35.0 Little Known Facts About the Altador Cup

1. The word 'Yooyu' is derived from the ancient Altadorian words 'Yoo' meaning creature and 'Yu' meaning ball.

2. The Altador Cup was first started 350 years ago. However, it was a small competition between the districts of Altador until Altador was discovered by the rest of Neopia.

3. The Gold trophy for the Altador Cup is made from the same gold that partially decorates the statue of King Altador.

4. The Silver trophy for the Altador Cup is made from the same silver that the pipes in the Altadorian Waterworks are made of.

5. No one is exactly sure what the bronze trophies are made out of. I wouldn't go near them if I were you, though!

6. Team Darigan and Team Faerieland share bases during the Altador Cup period.

7. Training and trials for the cup begin five months before the cup begins.

8. No one knows what goes on under the Altador Cup stadium, in the area where the Yooyus rise from.

9. Jimmy knew what went on there, but let's not talk about what happened to Jimmy.

10. The ice used for the slushies in Slushie Slinger last year wasn't actually ice.

11. The Altador Cup Quiz is an elaborate plot designed by TNT to control the minds of all Neopians.

12. Ever wonder what happened to Kreludor? Just think about who calculates the millions of scores posted during the Altador Cup...

13. Freeloaders are mythical creatures that strangely seem to pop up in the minds of many during the Altador Cup period and then magically vanish as soon as it ends.

14. If Halloween Paint brushes were released when the Haunted Woods won the cup, and Darigan Paint brushes were released when Darigan Citadel won the cup, then what will happen if Kiko Lake wins the cup? Kiko morphing potions?

15. Good guys always finish last.

16. There are two types of supporters; those who contribute to their teams and those who chat on the Altador Cup board.

17. Make Some Noise is proudly sponsored by the Neopian Pharmacy.

18. For some reason, during the Altador Cup period the very same Pharmacy always seems to have a lot of sore throat cures in stock.

19. Team Lost Desert's colors were originally yellow and purple before being changed to yellow and blue.

20. This fact was far too important to be revealed in a NT article!

21. Layton Vickles was last seen eating an assortment of pizza from Pizzaroo. Someone hasn't been keeping up their training routine. ;)

22. The Practice team is so incredibly amazing that if they were to play in the actual tournament, then Altador would implode immediately.

23. The members of Team Shenkuu always make sure to have positive Feng-shui before playing a Yooyuball match.

24. The members of Team Meridell always eat a large marrow before making some noise in the Yooyuball stadium.

25. When Team Tyrannia are playing a Yooyuball match, the Yooyus are all covered in a protective layer which prevents them from getting eaten by the prehistoric team. In Tyrannia, Yooyus are considered a rare delicacy, only beaten by the common Slorg.

26. Amongst the list of items banned from the Altador Cup are: Blumaroo Steak, Weakling Badges, Headless Von Roo Plushies, Kreludans, and Adam.

27. The Faerie Yooyu is magnetically repelled by the goals in the Yooyu stadium. It seems reverse psychology is the only way to score a goal with them!

28. Not every type of Yooyu makes it to the Altador Cup. Amongst those who didn't make the cut last year were: Grey Yooyu (It would start crying whenever it wasn't held by a player for more than two seconds. The tears made the field a bit too messy. Think more like a pool than a Yooyuball stadium); Halloween Yooyu (Scared the players away, and on the rare occasion was known to ingest an entire Yooyuball team); Pirate Yooyu (It was fine until it started to steal all the players' slings. NEVER let a Yooyu know the value of the equipment the players are using).

29. In his spare time, the Yooyuball referee belts out a tune to the audience. He is reported to have said that he draws his inspiration from Yes Boy Ice Cream.

30. The Altador Cup Prize shops are ultimately responsible for every single thing that ever occurs in Neopia. Don't ask me how this happens; it just does.

31. The nets in the goals in the Yooyuball stadium are made out of strands of Dental Floss, which has caused some awkward moments in the past when players would crash into goals and subsequently get their teeth stuck in the nets.

32. There was a spot of controversy in Altador Cup 1 when fish fingers were served at the communal cafeteria. Team Maraqua made their own food after that, surprisingly. It is rumored that Team Krawk Island had triple helpings of fish fingers that night.

33. Team Virtupets are not expected to do well at this year's Cup given that their mascot and head coach 'Frank Htols' has randomly disappeared. *shifty eyes*

34. The Altador Cup logo, apart from being colorful and easy on the eyes, is also a secret key to obtaining the Chef Bonju avatar. (Pssst, you didn't hear it from me, okay?)

35. If you write an article about 35.0 little known facts about the Altador Cup in the 350th issue of the Neopian Times and it gets in, then you will get an avatar. It has a Weewoo on it. Enough said.

35.0. Those who make the All-Star rank are secretly plotting together to outshine the rest of Neopia. Get it? All-'Star', 'outshine'? Don't make fun of my jokes! I already feel bad enough about not being funny enough to get into the 900th caption contest.

So there you have it. 35.0 little known facts about the Altador Cup. I hope you've had fun reading them, because they will give you absolutely no advantage in this year's Cup. Oh, and one last thing...

Happy 350th NT! Join me again at issue 700 to discuss another 70.0 little known facts about the Altador Cup.