Neopets Type Website (Owned by Viacom) Founded November 15, 1999 Headquarters Glendale, California, USA Key people Doug C. Dohring, Chairman & CEO Lee Borth, COO Adam Powell, Site Founder Donna Williams, Site Co-Founder Rik Kinney, Executive VP Stephanie Yost Cameron, General Counsel & Executive VP Tad Czyzewski, CFO Billy Shum, President Bill McCaffrey, CTO Jeff Snetiker, Senior VP Joshua Strathman, Corporate Counsel Chris Davis, VP Eric Greenwald, VP David Longley, Director Industry Internet Revenue $30 million USD+ Employees 150+ Website www.neopets.com Screenshot of the Neopets homepage viewed with Internet Explorer Neopets is an online virtual pet simulation game. The site was opened to the public on November 15, 1999, by Adam Powell and Donna Williams, and a majority interest was bought by Doug Dohring soon after being created. It is currently owned by Viacom after a business transaction valued at USD 160 million. The game allows players, Neopians, to create and take care of one to four of 54 species collectively called Neopets, caring for and feeding them in the worlds of Neopia, using Neopoints (NP), the currency of the game. Neopoints are earned through playing games or won through a diverse array of contests and activities on the site. In addition, there are discussion boards, plots, and various sets of items and other things to collect. Its style contains quirks like an abundance of popular culture references. Beyond the website, there is a diversity of merchandise, such as a video game, Neopets: The Darkest Faerie, and a trading card game. The site has sparked many controversies such as those surrounding the existence of gambling-themed games, the extensive use of immersive advertising, and the Scientology beliefs of the CEO, Doug Dohring. Contents 1 Company information 2 Basics 3 Environment 4 Gameplay 4.1 Flash or Shockwave games 4.2 Other games 4.3 Plots 4.4 Collections 4.5 Quests 4.6 Avatars 4.7 Sidebars 4.8 Writing and art contests 4.9 Shops 5 Community 5.1 Guilds 5.2 NeoBoards 5.3 NeoMail 6 Merchandise 7 Controversy 8 Neopets Premium 9 Pop culture references 10 April Fools 11 See also 12 References 13 External links 13.1 Official 13.2 Selected fansites Company information In May 2004, Nielsen/Net Ratings reported that people were spending around three hours a month on Neopets, more than any other site in its Nielsen category.[1] By May 2005, a Neopets-affiliated video game producer cited about 35 million unique users, 11 million unique IP addresses per month, and 4 billion web page views per month. This producer also described 20% of the users as 18 or older, with the median of the remaining 80% at about 14. [2]. More recently, in 1 August 2006 Neopets reported over 123 million accounts, and over 184 million pets (each account can have a maximum of 4 pets and some users have several accounts). Updated statistics may be found on the Neopets "Pet Central" Page[3]. However, there is some doubt over the veracity of these statistics (see "Controversy" below). Although the company is based in the United States, its founders are British and the site retains British English spellings (though there are some exceptions). In addition to English, as of July 2006 the site is available translated (with varying degrees of completeness) into ten other languages: Dutch, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese-simplified, Chinese-traditional, Japanese and Korean. Neopets Inc. also operates an Asian branch, which is partially owned by Green Dot Capital, a subsidiary of the investment vehicle of the Government of Singapore, Temasek Holdings. On June 20, 2005, Viacom stated that it had bought Neopets in a deal that has been valued at approximately $160 million [4]. According to Viacom, Dohring, the current CEO of Neopets, along with other Neopets senior managers, will continue to hold their positions after the acquisition has been completed. Basics Players can have up to four different pets per account. Multiple accounts (up to five, according to the rules) can be created in order to obtain more pets, but using these accounts to gain an unfair advantage (such as claiming once-per-day privileges) is not allowed.[5] Around 60% of the users are between the ages of 7-12, but teenagers (about 20%), and adults (about 20%) are known to be regular Neopians. As of July 2006, there are 54 Neopet species available, 11 of which are limited or restricted editions and more difficult to obtain. The first Neopet species created was the Grarrl, and the newest is the Lutari. A few species are based on real-world animals — for example, the Nimmo and Quiggle are stylised frogs, the Blumaroo is kangaroo-like, Chombys and Grarrls resemble dinosaurs, and the Kougra looks like a tiger. There are also Neopets versions of popular fantasy creatures, such as dragons (Draiks, Scorchios, Shoyrus) and unicorns (Unis). When creating a pet, the user can customise it by selecting a gender, one of four colours (with the exception of Grundos, which can be many different colors without having to use a paintbrush), and personalities. The name and personality of the pet cannot be altered once they have been created, but personality has no proven effects on gameplay; But, when a Neopet is sent to the pound, the personailty you chose for your pet will be displayed at the adoption center. By using certain methods or items, such as expensive magic paint brushes, the user can later change the pet into a variety of different colours, such as purple, orange, and pink, there are also more "colours" like faerie, plushie and baby - the complete list is available at http://www.neopets.com/help/paintbrush.phtml The pet's starting statistics, such as strength and defense, are chosen randomly, seemingly by the roll of a die. The user may have up to 5 rolls before deciding on a set of stats. Stats include Strength, Defense, Agility, Maximum HP (hit points), and Intelligence. These stats can be improved through numerous ways, including "training" at one of three training schools, a blessing from a faerie after the user completes one of their quests, as a reward from certain games, and by collecting every piece of the Secret Laboratory Map and using the Lab Ray on the pet. Players must take care of and feed their pets (though Neopets will never die). Ways to care for a pet include reading books to pets, letting the pets play with toys, and healing them when they are sick or wounded. Neglecting a Neopet will lower its happiness level. Pets can battle each other in the "Battledome". Users can also play over 200 games within the site to earn Neopoints (game currency), and can submit their scores for each game up to three times a day. Other activities include talking on the message boards with other players,[6] completing quests, entering contests,[7] shopping and "restocking" at shops. Once Neopians become familiar with the game, they can begin spending Neopoints on things for their pets beyond basic care. Popular goals include paint brushes and other items that change the pet's colour or species. Some colours cannot be obtained from a paint brush. "Ice", for instance, can only result from using the Secret Laboratory Ray or completing a rare Fountain Faerie Quest.[8] Colour and species changes can also be acquired through random events, the use of potions, or even special food items. Petpets (smaller pets for pets) are also popular. A user can attach a Petpet to their Neopet, give it a name, "talk" to it, and always have the option of removing it. There are even "Petpetpets", smaller critters attached to a Petpet until you remove the Petpet to which the Petpetpet is attached from your Neopet. Any of these can cost a small amount, or an enormous amount of Neopoints, and dedicated users could spend anywhere from minutes to months trying to reach their goals (depending on the particular petpet they want). Neopians earn Neopoints to care for their pets and purchase items mainly by playing games or selling items in their own shops. Items are usually purchased in the site owned shops, which are automatically restocked, or in user-owned shops where it's easier to find items and a lot cheaper. If a Neopian is caught breaking the rules as stated in the Neopets Terms and Conditions,[9] their account will be "frozen" or "iced". A frozen account is no longer accessible to the owner, and all items, pets and NP are stored on the Neopets database. (Accounts suspected to have been scammed are also sometimes frozen to prevent additional damage.[10]) For users wishing to regain access to an account, there is a response form with which to contact Neopets. Neopets has launched a premium service, which costs real-world money, and gives additional benefits such as the Super Shop Wizard (a comparison shop tool better than that offered to regular players), removal of ads, a new skin for the site, premium member only message boards, and message board avatars unattainable otherwise. The Neopets Premium service is in a beta testing stage. Users can only apply if they receive an invitation from another premium user, or if they find the premium portal open for sign-ups. Neopets is continually changing: new items, avatars, games, and plots (such as "Hannah and the Ice Caves" or "Curse of Maraqua") are introduced almost daily. Collecting large amounts of Neopoints and rare items is a challenge for competitive players, and a player who keeps up with the news has a greater chance of being the first to obtain a rare item (and sell it before it decreases in resale value) or to earn a top score in a new game. Neopets also provides "Neopets Jr." for younger players, a simpler version of the site for those who register as age eight or under. Younger players still have the option of playing the original version. Environment See also: List of Neopian worlds The game takes place on (or in orbit around) the planet of Neopia. The main setting is Neopia Central, where the main stores are found. There are also various "themed" worlds: Tyrannia (prehistoric), Faerieland (faeries), Mystery Island (Tropical), Haunted Woods (Halloween/spooky), Krawk Island (pirates), Lost Desert (Ancient Egyptian), Maraqua (Underwater), Terror Mountain (Winter/Christmas), Virtupets Space Station (Space Station), Kreludor (Moon), Meridell (Medieval), Brightvale (medieval with an emphasis on knowledge and enlightenment, à la the Renaissance), Altador, (Roman and Greek), Shenkuu (Oriental) and Lutari Island (Tribal) There are also mini worlds and sub-worlds, such as Roo Island, Kiko Lake, and The Lost City of Geraptiku. Each of these worlds (which are really more like "regions") has unique shops, games, and other activities based on its theme. Each world may contain several different regions; for example, the world Terror Mountain has three parts: Happy Valley, Ice Caves, and Terror Mountain. These worlds are usually introduced through in-game plots that involve their "discovery" or "destruction". For example, Maraqua (underwater) was originally destroyed by the Kiko Captain Dread and his pirates in one storyline, but has been rebuilt, reopened, and saved from the pirate Lupe Captain Scarblade as a result of the "Curse of Maraqua" storyline. In the Lost Desert Plot, the city of Qasala was discovered in the Lost Desert and the city of Sakhmet was made accessible. Lutari Island (Tribal), is only accessible after signing up to Neopets Cellular. Which is a pay service for acsessing Neopets on a Cell/Mobile Phone. As of July 2006, "Jelly World" (www.neopets.com/jelly) is the only world in Neopia that is inaccessible via the main world map. The existence of Jelly World is consistently denied by the Neopets staff, as a joke, despite all of the references to it such as a Jelly World board (http://www.neopets.com/neoboards/boardlist.phtml?board=18) that can't be acessed regularly and Jelly World related games (Jelly Blobs of Doom and Bouncy Supreme) that are hidden. In June 2006, the map was updated so that players could access the previously unseen side of the planet Neopia. Gameplay There are many activities Neopets players can do to advance towards their goals. They can train their pets to become fighters, and participate in the wars that occur (usually when new worlds are "discovered"), or fight against the regular battledome NPCs and other players' pets. Players can also become merchants or collectors of rare and expensive items. Players can submit their artwork or writing, and be rewarded for their creativity and skill. Most of the games on the site are divided into three categories: Puzzle, Action, and Luck/Chance. Puzzle games are those that require thought and often language or mathematical skills. For example, in "Spell-or-Starve", a player must spell as many words as possible in a limited time by clicking the letters on the screen. Action games are arcade-like games. In "Hannah and the Ice Caves", a player guides the characters Hannah and her sidekick Armin through increasingly difficult icy caves, while collecting treasure and avoiding snow beasts. The Luck/Chance category includes various slot machine games such as "Brucey B. Slots", and other gambling-themed games. Card games and a game based on hide-and-seek are also part of Luck/Chance. Flash or Shockwave games "Extreme Herder," one of many Neopets games Most of the games on the site are Flash or Shockwave games, which require the user to have certain software installed on the computer. Many are similar to older existing games—for example, "Meerca Chase 1 and 2" are very similar to Snake, while "Korbat's Lab" and "Frumball" are like Breakout and Arkanoid. Also, Flycatcher is based on the game Millipede. "Korbat's Lab," one of many Neopets games "Meerca Chase," (Retired game, replaced with Meerca Chase II) one of many Neopets games A player may submit achieved game scores up to three times a day (five times during Neopets's birthday week, 15 November-22), up to 1,000 Neopoints per game for most games. Users might earn trophies or message board avatars from the games. They can also participate in World Challenges for the chance to win more rewards. There is a different game featured every day. When a player achieves a score with the Featured Game, the amount of Neopoints usually given for that score is doubled. The usual maximum winnings is also doubled, allowing players to win up to 2,000 Neopoints each time they play.[11] A Lucky Space Faerie Charm, one of the rewards for referring people to Neopets Premium, can also randomly double a player's Neopoint winnings. Other games There are also numerous PHP web-based games (which are more accessible to players with slower computers), such as "NeoQuest", "Plushie Tycoon", and card games like "Pyramids", "Scarab 21" and "Neopets Blackjack". NeoQuest and NeoQuest II are classic role playing games in which users play a certain character and travel around a world, fighting monsters and performing quests. Plushie Tycoon is a business-running simulation, in which the player must manufacture and sell Neopets plushies. There is also a daily crossword ("Faerie Crossword"), a dice game ("Dice-a-roo" - not playable anymore for players under 13 years old), and a Neopets version of Minesweeper ("Neggsweeper"). Any user may issue a "game challenge" to another user for a two-player game, such as "Kacheekers" or "Armada". Plots Main article: Neopets plots Major Neopets plots are usually presented in a comic book-styled form, and sometimes lead to a "war". Once the plot reaches a certain point, players may be given the option to choose a side to support. Those who choose to fight are given a series of opponents in the Battledome, and they may fight to gain points for their side. Players receive prizes for their participation at the end of every plot. Depending on how well they did, their prize can be common and cheap or rare and expensive. The Neopoints that come with selling prizes drive many players to complete the plots. One Neopian arch-villain, Dr. Sloth, was prominently featured in several site-wide plots. His greatest achievements were his enslavement of the Grundos, an alien-like species, and his creation of Transmogrification Potions, which change a Neopet into the mutant "colour" of a certain species. This is supposed to be evil, but the transmogrification potions are highly sought after because of their relative inexpensiveness compared to other morphing potions, especially when the specified species of the potion is 'limited edition' or 'restricted' (such as the Draik, Krawk, Hissi, and Cybunny). In the early 2005 plot "Curse of Maraqua", players were given the option to support a side by either fighting, or collecting items and playing games. The Lost Desert Plot involved a very complex and time-consuming puzzle, and fighting was very much sidelined; only three battledome challengers were released, one of which was a boss-type challenger and was so strong that it was almost unbeatable unless the player had completed all of the puzzle. A plot introducing a new Neopian region, Altador, was entirely a puzzle and did not involve a war. Players were required to look for clues and connect constellations representing the 12 heroes of Altador in order to reveal secrets about its history and return the citizens' memories of their past. As of August 3, 2006, a newer plot has been started involving a ship called the Cyodrake's Gaze, which lends its name to the plot. As the ship travels between worlds looking for a missing crewmember who had been pushed overboard, first-person comics are released interviewing various members of the crew. The player is tasked with guessing the identity of culprit, when and where the crewmember was pushed overboard, and the current location of the missing crewmember. there was also a joke question, which asked you what you thought of the missing crewmember's hat. the only answer was yes, it's very stylish. This plot has now ended, and a new Neopian world, Shenkuu, has been released. A plot involving The Haunted Woods, has been suggested by many Neopet related sites. The rumors have been partly verifed by certain cards from the Neopets TCG set, showing characters involved. On Monday October 2nd, 2006 the rumored Haunted Woods plot had started with part 1 of the comic http://www.neopets.com/halloween/hwp/comic.phtml Collections Players can choose to collect certain items — often rare and expensive — and display them in a "gallery". They may also collect collectable cards, trading cards (not to be confused with the actual Neopets trading cards), stamps, coins, and sea shells, and display them in albums. "Neohomes" can be built after a user buys a plot of land. Each room costs Neopoints to build, and furniture may be put in and arranged. Extensions such as lighting, flooring, and insurance can also be purchased. Players may try to win awards for their Neohomes or collections. Quests There are many types of quests, in which the user must retrieve certain items for a non-playable character in exchange for a reward. Most Faerie Quests are given out through random events while browsing the site, while the user may volunteer for other quests. Random Faerie Quests are given by one of many faeries: the faeries are Fire, Light, Earth, Air, Dark, and Water, the Unique Faeries (Fountain and Space), and the Faerie Queen. While browsing the site, the user may encounter a faerie though a random event and be asked for an item associated with her (like clothes, trading cards, etc.). To make such quests more challenging, users cannot use the Shop Wizard to quickly search through user-owned shops while they are still on the quests. Users must find the items through auctions, the trading post, or ask others for help (e.g. on the Help Neoboard). Most of the faeries will select one of the user's four pets randomly and raise one of its statistics. The Fire Faerie increases a pet's strength by two, the Light Faerie increases level by one, the Earth Faerie feeds and heals the pet, the Air Faerie raises speed by two, the Dark Faerie increases hit points by two, the Water Faerie increases defence by two, and the Space Faerie increases level by four. The powerful Faerie Queen provides a total of seven stats, raising level by one, hitpoints by three, and strength by three. Receiving and completing a Fountain Faerie quest is usually very difficult. The quest is a very rare event, and the faerie usually asks for a highly expensive item. But, after the user completes her quest, the Fountain Faerie allows one of the pets to be painted to almost any colour (with the exception of Ice,[12] MSP, Royal, Sponge and Robot). Neopians can also go to Jhudora's Cloud or Illusen's Glade for quests with various prizes according to how many quests the user has previously completed. For these, the player is allowed to use the Shop Wizard, but must find the item within a time limit. The more quests the user completes, the better the rewards are, but the faeries also demand rarer and more expensive items. Failure to retrieve the item on time resets the quest and brings the player back to level one, with its cheaper prizes. After completing a quest for Jhudora or Illusen, users cannot do either of their quests for another 12 hours, and after 50 completed quests there are no more reward items. The Esophagor, Edna the Witch, the Water Chef, the Brain Tree, and the Snow Faerie also give quests upon request. The Shop Wizard can be used to find items for these. Users often only do the quests when the required items are within a certain price range, to avoid spending more than their potential reward. [13] Avatars On Neopets, avatars are small icons that can be used on Neopian message boards to represent a player. Unlike many forums, the players on Neopets cannot upload their own avatars and must use those provided by the website. Usually, one or more will be released every week. In addition to the default avatars, there are currently 336 secret avatars that can be unlocked,[14] usually by performing a task such as getting a high score at a game, visiting a particular page, happening upon some random event, owning a pet of a certain color, species, or age, or equipping their pets with a special weapon. Some avatars may require the completion of multiple tasks, or even be given out through random events, while others, such as those earned for past plots, are retired and no longer attainable. Some are seasonal, only obtainable on certain days of the year, like April Fool's Day. In a few cases, there are avatars which cannot be obtained if a collector has its "twin" or "sister" avatar. There is a high score list that ranks users according to the number of avatars they have collected, and help sites exist for collectors to keep track of avatars and tasks still needed. Sidebars A sidebar is the navigational tool to the left and top sides of the screen that is used while browsing the Neopets website. The default sidebar is star-decorated and yellow, which is seen when a user creates a new account or when using the site not logged in. However, there are also secret sidebars to unlock and collect, similar to avatars. But unlike avatars, there are far fewer in comparison. Here is a complete list of the available sidebars and how to get them: Altadorian Constellations - Complete the Altador mini-plot, then collect the prizes from King Altador in the Council chamber. Currently, this mini-plot is still open for users to complete. However, this plot may close at an unknown time. Altador Cup (retired) - Send in at least one score, whether a win, tie, or loss, during the Altador Cup. It did not matter whether or not the user's selected team lost, or if they did not select a new team when their team lost. Birthday - This sidebar is special in the sense that it cannot be kept. It is the automatic default sidebar on November 15th (Neopets' birthday) every year, and also on the day that the user sets as their birthdate while creating their account. Once these days pass, the sidebar is gone. Curse of Maraqua (retired) - Spend one prize point on the sidebar from the selection of prizes available once the Curse of Maraqua plot ends. Although it is retired, this sidebar is still available for collecting by users who have earned at least one point in the plot but did not collect prizes. Cyodrake's Gaze (retired) - For a very limited time, users were given the chance to answer some questions regarding the disappearance of a character named Hoban during the Cyodrake's Gaze mini-plot. A short time later, only people who guessed at least one question correctly, aside from a freebie question, received this sidebar and an avatar. Haunted Woods - Go to or refresh at any page on the Neopets website during the minute of 11:59:00 PM Neopian Standard Time on October 31. Premium - Once a Premium member, refer five people to the Premium service. These five people must stay past the 15-day trial in order for you to qualify for the sidebar. If you cancel your Premium service, the sidebar remains, but once you change it at Site Preferences, the Premium sidebar is removed from your collection. Qasalan (retired) - Although retired, this sidebar is still available for collection if a user has completed at least one plot step during the Lost Desert plot but did not collect their prizes. Valentine's Day - On February 14th, one must send the item named 'A Mysterious Valentines Card' to any user. Both the sender and recipient of the item get the sidebar. However, the Card disappears once it is sent, but only on this day. Winter - Previously awarded as a random event while visiting Terror Mountain. Now, it was first believed to be random while users collected their prize on December 31 during the annual Advent Calendar. However, Neopets have confirmed it is not random, and that certain requirements must be met in order to obtain the sidebar. These requirements are currently unknown. Writing and art contests Neopets also offers several different writing and art contests. The Neopian Times is a weekly electronic newspaper that includes short stories, a question-and-answer editorial, comics (traditional and animated), story series, and articles. If a user's contribution is published, they receive a trophy, as well as special rewards for certain Neopian Times issues (such as milestone, Halloween, and Christmas issues). There is a poetry contest that runs approximately twice a week, and a story-telling contest in which users write and submit the next part of a short story. A "Random Contest" requires a different task, chosen by Neopets staff, to be completed each contest, such as drawing, making up "Dr. Sloth's answering machine message", and creating recipes, and so on. The Caption Contest requires users try to write humorous captions for a picture. Players can submit drawings of their pets for the Beauty Contest, a picture and short story of their pets or petpets for the Spotlights, galleries of items, custom-built levels of certain games, or their Neopets-based web pages (theoretically for their pets) or petpages. When users win one of these contests, they usually receive a trophy a Neopoint reward and sometimes an avatar too. Shops In addition to the regular shops, players open their own shops to sell items, sometimes after obtaining those items at a lower price from sources, such as other shops. (One may also exchange items at the trading post or use the auction house.) Shops run by non-player characters allow haggling. Buying items at the Neopian shops in order to resell them is called restocking (since it involves waiting until the shop restocks), and can be very profitable for a player with luck and a fast internet connection. However, player-run shops can only sell items up to 99,999 Neopoints; extremely expensive items must be traded using either the Trading Post or the Auction House. Players may form "malls" of usually eight or more players, each linking to each other's shops by banners, stocking large numbers of items within a category that they are assigned. However, users may end up overpricing their items in the malls in order to compensate for the costs of upgrading to a marketplace shop. Community Neopets has a community in which users can chat with and contact each other by private "Neomail" (on-site e-mail) or on public "Neoboards", which are more like chat rooms than internet forums (see the Neoboards section). As with all Internet communities, there is risk in giving out personal information to strangers. Players under 13 years of age who wish to access any of the site's communication features must fax or mail a document stating parental consent, with the parent's signature, to the Neopets headquarters, to comply with COPPA. The system is, however, easily evaded by entering a fake age. Guilds Users with similar interests can create or join certain guilds which usually revolve around a theme, such as battling in the Battledome, or non-Neopets themes such as those for the fans of real-world celebrities or animal-lovers. Some guilds are dedicated to certain causes or goals, such as helping poorer Neopians and/or new players, adopting the abandoned Neopets in the pound, collecting avatars, role-playing, and so on. There are message boards inside the guilds, accessible only to their members. Guilds may also offer certain benefits to members, such as guild shops, "newbie packs" (usually a few inexpensive items, given as welcome presents to members), activities, and tips. Some guilds are private, which makes the guild not show up in any guild searches, and a player would need an invitation from someone in the guild to join. Different guilds have different requirements for advancing in rank within the guild, sometimes with a corresponding increase in benefits and power. The leader of the guild can choose 4 members in their guild to be part of a "Council", and give them administrative powers such as the ability to change the layout of the guild, create a poll, or delete messages on the message boards (although regular members can also be given administrative powers). These council positions are often sought after by ambitious guild members. Many large guilds also have a sub-council, which is usually like the council in a way except sub-council members usually have less administrative powers and duties than the regular council. Some guilds also have corresponding external websites or petpages to share information. NeoBoards Screenshot of neoboard homepage Various smaller communities of players develop on the Neoboards. Discussions on these message boards must be Neopets-related and may not involve topics such as dating and romance, politics, and religion. Moderation is performed by paid Neopets staff members. Users can help moderate the site by reporting messages they find inappropriate or offensive. A filter also prevents users from posting messages with profanity or lewd content, though the filter cannot capture typographical errors intentionally placed by spammers and scammers, and some questionable posts still appear. The Neoboards are one of the most popular places on the whole site. The Neoboards also provide a great sense of community for the Neopians. NeoMail NeoMail is an e-mail system similar to normal e-mail. Players can write messages to other players, or make "neofriends", to whom they can send items from their inventory. For many reasons, NeoMail messages are monitored. You may also block people that you do not want to come in contact with. Merchandise Neopets now produces a range of merchandise, including plushies, stickers, cereals, and hand-held video games. The merchandise retails at many mainstream outlets such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Limited Too. There are also exclusively online retailers involved, such as 99dogs.com, which was the first outlet for Neopets merchandise. In September 2003, Wizards of the Coast released the Neopets Trading Card Game, a collectible card game, based on the online characters and setting. It is distributed by card shops, as well as Wal-Mart and Target. To date, there have been six individual "sets" of cards (a base set and five expansions) released, with the sixth set recently released. Most of the card releases are associated with "plots," or stories, on the site. This is another controversial marketing move, which has at once managed to endear and estrange players from the site. In March 2005 it was confirmed that the Neopets team had also begun work on a Neopets film (which the creators of the site had kept secret from their own staff until it was confirmed). When informing the users of this, they also implied that there may be more than one Neopets film in the future (although, of course, this will depend entirely on the success of their first film). On the description of the Jelly World game "Jelly Blobs of Doom", a movie is to be released Winter 2006. [15] In November 2005 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. released Neopets: The Darkest Faerie, for the PlayStation 2. A second game, Neopets: PetPet Adventures - The Wand of Wishing, was released March 14, 2006 for the Sony PlayStation Portable. A very popular form of merchandise for Neopets was their set of toys at McDonald's, which brought many people in to Neopets. There is soon to be another release of Neopet toys at McDonald's because of the success of the last promotion.citation needed] These toys have been released in countries such as Australia, USA, and Singapore. Controversy Main article: Neopets Controversy Neopets has been involved in many controversies. Off the website, issues have been raised from its immersive advertising methods, gambling-based games, and its connection to Scientology. Users have complained about various security holes or glitches and problems with user interaction. Groups of people believing that Neopets treats users poorly and who are also against the immersive advertising have formed anti-Neopets websites expressing their views. These groups have bought domain names for their movement, talked about their movement on the Neopets forums, and have even reported Neopets for what they believe to be potential copyright violations. [16] With the new release of the Altador Plot prizes, many members of Neopets are upset that the plot is continuing even after the prizes were given out. This has made many members unhappy due to the fact that even though they spent all the time initially to complete the plot before prizes were given out, other people can obtain the same prizes if they complete it now. Neopets Premium Neopets Premium is an extended version of the site, for which members pay $7.99 (US) a month, or $69.95 (US) a year. Different packages may be purchased which include Premium, such as dial-up internet service. With Premium membership, external ads are removed and certain benefits are added, like extra Neopoints (2,500 NP for signing up and 1,000 NP for each additional month), a neomail.com e-mail address, a customizable portal, more random events, a special message board avatar that is rarer for non-paying users, premium-only boards, a weekly "Space Faerie" scratch card, and access to beta versions of games. Also, Premium users have access to a Super Shop Wizard that searches the entire site for the cheapest items in user-run shops instead of only a portion of the site, though they can only use it a certain number of times per hour. Premium users can perform unlimited 'price-only' searches, which shows the average price of the first 10 results. [17] To begin Premium service, a player must first be referred by another Premium user, or sign up when new testers are being accepted. Most premium users are happy to send you an invite, but only if you are serious about premium. Several people ask for invites just so they can use the free 15-day trial. Users have gotten fed up with this, and now only accept serious people who want one of their precious, limited invites. There are prizes for referring people to Premium if they remain after the trial expires: an avatar, sidebar, a charm which can randomly double a player's Neopoint reward from games, and many bonus item packs. Some prizes are revoked if the referrer stops using Premium service. These incentives make it easy for a player who seeks Premium to receive an invitation. [17] Pop culture references Aside from the fact that Neopets has its own vibrant user culture, there are many references in the site to movies, games, and more. The List of references in Neopets article contains an extensive list of such references. April Fools The NeoCharge display along with discussion on the NeoBoards Neopets is well-known for its April Fool's Day pranks among its users. Some of its jokes include: 2001: "Neopet Makeovers" gave Neopets new names and different looks.[18] 2002: Some users' Safety Deposit Boxes were emptied, since the Pant Devil stole them. [19] 2003: Neopets becomes "Neopetz", a "cooler" website! Now it looks better and no more neopoints, making everything free, including the extremely expensive items found in the Hidden Tower. [20] 2004: A "Quiguki" expansion set was to be released based on an imaginary new world called "Quigara". 2005: Fifty new pets were drawn, and the Neopets staff claimed they were releasing all of them. Also, they claimed from there on, you could own 10 neopets. [21] 2006: "NeoCharge" (pictured) was a Neopoint tax that players had to pay depending on which and how many pages were visited. When players actually tried to pay the charge, they would be taken to a page that said it might take up to 24 hours to process.[22] See also List of Neopets Petpet Petpetpet List of Neopian worlds List of references in Neopets Neopets Faeries Neopets: The Darkest Faerie Neopets plots Altador Cup References ^ Eckstein, Sandra. "The next generation of toys play with interactivity", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2004-05-13. Retrieved on 2006-08-04. ^ Gamespot interview, see "Neopets: The Darkest Faerie Developer Interview 1" video ^ Neopets "Pet Central" Page ^ Viacom agrees to buy Neopets, Reuters ^ http://www.neopets.com/terms.phtml ^ http://www.pinkpt.com/neodex/index.php/Neopets#Neoboards ^ http://www.neopets.com/contests.phtml ^ Petpage on the Fountain Faerie ^ Neopets Terms and Conditions ^ http://www.neopets.com/ntimes/index.phtml?section=editorial&issue=232 ^ http://www.neopets.com/ntimes/index.phtml?section=editorial&issue=211 ^ http://www.neopets.com/ntimes/index.phtml?section=editorial&issue=213 ^ http://neonewsnow.com/neopets_guides/quests.htm ^ AvatarLog ^ Jelly Blobs of Doom game page ^ AntiNeopian ^ a b Premium Neopets FAQ ^ Neomakeovers ^ [1] ^ Neopetz ^ [2] ^ NeoCharge External links Official Official Neopets Website Official Neopets Press Kit Beckett Official Neopets Magazine Selected fansites NeoItems PPT Jellyneo Viacom Inc. Corporate Directors: George Abrams | Philippe Dauman (CEO) | Thomas E. Dooley| Ellen V. Futter | Robert Kraft | Alan Greenberg | Charles Phillips | Sumner Redstone (Chairman) | Shari Redstone | Frederic Salerno | William Schwartz MTV Networks channels in the Americas: CMT | CMT Pure Country | Comedy Central | Logo | MHD | MTV | MTV2 | MTV Brasil (30%) | MTV Chi | MTV Desi | MTV Hits | MTV Jams | MTV K | MTV Networks Latin America | MTV Tempo | MTV Tr3s | mtvU | Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite/Nick Jr. | NickToons Network | Nick GAS | Noggin/The N | Spike TV | TV Land | VH1 | VH1 Brazil | VH1 Classic | VH1 Soul | VH1 Uno MTV Networks film production: MTV Films | Nickelodeon Movies MTV Networks Europe: MTV Base | MTV Central | MTV Classic | MTV Dance | MTV Europe | MTV Flux (UK) | MTV Italy (49%) | MTV Latvija | MTV Lietuva | MTV Russia | MTV UK and Ireland | MTV2 Europe | Nickelodeon UK(50%) | Nicktoons UK(50%) | Nick Jr. (UK)(50%) | TMF Flanders | TMF Nederland | TMF UK | VH1 UK | VH1 Classic UK | VIVA MTV Networks Asia: MTV Australia | MTV India | MTV New Zealand | MTV Pakistan | MTV Philippines | Nickelodeon Australia | Nickelodeon Japan | Nickelodeon New Zealand | VH1 Australia MTV Networks internet services: Atom Entertainment | GameTrailers | iFilm | MTV Overdrive | Neopets | Xfire Paramount Pictures Corporation (Paramount Motion Pictures Group): DreamWorks | Go Fish Pictures | Paramount Vantage | Paramount Home Entertainment | Republic Pictures | United International Pictures (50%, with NBC Universal's Universal Studios) Misc. Assets: BET | Bubba Gump Shrimp Company | Famous Music | Paramount Comedy Annual Revenue: $17.3 billion USD (10% 3Q 2005) | Employees: 38,350 | Stock Symbol: NYSE: VIAB | Website: www.viacom.com Search Term: "Neopets" Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | Toys of the 1990s | 1990s fads | 2000s fads | Neopets | Virtual pets | Entertainment websites | 1999 establishments | Children's websites

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