Club Penguin was a media franchise that was created in 2005 with the release of the online massively multiplayer online game (MMO) Club Penguin, later bought out by Disney. Club Penguin inspired a variety of console video games, books, and television specials. Following the game's discontinuation in March 2017, the game was replaced by a successor, Club Penguin Island (2017), which was released on mobile and desktop, and an unlicensed recreation, Rewritten (2017). However, Island was discontinued in November 2018, while Rewritten was ordered shut down by Disney in April 2022, effectively ending the franchise.
Club Penguin was a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) that ran from 2005 to 2017, created by New Horizon Interactive (later known as Disney Canada Inc. after the game's acquisition by Disney).
As of mid-November 2016, Disney Interactive advertised a related but separate mobile gaming environment named Club Penguin Island, to become available in select languages and areas in 2017. Pre-registration was available for reserving player names.[1][2] On January 30, 2017, it was announced that the original game would be discontinued on March 29, 2017.[3] The game was released worldwide for mobile devices on March 30, 2017, the same day Club Penguin shut down. On November 30, 2017, the game was released on Windows and macOS. On September 27, 2018, Disney confirmed the imminent discontinuation of Club Penguin Island in a letter obtained by the website Kotaku,[4] and in a blog post.[5]
Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force was released in the US on November 25, 2008,[6] in Europe on March 13, 2009, and in Australia on April 16, 2009.[7] In September 2009, a Collector's Edition was released and included upgrades to the game and extra features. Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force was released by Disney for the Nintendo DS on November 25, 2008. As members of the "Elite Penguin Force", players solved mysteries around Club Penguin. The game features mini-games from Club Penguin; coins earned by the mini-games could be transferred to the player's Club Penguin account.[8]
Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force – Herbert's Revenge (2010)
Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force – Herbert's Revenge is a sequel to Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force. It was released on May 25, 2010, in North America,[citation needed] June 25, 2010 in Europe[9] and July 8, 2010, in Australia and New Zealand.[citation needed] The game starts off as the player and former members of the PSA are recruited to be part of the EPF. They are put in 6 different PSA missions, starting with Secret of the Fur, and 4 game-exclusive EPF missions featuring the main antagonist, Herbert the bear. Herbert's Revenge was announced on February 13, 2010, with a release of May 2010. Previously established character Dot the Disguise Gal features as a character in the game.[10]
The Sports Shop (where the PSA HQ was formerly located) was changed to the 'Everyday Phoning Facility.' Players who were PSA agents and had taken 'the test' became agents of the EPF. Players who were already EPF agents (and were able to access the EPF Command Room through the wardrobe in the PSA HQ) no longer had any benefits whereas members who had entered a code from 'Herbert's Revenge' can call the elite puffle 'Flare' from the game by using the puffle whistle button on the EPF phone, and performed a special action when they sit or dance with the puffle, although they were able to get more puffles through the EPF phone.
Nintendo Wii
Club Penguin: Game Day! (2010)
In 2010, Disney Interactive Studios announced plans for Club Penguin: Game Day!, a game for the Wii. It was reported that the game was released on September 21, 2010, in the U.S.[11] Reportedly, the game would involve players working as a team trying to earn sections of land on an island, with the objective being to conquer the island. The game was based around several interactive games, some of which were 3D versions of games then played and games which appeared only at the Fall Fair (such as Puffle Paddle) in Club Penguin. Players were able to customize their penguins and choose their team (blue, red, yellow, or green). Any points earned in the Wii game could be synchronized with Club Penguin.[12]
Club Penguin: Game Day! was developed by Artoon[13] and released in September 2010.[13] The game can be played by up to 4 people at once. There is also a single player mode. Club Penguin: Game Day! and its rating were first found on the ESRB site in April 2010, but it was taken down before May since the game was not announced at that time. It then was officially announced on June 10, 2010. The ESRB descriptor was put up again in July 2010.[citation needed] In the game, players can create and customize a 3D penguin and compete in a variety of challenges. Each time players beat a challenge, they conquer some territory on the island. The ultimate goal for players is to conquer as much territory as possible. Once, players could transfer coins, items, and stamps to their Club Penguin account. However, this is no longer working since May 20, 2014 at 10.30 PM EST when Nintendo discontinued the Wi-Fi support with the Nintendo DS and Wii.[14]
Cardback to Club Penguin CCG.
Television specials
British company Factory produced three TV specials based on the game, a Christmas TV special, titled We Wish You a Merry Walrus, aired on Disney Channel in the UK on December 17, 2014.[15][16]
A sequel to We Wish You a Merry Walrus, a summer special titled Club Penguin: Monster Beach Party was also produced and premiered on Disney Channel in the UK on August 10, 2015. A Halloween special based on the game, Club Penguin: Halloween Panic!, premiered on Disney Channel UK on October 25, 2015.
Merchandise
Books
In honor of Club Penguin's third anniversary in 2008, Club Penguin released books that were published under the Snowball Press name.[17] Outside of the virtual world, such books were published by Grosset & Dunlap and included guidebooks for the game as well as "choose-your-own-adventure"-style books.[17] The series includes The Ultimate Official Guide to Club Penguin Volume 1 by Ladybird Books, Stowaway! Adventures at Sea by Tracey West, Stuck on Puffles by Ladybird Books, and Waddle Lot of Laughs by Rebecca McCarthy.[17]
On February 3, 2018, Club Penguin Island released an e-book titled Wish Upon a Squid which could be read via the Disney Story Central app. Players were given a code to get the eBook for free. The code expired on March 31, 2018. The book followed the story about a determined penguin named Leedah and her journey across the island to discover her special talent.[18]
Collectible card game
A collectible card game was released by Topps. The cards feature characters and player penguins from Club Penguin, the latter intended to be customized with special stickers of clothing items. The card game's rules are the same as the mini-game Cardjitsu from Club Penguin.
Unofficial media
Following the closure of Club Penguin, an identical recreation of Club Penguin entitled Club Penguin Rewritten (2017–2022) proceeded to accumulate over 11 million registered users over the following five years, before monetising (allowing for advertisers) over the course of the COVID-19 pandemiclockdowns and consequently being shutdown by the City of London Police in compliance with a copyright investigation request from Disney.[19]
In December 2019, an independent Danganronpa-based visual novelsequel to Club Penguin, titled Club Penguin: Penguinronpa, or simply Penguinronpa, began publication to Instagram and YouTube respectively as a web serial and web series,[20] following non-binary penguin "Agent" as they and fifteen others are placed into a killing game by "Monobert" (a Monokuma-inspired impersonator of Herbert the polar bear) following the closure of Club Penguin. Created by animator Tofu, the series went viral over the course of the 2019–2022 COVID-19 lockdowns,[21] with Luke Winkie of IGN lauding the series' "sheer chaotic chutzpah" and "hilarious, ridiculous, bizarre mutation of the core [Club] Penguin tenets".[22]
Awards and nominations
Year
Award
Title
Recipient
Result
Ref(s)
2008
Web Marketing Association Entertainment Standard of Excellence
^Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. pp. 334–335. ISBN9781476672939.
