The Weirdest Petpets in Neopia

     While most users opt for standard, conventional Petpets for their pets, there are those who have tastes that are more strange and unusual. For instance, what if you don’t want a Petpet at all… but an item instead? Or, perhaps you want to acquire an older Petpet to be a companion to your younger pet! If those options don’t satiate your desire for eccentricity, maybe you would like Petpets with “vintage” artwork? If rarity intrigues you, then the rarest Petpets… err, trading cards… in all of Neopia will surely pique your interest! However, if you have a desire for the spontaneous and random, you’d definitely like the lab-exclusive Petpets! But, maybe you’d just like a Petpet that fills you with nostalgia and reminds you of the good times it came from. No matter how weird, wild, odd, or strange your Petpet preferences are, we’ve got you covered. Prepare to embark on a comprehensive journey through every category of weird Petpets in Neopia!

     Item Petpets

     Some of the strangest Petpets that have made their home within Neopia are known as glitch Petpets. These are Petpets that can’t be attached normally, and, for the most part, are no longer able to be obtained. Glitch Petpets were never intended to be released, and most are the result of coding errors. Based on editorial posts, TNT is aware of these Petpets' existence.

     The first form of glitch Petpets are known as item Petpets. These are items that were misflagged as Petpets by TNT when they were released, so, for a brief window, you were able to attach them to Neopets. One of the first and cutest items of the bunch is the Darigan Pteri Plushie. Apparently, some pets weren’t quite ready for all the responsibility of Petpet ownership, so their owners decided a nice plushie substitute would suffice. If you have a Neopet with a bit of edge, Jagged Ink Wings may be more suitable. There’s also the Petpetpet Comb, which would be an amazing Petpet for any Neopet with a Petpetpet infestation. Finally, there’s the Lutari Knight Tunic–only for the most chivalrous of Neopets. According to TNT, there were even times where ANY item could be attached as a Petpet, but these windows were brief, so these kinds of pets are incredibly rare.

      These item Petpets function like real Petpets in almost every regard. If you trade, zap, or pound your Neopet, they’ll keep the item you’ve attached as a Petpet! You can participate in Petpet battles with them, attach Petpetpets, send them into the catacombs for Grave Danger, and zap them at the Petpet Lab Ray (though you do run the risk of losing your item Petpet if you zap them!). You can even nickname your item Petpets and have a conversation with them, though I wouldn’t expect your comb to be much of a conversationalist! There is one major site feature item Petpets are ineligible for: they can never win the Petpet Protection League. When asked if item Petpets would be eligible for the PPL, TNT responded with: “It's the Petpet Protection League, not the Glitched Item League!”

      Over-Aged Petpets

     Perhaps the most perplexing of all Petpets are those who are older than the Neopets they’re attached to. Generally, Petpets are younger than the Neopets they’re attached to: you can’t attach a Petpet before a Neopet is born… or can you?

     There are actually two ways these little glitchy guys can be created. The first involves the Purge. Though you no longer need to be worried about your “long long time ago” accounts or those Neopets you probably haven’t fed in a decade being deleted, there was a period of Neopian history where you DID need to be concerned. Neopets who were deleted (or purged as many prefer) suddenly became available to create once again. In very rare cases, if a pet had a Petpet attached before they were purged, they retained that Petpet when they were re-created. For example, let’s say, hypothetically, Mr_Pigglewigs had a 2000 day old Symol attached to him when he was purged. A new user re-creates Mr_Pigglewigs through the Create a Pet system. When he’s born, there is a rare chance he will still have this old Symol attached, which means Mr_Pigglewigs now has a Petpet that’s 2000 days older than himself! (It should be noted that all Neopets appearing in this article are fictitious. Any resemblance to real Neopets is purely coincidental.)

      There is actually one other way over-aged Petpets could be created. Back in the day, the old Create a Pet system was a lengthy process that included several different pages, unlike the modern Create a Pet system, which is all contained on one page. If you got through some of the pages, but not all the pages, your pet would exist, but their age would be listed as “not born yet”. You still had the ability to attach Petpets to these unborn pets, meaning your Petpet could start aging before the pet was born. For the most part, if an over-aged Petpet is much older than the Neopet they’re attached to, they were a result of the Purge glitch. If an over-aged Petpet is slightly older than the Neopet they were attached to, they were probably attached using the “not born yet” method.

     These over-aged Petpets are much like glitched item Petpets in that you can interact with them normally in most aspects of the site save for one: they can not delve into the catacombs for Grave Danger! If you attempt to send an over-aged Petpet into the depths, you’ll be given an error indicating that you do not own the pet.

     Unconverted Petpets

     You’ve probably heard of unconverted Neopets, but have you heard of unconverted Petpets? Back when Neopia was founded, some of the Petpet designs were…. awkward to say the least. TNT decided to update some of the least popular Petpet designs. If you had a Petpet with the old art style attached to your pet when the update occurred, your Petpet would retain its old art style, but all other Petpets in inventories and safety deposit boxes were automatically converted. If UC Petpets are removed from the Neopets they’re attached to, they’ll also convert! So if you didn’t get your hands on a Neopets with a UC Petpet prior to their conversion, your only option of obtaining one now would be to trade for a pet with one attached. There are two main categories of UC Petpets: aquatic and spooky.

     Aquatic Petpets were discovered soon after the foundation of Maraqua on October 6th, 2000. All UC Petpets were drawn within tiny fish bowls, with the idea being you needed to bring a bit of Maraqua with you if you removed an aquatic species from its natural habitat. These bowls all appear to be rather small and uncomfortable, so it’s no wonder aquatic Petpets were liberated from their tiny prisons when the art was converted on August 29th, 2001, the same date the Rock Pool was opened. Not only were the old designs available for less than a year, they weren’t super popular during the time they were available. This makes UC aquatic Petpets incredibly rare. There were thirty total Petpets that were revamped in 2001. 22 of these Petpets were entirely revamped, including their name. I won’t bore you with the whole list, but some of my favorites include Snappy, who was changed to Spirkle during the conversion, as well as Swirly who was updated to Sproing. There are also eight Petpets who simply got an art update, but retained the same name. For example, Gulpers went from being tiny whale-like Petpets to angler fish.

      Truly a glow up

     Though the exact date when spooky Petpets were released is unknown, they were probably created sometime after the creation of “Halloween World” (which many Neopians now know as The Haunted Woods) on October 18th, 2000. These Petpets were around for around two years before they were converted on October 11th and 21st of 2002. There are nine UC scary Petpets: Baby Vampire, Cyclopian, Fat Cat (my personal favorite), Grackle Trap, Rotten Egg, Red Tail, Scary Jack, Skeleton Pirate, and Sugar Rush. These Petpets were slightly more popular than their aquatic counterparts, and they were also available for a longer period of time. This makes them less rare than UC aquatic Petpets, but, due to their popularity, they are valuable and well sought-after on the Pet Trading board.

      There are also a couple of strange UC Petpets who don’t fit into either category: the Isnewee and the Mongmong. The Isnewee bears a striking resemblance to the Honsby, but surprisingly, they are two completely separate Petpets. The Isnewee was updated to the Mazzew on May 20th, 2003, probably to avoid any confusion between Honsby and Isnewee. There is also the Mongmong, which was updated to Flishy. It is unknown when and why this change took place, but Mongmong retained their old art styles–they just got a new name!

     A fun fact about UC Petpets is that they’re still eligible to win the Petpet Protection League! Because UC Petpets share the same item code as their converted equivalents, when the PPL Petpets are selected, trophies will be rewarded to both versions of the Petpet. For example, if Furwich was selected to win the PPL, all Rotten Eggs would also be rewarded with a trophy.

     Trading Card Game Petpets

     While glitched and unconverted Petpets are certainly the weirdest Petpets in all of Neopia, there are several glitch-free converted Petpets that are very peculiar. Among them, the TCG (Trading Card Game) Petpets stand out as the oddest. During a special event on January 26th, Y6, TNT decided to allow certain TCGs to be attached as Petpets. Unlike the glitch item Petpets, the TCG Petpets were intentionally approved by TNT, possibly as a nod to the inventive users who had discovered how to attach glitched item Petpets. The Puppyblew (TCG), Warf (TCG), and Symol (TCG) were among the Petpets that could be attached to pets during this event.

      TNT mentioned in the news, "Last night, an evil curse was cast on some Petpets and items, transforming them into two-dimensional virtual trading cards. Thankfully, the curse has mostly been lifted now, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused! If you have no idea what we're talking about, then... phew! :)" Due to the limited duration of their availability, these Petpets are incredibly rare and truly bizarre.

      Unpaintable Petpets

     Continuing our exploration of peculiar Petpets, let's delve into the world of unpaintable Petpets. Unpaintable Petpets are given out as prizes by TNT during various events, plots, holidays, and games. If you have any booksmart pets, the Airborne Minitheus and the Geeky Geb would be a great fit! The Airborne Minitheus dons a propellor cap that allows him to fly, which undoubtedly adds to his cuteness. On the other hand, the Geeky Geb exudes a delightful dorkiness with his book in hand and rectangular glasses. Both Petpets were released as prizes in the Daily Dare, Y11 and Y14 respectively.

      If you have a Burlap pet, one of the best matching unpaintable Petpets is the Apple Spyder! This Petpet is a prize from Apple Bobbing and can still be won today! Its apple body and wooden branch legs perfectly complement the fall vibes emanating from Burlap pets. However, if rarity is what you are looking for, look no further than the King Skarls Snowbunny! This prize is only won from sending the King into hysterics, and we all know how hard he is to please! In fact, it ranks among the most expensive Petpets in all of Neopia, with listings in the Trade Post reaching staggering prices of up to 900,000,000 NP!

      Lab Ray Exclusive Petpets

     Let's now look into the fascinating category of Lab Ray exclusive Petpets, a category of weird Petpets that perfectly aligns with the eccentric nature of the Lab Ray scientist himself. Among the users who utilize the Petpet lab ray, some have witnessed their ordinary Petpets undergo remarkable and rare transformations. A handful of Petpet species belong exclusively to the lab ray, including Chirucks, Floobixs, Flurms, Graffles, Skindles, Tanamurxs, and Weeblys. In addition to the exclusive species, the lab ray also offers a range of exclusive colors.

      While many of us are familiar with popular variations like chocolate, gold, jelly, and 8-bit, have you heard about the picnic series of Petpets? This sought-after collection features the Potato Rock, Devilled Egg Goldy, Hoagie Kadoatie, Berry Jelly Blobikins, and Rainy Day Ruining Your Picnic Cirrus. These Petpets are a perfect fit for any fruit or vegetable Chia, but the possibilities are truly endless! The Rainy Day Cirrus makes for an exceptional companion to any Grey pet, complimenting their melancholic aesthetic and creating a truly moody duo. Also, the Devilled Egg Goldy is also perfect for the baby Pteri, especially if you are a fan of eggs!

      We hope you have discovered a new weird and wild type of Petpet that is worthy of accompanying your pet! Whether you prefer a plushie substitute, an older companion, vintage artwork, rare trading cards, nostalgic reminders, or simply something spontaneous and random, Neopia has you covered. These peculiar Petpets add a touch of uniqueness and quirkiness to the Neopets experience, allowing users to express their individuality and explore the more unconventional side of pet ownership. While there is nothing wrong with the standard Petpet, we also want you to be able to express your weirdness and distinctiveness! The two of us are definitely ecstatic that such strange and wonderful Petpets exist for us to get for our pets. So, if you’d like your Petpet to stand out from the crowd, just remember how many options exist in the weird and wonderful world of Neopia’s Petpets!