You’ve probably seen the rumors, and my heart aches to report that it’s true. On January 30th, the makers of Club Penguin issued a statement saying that this chapter in Club Penguin history is officially coming to a close. By March 29th, those on the site with memberships paid or otherwise will no longer have access to them. However, there is a light at the end of this tunnel; the game is set to be replaced with a new mobile spin-off called Club Penguin Island, which intends to provide fans of the classic with a “uniquely penguin experience”.
For over ten years, Club Penguin has been a hugely inventive, massive multiplayer online game for kids and teens or adults with a penchant for funny memes. It is unique in that it continues to entertain newcomers while older children who used to play still speak fondly of it. The moments (and memes) that Club Penguin has spawned since its inception in 2005 are timeless, and here are a few that we’ll always be thankful for.
1. Getting invited over to a friend’s gorgeously customized igloo…
…And filling your own to the brim with as much nonsense as possible. Come on, are 48 lawn flamingos (very tacky, by the way) really that necessary?
2. Racing down that unrealistically dangerous hill littered with tree stumps and ice patches.
You’ve been both of these penguins.
3. Collecting the whole rainbow’s worth of puffles.
Your neighborhood was probably not properly zoned for the kind of puffle-hoarding you were up to.
4. Getting your first taste of clubbing.
Pregaming is discouraged, but synchronized dancing is recommended.
5. Playing the mini games…ohh, the mini games…
The only thing to rival Pizzatron 3000 would have to be the coffee bean stacking game that also drops anvils on you occasionally.
6. Hitting the stretch of the beach by the lighthouse to lounge around…
Don’t tell me global warming doesn’t exist when these penguins have evolved to thrive in beach weather!
7. …And, of course, the iceberg.
Which, allegedly, has finally tipped.
Thanks for the years of innocent fun, Club Penguin!