Neopets 23rd Birthday Interviews

     We first chose to pay a visit to the Neopian Bazaar, a very popular area amongst Neopians of all ages. Here we can find the cute little Toy Shop, a store that was reported to have had some unusually large activity on the day in question. We asked the friendly Lupe behind the counter about it.

     Us: Thanks for having us! How was Neopets 23rd Birthday for your shop?

     Toy Shop Shopkeeper: Well, we were expecting a few more visitors than usual to buy some toys as gifts for their friends. However, things escalated quite quickly when thousands and thousands of visitors flooded into the store as soon as we opened and asked if we had any goodie bags in stock. It was slightly chaotic, we never had so many people here before. Some even returned again and again asking about the bag. A few customers were lucky enough to snatch one, but next year we will probably have to stock up on some more of them!

     It seems like if there is one thing all Neopians desire, it is seeing the words “Goodie Bag” in their inventory. Since we were in the Bazaar, we took the opportunity to visit The Bakery, run by the Breadmaster, an Italian-speaking Kacheek who is famous for his delicious and aesthetically appealing cakes and pastry.

     Us: How was the 23rd anniversary for the bakery?

     Breadmaster: Neopets anniversary is my favourite day of the year because it is so busy, and we have many customers who pre-order cakes to celebrate the day. The most popular one is the Super Fancy Birthday Cake, which is one of our specialities. But we also sell large amounts of cupcakes such as the Starry Blue Birthday Cupcake. The strangest request we received was to make a Luxury Cabbage Cake, I’m not sure how people can find cabbage in a cake tasteful… But everyone likes different things and I love a good baking challenge!

     After having been unable to resist the sweet smell of fresh cinnamon swirls, we thanked the Breadmaster for his time and took a coffee break while we enjoyed some of his delicious pastry. Thus we concluded our interviews in Neopia Central, and went on to take a speed boat to Krawk Island where the Swashbuckling Academy is located on the island’s edge. The academy is famous for generously providing free training to any low-level pet on Neopets Birthday.

     Us: Hello captain! How did the 23rd Birthday turn out for the academy?

     Cap'n Threelegs': Ahoy matey! We had some shiftless waisters here that needed some shape-up. I remember thinkin’ to me-self that these youngsters had no future as buccaneers. Yar, yet still they reminded me of the time when I were a wee sprog myself... So I made sure that the weak bunch received some free proper ol’ training to prepare them for the high seas. I told them my usual sayin’: “Either shape up or I'll have ye walkin' the plank!”.

     We thanked the captain for his kind yet somewhat aggressive interview, and proceeded towards our next location which was the Tyrannian Concert Hall. So we packed our sun lotion and shorts and took a bus to the Tyrannian Plateau, where we spotted a blue Techo patiently standing in his booth under the scorching sun.

     Us: Hi there! Would you mind if we asked you a few questions about Neopets 23rd Birthday?

     Tyrannian Techo: Ugga Ugga!

     It was clear from these grunts that the Techo’s English skills weren’t adequate enough for an interview, so we returned after we had found a Tyrannian interpreter to help us translate the conversation.

     Tyrannian Techo (translated): We have many many seats this day for a concert. Chomby and the Fungus Ball are here to play. We have 10 000 tickets available on our birthday. But many empty seats, so me sad... But me eat Ugga Melon Omelette for dinner the same day. So me happy anyway!

     Unfortunately it seemed like the Concert Hall had been overestimating the number of visitors for the birthday concert. But our fellow Tyrannian Techo still seemed content thanks to a comforting portion of his favourite food.

     After a roasting hot day in Tyrannia, we decided to head back to the cool air of Neopia Central. This time, we decided to ask on the Neoboards to find out how an average Neopian enjoyed the day. We found a friendly player who spends most of her time answering questions and aiding other players on the Help-board.

     Us: How did you celebrate Neopet's 23rd Birthday?

     Neoboards Helper: Well, there was one overall question which seemed to concern many fellow Neopians… And that was when they would receive their free 750 NC. But I am happy that everyone received it in the end. I also reminded players to get the Birthday avatar if they didn’t have it, and to claim their free goodie bag from the NC mall. I think everyone ended up with some fun and generous items at the end of the day!

     On that happy note, we decided to finish our interviews and head back to the Neopian Times headquarters. Overall it seemed like the Birthday had been a successful and joyful day for our fellow Neopians, despite some unexpected occurrences and surprises. We hope that you readers also enjoyed the day, whether you celebrated with food, by buying clothes, going to a concert, or training your pet. We are happy that you decided to celebrate the anniversary with us and especially grateful to our interviewees who helped us to make the day so special.

     Happy anniversary!