’s like saying Fuller House replaces Full House. See? Not the same. And while all good things must come to an end, it’s important that we take time to remember what was.
Here’s my favorite Club Penguin memories:
1. That pizza game.
When I was younger, “Pizzatron 3000” was probably the most stressful thing I had to deal with. The sauce had to be perfectly placed on the dough and the toppings needed to be exact. And whether you chose to play in regular mode or desert pizza mode, it was still one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
2. That coffee bean game.
Yet another game that stressed out younger me. “Bean Counters” was also super hard because you had to catch sacks of coffee beans. You needed to make sure your penguin wasn’t carrying too many, though, because then you would drop them ALL, and lose. And you would get irrationally pissed off.
3. The spy missions.
Herbert the Bear was the ISIS of Club Penguin. He would always try to ruin the day, but it was our job to fight both him, and his little crab friend. We were equipped with the best gadgets around, including our special agent cell phones with wrench, comb, and scissor attachments. We had the ability to teleport anywhere on the island because we were secret agents, so why not?! The missions were always a challenge, but we made it out alive each time with a new award to add to our collection.
4. PUFFLES.
I don’t even think I need to explain this one, but I will. Puffles are the greatest things to exist in the world. They were so easy to take care of (feeding them Puffle-O’s and playing catch) and they were absolutely adorable. My blue Puffle was named “Coco” and my red Puffle was named “Chocolate.” They were the best.
5. The hidden pins.
Don’t pretend that you didn’t Google where the hidden pins were that week. When I accidentally stumbled across a hidden pin, I would immediately think I was Sherlock Holmes.
6. Customizing my penguin.
If I felt like being pink one day, I could just change my color. If I felt that I should be green, then green I shall be. Don’t forget those free clothing days where you would “find” a construction hat or Santa Claus hat. You can pop on as many clothes and accessories as you want. Your penguin was totally customizable, which made it all the more fun.
7. Snowball fights.
You would open the map and click on "snowball forts". When you pushed “T” on your keyboard, it meant that you were about to start a snowball war. You would just start chucking snowballs at random penguins until they decided to throw them back. Then you would go back to the Plaza and hide from them.
8. Chatting with fellow penguins.
Club Penguin was the age before instant messaging and “sliding into DM’s.” Our only chance to talk to strangers was through the Club Penguin chats. Of course it would just be things like, “Hello, how are you?” But it was exhilarating.
9. Sledding down the mountain.
Nothing was better than the satisfaction of beating your friend in a sled race. While avoiding logs and purposely gliding over ice, it was always a good time.
10. When the Dojo came out.
Remember when the Dojo came out and it was the hottest place to be? Playing Card-Jitsu was always a blast, plus you got to win cool karate belt things! I know I mastered my black belt!
11. Getting banned for saying a curse word.
We’ve all done it. Maybe on accident, maybe on purpose, but we’ve all reached that low point. Sorry, Club Penguin.
It’s going to be a really sad day when the OG Club Penguin shuts down for good, but at least we’ll have the nostalgia of Club Penguin to carry us through our lifetime.
