On Turning 11 Neo Years Old

While I prepare for my account to turn 11 years old (on 6-10-12), I've been looking back at all the things I've seen and done in and around Neopia. I know I'm going to forget a lot of things and it would be impossible to recount everything within the word limit restrictions. There were 11 fewer Neopet species when I started and paint brushes were rare and there weren't half the choices there are today and just having 100,00 NP was a lot. The pets have changed their look too. Most just changed their stance or changed in other slight ways. I didn't see the first version of the pets but that light yellow circle with the light blue outer circle is iconic. My newbie pack contained a booster pack of collectable cards, a codcombfish, (which exists mostly in memories and occasionally the trading post) a buzzer (which I sold for 13 NP in my shop and remember for some reason) and some various other items. I still own the very first pet I ever created, Bobdadude; he started as a green male Acara. He's been with me through thick and thin and while he has been zapped by the mad scientist more times that I can count, he's still the same ol' guy I started with all those years ago. I still have a soft spot for Acaras. I remember being devastated when my pets broke their Cheery Blossom. There was no toy repair shop to get it fixed at either. Poogle Solitaire was the first game I ever played and I won a Super Blue Poogle Toy (which I still have)

I'm pretty sure I remember the lost desert plot if you can believe it. I didn't know anything about plots so I didn't participate in it. I also vaguely remember the mystery island plot... again, not knowing much I didn't participate. I was here for the discovery of Meridell and Brightvale and the giant war that ensued. The Darigan Citadel. The introduction of the evil Dr. Sloth and Hubrid Nox. There was the tragedy with Maraqua and the excitement every year of the advent calender. There was the addition of Illusen and her evil sister Jhudora and the all important question... whose side were you on? I never did understand why Jhudora's bluff is in Faerieland being as evil as she is. I never did join the Tyrannia army either. Faerie quests were just given out to who ever wanted one whenever they wanted one. Pets could earn trophies too.

When I joined, Faerieland was still airborne and the circle background was standard on every pet. A time before avatars and the NC Mall and even before Neopia has a moon! Altador, Kiko Lake, Krawk Island, Kreludor, Lutari Island, Moltara, Roo Island and Shenkuu did not exist, we discovered them one by one in the following years. It was a simpler time, when all the links were on the left side of the page instead of across the top and Neopia Central had a banner with pictures instead of just links, both of which I could navigate while they were loading on dial-up. There were no galleries or closets and Neohomes looked far different. You had to build them one room at a time and if you forgot to put doors in it you had to tear that room down and start again. I also remember clicking the giant crack in the Ice Caves to go to Tyrannia.

I've seen several site redesigns... every one but the first. The second one shocked the pants off all of us and no one saw it coming. No, we were not prepared. Some things haven't changed; the food shop is still a giant burger, the health food shop is a broccoli and the Pant Devil is still the scourge of everyone with a valuable item in their inventory. The Snowager is still scary. Sabre-X still tirelessly guards the Giant Omelette. It was almost impossible to get anything from the Money Tree. There always seemed to be items there, but it seemed you could never be quick enough.

The game graveyard contains some of my favorite games in their original form and playing some of them on dial-up was almost a nightmare. I'm surprised some of us even managed to post high scores back then. The game cupboard was just that and there weren't a lot a choices but almost all of them are still around. Hide and Seek would take you to a sponsor site where you had to search for your pet. The Ski Lodge loomed over the top of Terror Mountain

Yes, I've seen almost all of Neopia's great history and it seems every day I'm finding new things to do and new items to dream of owning. Every year has more and more surprises and I can't wait to see what future years hold. My user lookup had a 10 year shield for what felt like years. I guess they didn't think people would be hanging around for this long. Well, we are (I am at least) and I don't intend on going anywhere. While it isn't easy to find another user with an account older than mine, I have seen some and it's prof that we are here to stay. Looking up old Neopian maps and what the old pets looked like has been a great trip down memory lane and I can't believe how much Neopets has changed over the years. It's funny to think that I'm experiencing Neopets nostalgia. It's been 11 wonderful and sometimes crazy years of Neopets and I know I'll be playing for many many more years to come.