Poptropica is an online, multi-player fantasy game for children aged 6 to 15. Owned and produced by Pearson Education, a publisher of textbooks and educational materials, Poptropica is a safe, “profanity-free” zone for children to play against others from around the world.

Players begin by choosing an avatar, or a virtualization of their own personality. By selecting clothing, skin color, hair style and color, they are able to reflect themselves in their avatar – although some kids choose to create avatars that are their alter-egos. By travelling through virtual worlds, players pick up items, customize their appearances, and interact with other players.

One of the key features of Poptropica is the use of pre-scripted conversational elements, ensuring that no profanity is used and no personal information is given out by the child. Over 80% of all visitors to Poptropica are between the age of 3 and 17, with an unusually high percentage (16%) reflecting Hispanic heritage. Most visitors are from the United States – almost 3 million visitors in the month of December, 2008.