A Look in Neopian History

Neopets went back a long, long, long, long... time ago. It all started with pizza or kebabs and a bright light bulb duct-taped to an asparagus crazed human, Adam Powell. On November 15th, 1999, he and Donna Williams launched the site we know now as Neopets.

“Our aim is to keep adding new and exciting games, puzzles and activities daily, and hopefully keep you all entertained!!! :)”

Since then, Neopets grew and grew, larger than ever, adding new features, activities, games, and on-site events. Probably one of Adam and Donna’s proudest moments was celebrating Neopets’ first birthday.

“Woohoo! Neopets is one year old! Thanks a lot for playing and supporting the site. We hope that you will continue to play. Loads more cool stuff coming soon :)”

Partying over their very first year (hopefully), they hide themselves under the “Loads more cool stuff coming soon” statement and continue to lead Neopets into the future.

The next six years, going on seven, made Neopets better than it has been. As of today, Neopets has received over 600 BILLION page views and over 150 million Neopet owners! These years produced new state-of-the-art graphics, flash games, plots, customisation features and other extraordinary additions to the site. Stepping into the past, we will re-live some of the greatest moments in Neopian History and celebrate the countless Neopian achievements. Some players today may still remember these and all the live actions accompanying them.

1. One BILLION Neopoint Giveaway!!!

It’s not one million – or two, but one billion neopoints! That is... 1,000,000,000 neopoints! NINE zeros after the one! And I am not lying. :D

“Today we will be starting our fantastic, amazing BILLION NEOPOINT GIVEAWAY!!! Are we serious? Yup! A billion Neopoints will be given out between 2,000 lucky winners. That's half a million each.” – Dec 15th, 2000 News Archives

Yup, this was 100% true and not made up. Although the massive one billion neopoints were split among 2000 players, giving each winner half a million, it was a BIG deal at the time. Unlike today’s Neopian economy where even one million is consider “average,” five hundred thousand neopoints would put you close to the elites! The second most expensive item at the time was only 6 million neopoints compared to today’s 550 million neopoints Super Attack Pea! Never was there a Neopoint Giveaway at this scale ever again, making this one of the top five greatest events in Neopian History.

2. The Great Battle

It was the third longest plot in Neopian History, and claimed to be one of the best plots ever created. This was the second war between Meridell and Darigan, featuring Lord Kass; it was the Battle for Meridell! Here is a sample from the comic:

“In the end, Skarl took all the credit. Even though others made sacrifices. Some even made the ultimate sacrifice.” – Chapter 15

This was not a simple Neopian plot, it was a true heroic tale. The amazing storyline, drama, breath-taking scenes, friendship and inner character conflicts has made this plot popular across the site and Neopia itself, although some may argue this being one of the best due to the fact it was a Battledome based plot. The story alone, however, was enough to stun the viewers, especially with Jeran and his sister Lisha. No other plot has a stronger connection between brother and sister. Definitely a win for all Neopians, including those who did not participate at all. In my books, it meets every standard to be in the top five. Whatever those standards were anyways...

3. Altador Cup

Introduced in Y8, the Altador Cup is now popular to almost every player on Neopets. Taking place every June, the event brings millions of players together to play the exciting Yooyuball game! Sixteen different teams represent sixteen different areas of Neopia, each facing off for the ultimate prize, the Altador Cup.

“Krawk Island -- undefeated on the Yooyuball field and the overall leaders thus far -- squared off against the Darigan Citadel, last year's runner-up and the odds-on favourite to win it all going into this year's tournament. Who would win this pairing of Yooyuball powerhouses...” – Altador Cup News Y9

Unlike Neopian plots, the outcome of the Altador Cup falls on the players’ hands. Who will win the tournament? Which team will bring home the Altador Cup? Only time can answer these questions. The Altador Cup fully allows players to interact, support their teams, celebrate victories, make friends, and most importantly, have fun. There is nothing quite like the Altador Cup; even the most entertaining plots cannot compare. How can anyone not like this event? Seriously.

4. Neopets Makeovers

Probably the most noticeable change was the arrival of Neopets 2.0, the current Neopets layout. On the news of April 26, 2007, a huge blinking meepit took over the news! However, no player knew what was about to happen next! It took everyone by surprise, including myself! By the next day, the entire site layout was revamped and news about the layout changes flooded the neoboards and fan sites alike. And here it is today... every time you visit Neopets, the new layout stares you in the face. A fresh new look to the site we all love.

“YOU ARE NOT PREPARED” – April 26, 2007 News Page

Unlike everything else, what we see most often usually gets ignored and the main layout is included. Without it, Neopets might have already collapsed and you wouldn’t be here reading this. Therefore, the Neopets layout and recent makeover is an important and memorable achievement. Plus, it looks way better than the ancient layout from before. Don't you think so?

5. Neopian Times (NT)

Yes, this is one of the greatest moments in Neopian History. Why? Well, for one, it dates back to January 25th, 2000, over eight glorious years ago! It all started with this:

“The Neopian Times starts today - if you have any articles you want to send in then please let us know!” – January 25th, 2000 News Page

From there, the Neopian Times continues to grow and attract many players’ attention during the Friday news updates. Today, it has reached exactly 350 issues, with many more to come in the future. The NT has changed a lot since its very first release. Remember when the slogan was “For an easier life” and the header featured two heads? Or the time where the NT didn’t have a mascot? How about the countless layout changes? The Neopian Times has followed Neopets from almost the very start and is still in existence today. Very few features have ever made it this far, and it is important to recognize this amazing achievement! Maybe in the near future, a new layout or version of the Neopian Times would get released. But nevertheless, the Neopian Times will forever be part of Neopets.

From the one billion neopoints giveaway to the 350th NT issue, we celebrate the achievements of Neopets. As Neopets continue to grow and head for the future without limits, Neopians will be with the site we all love every step of the way. But today, we celebrate the 350th Neopian Times issue with all its glory. Today we celebrate the endless possibilities of the NT. Happy 350, Neopian Times! And with many more to come!