Ladybugs Cost $86!?!?

Hey Jammers! DoomyPanda here, with some BREAKING NEWS. Not really, but it's still quite a shocker.

You're probably all aware of the new pet ladybugs, right?

They're pretty adorable. Clinging to the Animal Jam logo, dancing around Jamaa Township... at this point, ladybugs are the official mascot of AJ. Besides being cute, that's a big part of why I wanted one so bad.

So, I looked up the steps necessary to get my hands on one. Being a promotional code pet, you have to purchase something off of Animal Jam's toy line to receive one of these red-and-black-spotted bugs. Then, you type in the code provided, and voila! Ladybug.

However, there's normally a certain kind of toy you have to purchase to get a certain code pet. No biggie, let's just see what–

30 ADOPT-A-PET TOYS.

YOU GET A LADYBUG AFTER BUYING 30 ADOPT-A-PET TOYS. 

THAT'S $2.88 EACH.

OVER $86.40 IN TOTAL.

THAT'S OVER $86.40 FOR A FLIPPIN VIRTUAL LADYBUG

On the flip side, you can just go find a real ladybug for free. In fact, last night I was just sitting in my room and a ladybug crawled up my leg. It's not even the season for ladybugs, and yet against all odds one just made their way to me at my convenience and didn't cost me a cent.

Of course, that $86.40 will also get you a few other virtual critters and 30 plastic pet houses but I doubt anyone would need all of them, let alone have time to play with them. No offense if you think you do, but that sounds pretty ridiculous. 

I haven't bought any of the new AJ merchandise. Despite my love for the game, the only merchandise I have is the beat-up Liza mousepad I'm using right now. I'm okay with that. 

In conclusion, if you really want a ladybug just like me, my suggestion is to trade for it using the new pet-trading option that I have neglected until this day. I think it's in your best interest to trade virtual stuff for virtual stuff rather than real stuff for virtual stuff.

Before I go, I am going away for a few days tomorrow so I will not be posting. However, I think you can expect new posts from AJ Stream's wonderful co-authors while I am away. :)

See you in Jamaa!

Nonmember Trading Stand

Hey Jammers! DoomyPanda, the one-and-only here. X)

Yesterday I was on AJ for a bit longer than usual yesterday. During that time, I thought of an idea for an interesting item: a trading stand!

Because it doesn't exist in the game, I thought I might try to build it with some items I had laying around:

Since some items just wouldn't go in front of each other, it's admittedly a little simple. I guess this is the "build-your-own" version. 

If you're interesting in making it, here are the items involved:

3 Tiki Torches – Jam Mart Furniture
1 Mat – Jam Mart Furniture
1 Bamboo Mat – You'll need to trade for this
1 (or more) Rectangular Coffee Table – You'll need to trade for this
1 Carnival Flags – Summer Carnival

Aaaaaand, you can display any items you want here! The ones I chose were the Large Globe and the Bongos.

If this were an item, it would have the same kinda layout as the version I built, only there would be some make-shift tent walls on the back and on the side behind the table. It would also be cool if there was an overhang up above kinda like the Dig Site Canopy item:

All in all, it would be a tent with a table big enough to hold a few items a person is looking to trade, as well as an area under the tent that person could stand so their name-tag was visible to click.

It would be cool if this item was nonmember, too! In fact, I think I'd really only like the item if it was. Otherwise, why bother? There's such a lack of cool nonmember items! XD

Before I wrap up, I'd also like to show you a nonmember den idea my friend Balaur built:

It's a pet house! It's all nonmember, and consists of:

3 Bamboo Fences – You'll need to trade for these
(Optional) 1 Woven Shoji Screen – You'll need to trade for this
1 Sturdy Table – You probably have one of these already XD
2 Green Painted Pots – You'll need to trade for these
1 Sir Gilbert's Banner – You can win this in The Hidden Falls
2 Lucky Clovers – You'll need to trade for these
1 Mat – Jam Mart Clothing
1 Pet Plushie (any) – Summer Carnival
...And of course, a pet of your choice. C:

That's all for now, Jammers. I will leave you with this interesting fact: the gong that was in Jamaa Township in 2011 is still visible on the map!

Isn't that cool?

See you in Jamaa! <3

Back! + Post later!

Back guys! Sorry I've been missing for over 3 weeks now. :( School starting, Piano, my new kitty, etc. Speaking of kitty, I PRESENT TO YOU

LEMONKIT

Lemonkit, yes, she is still a kit. 3 months! And her name is actually Lemi but, I call her Lemon cause Im evil. xD

Moving on, I do have quite a few lil projects Im working on and I just can't wait till they're out! Expect a post later too! That's all! Byeee!

Old Jamaa

Hey Jammers! DoomyPanda here. ^_^

I've been thinking about how much AJ has changed over the years. I've always seen Jammers be nostalgic for beta testing in 2010, but as of late I've seen that nostalgia move forward to 2012, and even 2013!

People still miss beta testing in 2010, but as the years passed on, the previous ones were missed just as much.

Thus, like every other rapidly changing game with a strong community, there developed a yearning for the general past of AJ. "Old" AJ, if you will. 

Animal Jam Stream has been around for a long time, and through so many changes to Jamaa, I've been there to whine and complain about them. 

Things change, but the reasons why they did become muddied and unclear as time goes on. One of the most interesting changes that took place involved what we all know today as the Alphas:

Yep. That's them alright.

However... this is also them:

The Alphas had their looks changed around 2013 after a long "absence". Alphas were there from the beginning but AJHQ had not acknowledged them for an inexplicable period of time up until their much-anticipated "return" in 2013.

When they came back, their outfits and style had been changed to look less like mystical leaders and more like bright and flashy superheroes. Y'know, to theoretically make them more popular with young kids.

Along with that, their perceived ages and even personalities were changed as well. The most dramatic was Cosmo, who had gone from being a studious old mentor with a pretty visible beard to being "one of the youngest" Alphas who liked to joke around and prank people. Yes, even the mythology changed.

vs. 

So, which do you like better? Leave a comment and we'll see who wins in this battle. 

The change that personally annoyed me the most was the one that happened with Liza. For one thing, she doesn't even look like a panda anymore!

 

vs.

They made her skinnier and younger-looking to probably try and make kids like her more, but that kinda ruins her integrity in my opinion. Have you ever heard of a skinny panda? Sounds pretty terrible, right? 

It doesn't make matters any better that during the time I joined, pandas were one of the least popular animals. Whenever I'd walk into a room, some kid would always say "fat panda lol". I didn't care what they had to say, but this change to Liza really made it feel like AJHQ held the same weird mindset that pandas were supposed to be skinny. 

All in all, the Alpha that looks the most different from their corresponding AJ animal is definitely Liza. 

However, the appearances and the stories were not the only things that changed about the Alphas. They even had a different name!

It's true! Prior to their reintroduction in 2013, the group of wise animals we all know and love were called Shamans. 

In the real world, Shamanism is an important practice found all over the world that involves using belief in the spirit world to help people and the environment. A notable example of Shamanism helping the environment is found today with the Tucano people of South America, where shamans act as ecological managers to prevent overhunting and overfishing.

For Jamaa, belief in the spirit world for the shamans was reflected in Mira and Zios. If you don't know already, Mira and Zios in AJ's official mythology are the benevolent creators and caretakers of Jamaa, Mira being the pretty blue heron and Zios being the embodiment of sunshine. Kinda like the sky. c:

It's cool how AJHQ made Jamaa have a fun mythology rather than just be every other kids' game.

Even after the name change in 2013, I still called Liza and the others Shamans for a while until that started to confuse people. I kinda like how the word "shaman" sounds more than "alpha". 

So, why was the name changed?

The reason for Shamans to become "Alphas" was because quite a few young kids misinterpreted Shamans as evil. In so many outdated cartoons they're wrongly portrayed as the villains, so it's no wonder some kids got upset. Unfortunately, I remember some kids who even quit AJ because of this! D:

AJHQ didn't want any more Jammers to leave, so rather than correct them they decided to just change Shamans to "Alphas" and turn them into cartoony superheroes so kids would in no circumstances get the wrong idea.

Sadly, I think this new flashy look-at-me art style just doesn't fit well with Jamaa's environment. Whereas the old appearances of the Shamans seemed to really be a part of The Lost Temple of Zios, Sarepia, or Appondale, these new ones just stick out from Jamaa's earthy landscape. I hope that makes sense.

Moving on from the Shamans (yes I'm gonna call them that again), another significant thing that people miss about Jamaa are-- you guessed it --old items.

This is a screenshot from a shop called Coral Corner that used to be located in Coral Canyons. It sold a variety of items from pottery to plants!

What I love about Coral Corner was how hidden it was. Nowadays, shops in Jamaa are flashy and defined. Coral Corner was a lot more... secret. Secret and mysterious.

That may have been part of why items sold here became so popular after its closing. You see, I have a theory about what makes old items so sought-after today. 

It's all in the chunky, earthy art style!

The Globe is a good example of the natural chunkiness we all know and love. Continents on it aren't as visible as say, the Large Globe at the Schoolhouse Party, but this older original one is quite a bit more popular. 

Along with the chunkiness, the color scheme is more earth-toned and easier on the eyes, and consequently can go with almost any den! It's a real favorite because it illustrates the unique art style that Jamaa was built upon.

Any of you remember the Beta Party?

All of the items here were not from beta testing, but AJHQ recreated that distinct style years later.

What I'd love to see is for AJ to release more items of this style in regular shops. They'd definitely be super popular! *cough*AJHQPLEASEDOTHIS*cough*

There are so many things that made Jamaa what it was, and if I'd count them all in this post I'd probably go insane from sleep deprivation. So, here's a screenshot I found of the old AJ background. Do you see the large gong where Jammer Central is today?

Thank you so much for reading. See you in Jamaa! :)

What I Learned about Art Contests

Yeehaw, 2nd post in a row!!! DoomyPanda here, and after unstable posting for so long, I think I finally may be back up to speed.

For today's post, I'm gonna be talking about Diamond Contests, specifically art contests. One going on right now is the "Create your own JAG" contest:

I participated in this Diamond Challenge yesterday and I am so insanely proud of my entry, but I think I'll post it later today once the deadline for submissions closes. That's at around 11 PM EST, I think. If you're curious about entering, you should start soon! 

However, keep reading for some important things I learned while submitting my entry.

When I first saw the Daily Explorer post detailing the rules, they went the way they usually do: 

•  Paint a picture in the Art Studio

• Save it using the built-in SAVE button.

• Submit it to Jammer Central, titling it "CREATE YOUR OWN JAG". 

I'm not that comfortable drawing with a mouse, but it was implied you had to use the Art Studio, so I did. Once I was finished, I clicked the SAVE button.

This downloaded a file onto my computer. It wasn't an image, just a file thingy. I couldn't open it on my computer, but when I selected it after clicking the LOAD button, my drawing opened right up in the Art Studio. The downloaded file seemed to be useful only there.

As the instructions said to upload my drawing to Jammer Central, I went there and clicked 'Submit Your Work'. However, when I tried to select the downloaded file to upload, it wouldn't let me because it wasn't an image. You can only upload images to Jammer Central.

Being confused, I looked at the comments on the original Daily Explorer post and found that other Jammers had those issues. However, someone from AJHQ thankfully answered almost every question. 

Apparently, the rules aren't as rigid as they seemed. Here's what I learned from AJHQ:

–  You don't have to use the Art Studio. You can use Photoshop, MS Paint, draw with paper, or anything else! You just have to save it as a .PNG or .JPG on your computer.

–  You can submit screenshots of your drawing.

AJHQ told us that you can open the downloaded file to find your artwork as an image, but for some reason my computer couldn't. Because of that, I submitted a screenshot, which was apparently OK. :)

Later on, they updated the rules:

They took out the part about the Art Studio, so it doesn't sound like you can only use the Art Studio.

It's cool how AJHQ takes kids' feedback into consideration. It's clear that they really care. Despite the fact that people like me asked the same questions over and over again, they're always so nice. (>^-^)>

That's all for now, Jammers. See you in Jamaa!

Kimberley's Back! Updates, New Items, and the Usual

 Guess whose back, back again?! My apologies for not posting recently, I've been busy, lazy, busy and lazy. While I was being "productive" there has been many updates on AJ, involving new items/sets, Thursday Update etc. I don't think I'll show the Thursday update just because it's Saturday and many of you probably have already heard about it. Enough of my rambling, onto the News...

Starting off with the new items available for us Jammers in Jam Mart  Furniture

This is the Spyglass, which is for the Pirate theme I guess? Not much to say about this item, so let's move on shall we?

This item is the Pirate Ship in a bottle, this probably also goes with the Pirate themed set.

This is the last of the Pirate themed set I'm guessing? It is a Phantom Kraken Rug, is Kraken the Phantom's name? I don't know.

I present to you the new den item theme, which is *drum roll* Origami! At first I was like what is this?! Then, I realized that it somewhat looks like an Origami Couch!?

These two items are the Origami Lamp and Origami Chair, I'm not going to lie this is a pretty unique idea AJ, I kinda like it!

This randomly decided to reappear on AJ, the Honeycomb Wall art has returned with...

Okay, correct me if I'm wrong but it says "Bumblebean" isn't it supposed to be "Bumblebee" or AJ just decided to name it "Bumblebean". I really don't know.

  This also reappeared on AJ, the Beekeeper Hive, hmm but then the Origami items attacked...!

This item is the Origami Table and is added to the set, will there be more, I don't know!

Now to the new items in Jam Mart Clothing!

AJ just loves to put weird objects on our heads. This is the Lampshade Hat, enough said.

This is a returning item I think? The Bee Antennae, welcome back!

Also returning items, Beehive hate and Bee shirt. AJ is so kind, they return half of their items for those of us who miss the items. Thank you AJ :D

Anywho, that's it for this long post! I hope you enjoyed, comment down below anything (nothing rude of course) because I love talking to you! Bye!!

Toodles!

National Honeybee Day + New Animal!

Hey Jammers! DoomyPanda here, back with another belated post. This one's all about the new update that came to Jamaa on Thursday– that I missed, because I was too busy being lazy.

I hope not all of you know about the update. If all of you did, then what would the point of making this post? I'm gonna pretend there are a whole bunch of you who have no idea that GIRAFFES ARE NOW NONMEMBER.

How unexpected was that!?!?!

I presume they're available in the Diamond Shop now, as I saw quite a group of them inside.

Also in the Diamond Shop is a "new" accessory: a Head Feather with One Extra Feather.

You wouldn't think that One Extra Feather would be the difference between being nonmember and being SUPER EXCLUSIVE TO ONLY MEMBERS, but it is.

Ah well, I guess the regular Head Feather is nonmember.

I wonder if the reason why the two-feather Head Feather was focused on in the Jamaa Journal had something to do with Headdresses being discontinued? That's old news, I know, but maybe the reason why these special Head Feathers are only there for two weeks is that AJHQ wants to replace Headdresses with them in demand. 

I dunno how successful that'll be if it's true. They may also have made a page in the Jamaa Journal because they don't want people to confuse the Head Feather with these Head Feathers. Then again, why make them in the first place? They're practically the same.

After being too lazy to post for so long, I forgot how much fun it was overanalyzing AJ items.

Happy National Honeybee Day, everyone! Today's the day where we all the opportunity to talk about bee facts, think about ways to make bees happier, and have bee-themed parties in dens.

Here's something on the topic of bees: in front of my town's recycling center, there is a massive bush of some kind of purple flower. I went there a couple of weeks ago to find literally hundreds of different kinds of bees collecting nectar from the purple flowers. It was so cool! :D

Here are some fun facts about bees and honey that I know:

•  When you buy honey in the supermarket, there's a big chance that there's not just honey in there! Pure honey is rather expensive, so manufacturers usually add other kinds of syrups and sugars to a small amount of pure honey to take up space and save money. This is called honey laundering. 

•  Honeybees are becoming endangered in the countryside while doing better in more urban areas. This is because wide scale farming is more common in rural areas, and use of hurtful pesticides is a common practice for big farms. It's been shown that certain pesticides used on vegetables and fruits get into a bee's body through the nectar their flowers produce. They inhibit a male bee's ability to reproduce, so populations shrink and can't be replenished. It's really sad.

•  Bees communicate with each other through dance! 

•  A major predator of the Japanese honeybee is the Japanese giant hornet. However, the bees have developed an ingenious way to defend themselves! When a hornet approaches the nest, the bees allow it to come in. Once it does, they form a tight ball around the hornet and angrily make a kind of convection oven by vibrating their wings to generate heat and direct that heat to the center of the ball, which becomes lethal for the hornet.

And now, back to Animal Jam...

Last year's group adventure Battle for the Beacon has returned! In my opinion, the best kind of adventures are the original ones that have more storyline and are typically more difficult than "do this... get items" like these new seasonal group adventures are. However, Battle for the Beacon is pretty ok. 

You can trade your pets now! How interesting, and kinda weird. Anyone can just get any pet, so why would you want someone else's? Hmm...

So this woodcarving represents a place where the rumored new animal is to be found... 

Hmmm.... maybe it's.... MADAGASCAR???!?!?!?

If you flip over Madagascar on the map, it looks just like the woodcarving! I believe this is likely because there are many animals that only exist in Madagascar, so that would easily narrow things down. 

If the woodcarving represents Madagascar, who would be some likely candidates to become new AJ animals?

Let's see...

Could it be the well-known ring-tailed lemur? 

Could it be the sifaka, a large lemur who moves by dancing across the ground? 

Or, could it be the rare and misunderstood aye-aye, who uses their long fingers to eat insects hidden deep within tree bark?

There are so many beautiful animals in Madagascar, but as for Jamaa's new animal, my bet's on the ring-tailed lemur. They're the most well-known, after all, and AJHQ wants to release an animal that will be popular among kids.

What do you guys think?

In other news, Arctic Foxes have left the building, but Rhinos are soon to return!

AJHQ has made a new room in Sarepia Forest exclusively for 2D adventures. I dunno why they wouldn't just put them in the base camp like all the others, but I guess they have some reason. :\

At first I was a little afraid that this new command post would take up a lot of room in Sarepia, but thankfully it's just a little doorway on the top level:

Phew!

Maybe it's just the fact that I'm nonmember, but I'm not too wild about these new 2D adventures. I've watched a few walkthroughs on the internet and they seem pretty basic in comparison to something like Greely's Inferno, or even Meet Cosmo. I've also heard that they're pretty laggy. I dunno, what do you guys think?

And finally, this update's Jamaa Journal closes with an advertisement for the new toys.

Over on the Daily Explorer, there's a new Diamond Challenge. This one's special because it involves making a new Jam-a-gram that has a chance of becoming official!!!

There will be 3 winners, and all entries are due on AUGUST 21st at 9 PM, Animal Jam time! 

I don't have any use for diamonds, but I am SO excited to enter! However, this requires you to use the Art Studio. I'm better with colored pencils than a mouse, but I'll do my best! :)

That's all for now, Jammers. See you in Jamaa, and check back tomorrow!