Buzz
During the early days of the internet, while kids were busy checking Hotmail and updating LiveJournal, Neopets became a beloved online activity. The platform offered young users their first taste of economic principles, basic HTML, and the responsibilities of caring for a virtual pet. Dive into these 10 nostalgic facts that will take you straight back to the early 2000s.
1. THE PLATFORM WAS DESIGNED FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS.
Adam Powell and Donna Williams, a UK-based couple who met in high school, launched Neopets.com while still in their early adulthood. Both shared a deep love for animals, which was evident in their home filled with pets, including birds, guinea pigs, and a cat. Powell, a self-taught coder, envisioned a virtual pet community for the growing internet audience. He collaborated with Williams, an art student, to create the visuals. After countless late nights, Neopets went live in 1999. Initially, their goal was to entertain college students and earn revenue through banner ads, as reported by The Guardian, but the site's popularity far exceeded their expectations.
2. BRUCE FORSYTH, THE GAME SHOW HOST, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST NEOPETS.
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The founders of Neopets designed the platform with their own humor in mind, embedding inside jokes throughout the site. One such joke was a pet named Bruce, initially represented by a JPEG image of the British TV personality Bruce Forsyth. Although the image was removed for legal reasons as the site grew, Bruce lives on as a penguin Neopet adorned with a bow tie, retaining his original name.
3. NEOPETS MAINTAINED ITS BRITISH HERITAGE.
Bruce isn’t the only remnant of Neopets’ quirky origins. When the Dohring Company acquired the site in 2000, they chose to preserve certain British elements. Terms like “grey,” “colour,” and “faerie” have continued to puzzle young English speakers globally.
4. NEOPETS WAS THE MOST “ADDICTIVE” WEBSITE ONLINE.
Neopets quickly became a sensation. By the early 2000s, the site was generating an impressive 2.2 billion page views monthly. What made Neopets unique was its ability to captivate users for extended periods. With its vast array of games, items, and virtual locations, users spent an average of 117 minutes per week on the site, earning it the title of the “stickiest” website in 2001.
5. A NEOPETS MOVIE WAS ONCE IN DEVELOPMENT.
GavinLi via Flickr // CC BY-ND 2.0
At the height of its popularity, the Neopets franchise expanded into plush toys, video games, and trading cards (pictured above). Naturally, plans for a movie adaptation soon followed. In 2006, Variety announced that Warner Bros. would produce the film, with Rob Lieber (screenwriter of 2014’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) penning the script and John A. Davis (director of 2001’s Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius) set to direct. The movie was planned as a computer-generated project, but it stalled before any storyline details were revealed. Fans, however, remain hopeful that a Neopets film might one day materialize as a nostalgic tribute.
6. NEOPETS WAS SOLD FOR $160 MILLION IN 2005.
During its peak in the early 2000s, Neopets seemed invincible. Its massive and dedicated user base attracted Viacom, which acquired the site for an impressive $160 million. Already the owner of Nickelodeon, Viacom saw Neopets as a perfect fit for its portfolio of child-oriented brands. However, the site’s popularity waned over time, leading Viacom to sell it to JumpStart nearly a decade later.
7. THE NEOPOINTS SYSTEM FACED SEVERE INFLATION.
Neopoints were the lifeblood of the Neopets universe, allowing players to buy essentials like potions, omelettes, and paintbrushes. However, just like real-world money, Neopoints were vulnerable to inflation. This issue, common in virtual gaming economies, hit Neopets especially hard. The introduction of more sponsored games flooded the market with prize money, driving up the cost of items beyond the reach of casual players. In 2010, the site attempted to address the problem by rewarding users for removing Neopoints from circulation. The inflation crisis alienated new players, likely contributing to the site’s decline. On the bright side, Neopets turned this challenge into a learning experience for its young audience.
8. OVER 283 MILLION NEOPETS HAVE BEEN CREATED.
Unlike Tamagotchis and similar virtual pets, Neopets never perish, regardless of how long they’re neglected. This means every pet cared for by an active user still exists on the platform. According to Neopets, the current count exceeds 283,000,000 pets, with Shoyru, the most popular Neopet, making up 6.16 percent of the total population.
9. YOUR NEOPETS CAN HAVE THEIR OWN PETS—AND EVEN PETS FOR THOSE PETS.
To ensure their Neopets never feel lonely, users can buy them Petpets, a separate category of small creatures. Adding another layer, the site also introduced petpetpets, tiny insect-like beings that attach to Petpets and provide companionship.
10. LOYAL FANS PRESERVE ABANDONED AREAS OF THE SITE.
Neopets
Although Neopets remains active, it has evolved significantly from the version many remember from their childhood. Certain areas have been removed, and storylines have been left unresolved, but a few hidden gems can still be discovered if you know the right paths. Dedicated long-time players have maintained access to several overlooked links that are no longer visible on the main map. These include a desert calculator, a volcano in Tyrannia, and a whimsical land entirely composed of jelly.
