The New Animal is NOT a Sheep?

Hey Jammers! I'm super sorry for not updating you sooner on this new information. I went to sleep on Friday really excited for the weekend... and woke up randomly sick. For the past few days I have been totally out of it. :(

Well, I'm better now. Woohoo! Time to catch up on the homework I missed!

But first, the latest and greatest news about future developments on AJ!!!

First up is something that is definitely going to come soon and has been confirmed by AJHQ themselves: a special, members-only version of the Daily Spin:

Starting on January 1st, "instead of the regular daily spin, which will remain for nonmembers, all Members will receive this special Member Spin when they log onto Animal Jam. Members will have a chance, each time you log in, to land on diamonds, double diamonds or RARE gifts!"

As you can see, no gems are pictured above as prize options, surely to no one's annoyance. Many games are giving increased gem rewards so a kind of Animal Jam inflation happens where gems are no longer seen as valuable as they used to be. 

Personally, I still prefer gems because they're rainbow colored and real-life diamonds aren't really that rare anyway. 

Still... now that everyone has too many gems to deal with, why not donate some to the conservation of big cats?

Next up is some info more on the theoretical side. Meaning, it hasn't been confirmed.

There are literally no clues as to what the next new animal will be, but some people took this randomly appearing message as a hint. "Bad" was misspelled with two a's, which is kinda the stereotypical sound a sheep says, so people jumped to the conclusion that the next animal is a sheep.

When I heard of people's theories, I thought it was kind of odd. Sheep and goats are similar in appearance, so why would AJHQ go to the trouble of making such a similar animal? Eventually, I accepted it. But then I remembered...

You know who also says "baa"?

That's right. Goats.

In this post I wrote about the bottle messages, I think I talked a little about how the goats would be the perfect candidate for the writers of the messages, if only the timing wasn't so off. The messages came a week or two in advance before the above announcement was made.

But if you disregard that... then the captives in the phantom fortress are the goats, and sheep will not be the new animal. 

But if not sheep, then whom?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts... let's solve this mystery together!

~ DoomyPanda

Skullys + Nonmember Clothing Ideas

Hey Jammers! Whew, I completely forgot that today was the update. 

And yes, as you've probably told already by the title, Skullies are back.

"This THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, and SUNDAY only, an event will happen that is SO BIG, it has been more than 6 YEARS in the making: SKULLYS are coming BACK!"

We appreciate the enthusiasm, AJHQ! Still, I wouldn't say that the reintroduction of Skullys is that historical. I'd say the most historical thing would be... hmm... adventures? I think AJ is pretty amazing in itself, at least in the realm of kids games, but adventures would be a candidate for biggest thing in-game.

Alright, enough with adventures, back to Skullys! Woohoo!

Yeah! Skullys!

Skullys are great!

Skullys for president!

I can't wait to get so–

Oh.

It's members only.

In addition, it doesn't look much like the actual beta Skullys:

The release of these new Skullys is more like your everyday new item than an actual beta item dredged up from 2010. 

Even though you shouldn't believe the hype, it's still nice that AJHQ released it. Maybe now people will be less likely to hack into AJ to give themselves old items. 

It shoulda been nonmember though!!!

I think if these new Skullys were nonmember then they would be popular for more than just a day, maybe they'd actually become rare. I dunno, just something about an item being nonmember gives it a higher demand. It makes it seem cooler somehow. 

There are a few more things to this update along with the Skully.

Here they are, summed up:

– Pet polar bears are back

– Don't you fear, deer are here

– Gingerbread armor is here. (Get ready to 1v1 Frosty the Snowman)

– A new animal is coming soon. (No more information than that. Something tells me that it's going to be a red panda. Don't take my word for it, I'm just guessing.)

– CHECK OUT THE NEW CONSERVATION MUSEUM EXHIBIT! I SWEAR, THE CONSERVATION MUSEUM IS THE MOST UNDERRATED THING ON ANIMAL JAM. IT'S SO PRETTY, YOU CAN DONATE GEMS TO BIG CATS, AND YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD!!! WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?!?!?!

GO TO THE CONSERVATION MUSEUM AND LEARN SOME STUFF!!! TELL THEM DOOMYPANDA SENT YOU

Ok, before I go, here is something odd that happens when you get buddy requests in Jam-a-Grams:

Yay!!! 3 members of AJHQ want to be my buddy!!! Hooray!!!

And to wrap this post up, here are four nonmember clothing ideas for the Jamaalidays:

Happy Jamaalidays!

– DoomyPanda

Gifts, Glitches, Tips, and Giveaway?

Hey Jammers! DoomyPanda here. It's the 11th day of the Jamaalidays, and in celebration I created a hopefully handy graphic showing all y'all the gifts of the month up until today:

Click image to read better. :)

This is for everyone who hasn't logged on every single day this month and wants to see what they missed, or just anyone who appreciates a visual like this.

Today's gift in particular is here for the second time around...

The Jamaaliday Centerpiece! 

In an interesting glitch, the actual item is red rather than the green you might see when you open the gift:

I actually like the red better, so hooray for glitches! XD

Another glitch that isn't so fun, however, is currently happening with nonmember ornaments, like the red and green paw prints I have placed in my den.

Whenever you try to take an ornament out of your inventory, they hide from you. They don't appear where they should be, they're always behind an item or just far away. In my case, the ornaments hid under the doorway arch of my den. 

Because my den is fairly empty compared to others, it was easier for me to find the tricky little paw prints, but if your den is a big and busy gingerbread house like my brother's, you're gonna have a little more trouble. 

Alright, that's enough glitches for one day. On to another subject: Jamaaliday Scarves.

I really like Jamaaliday Scarves. However, I always end up recycling them because I get annoyed with the colors. They're always too dull or too bright for me, or somehow a combination of both, if that makes sense. 

Even though they're valued among nonmembers, Jamaaliday Scarves are actually seasonal items! They have come out every Jamaaliday season in the same colors since 2012. So if you're like me and are anxious to get one soon, try to hold off on trading for now. They'll be available in stores or as a Jamaaliday gift soon!

My dream item would be a leaf-green Jamaaliday scarf. Not only because leaf-green is my favorite color, but also because it would go with anything. In Spring and Summer it would match the leaves on the trees of Jamaa Township, in Autumn it would look nice with the earthy brown leaves, and during Winter it's part of the Jamaaliday color scheme. I'm thinking too much about a digital item in a digital game, but if I took the time to make a blog about it, then why not?

In other news, I've been thinking of doing a Jamaaliday giveaway. Just thinking about it, I haven't finalized an idea yet. It would be fun, I think, and maybe you guys would agree. I remember doing a giveaway a year or so ago and it was really fun! The only problem with doing a giveaway now is that I don't have many items to give. :\

I'll talk more about the possibility of a giveaway in a later post. Until then, have a happy Jamaalidays! 

~ DoomyPanda

Why change the homepage?

Hey Jammers! Happy 2nd day of the Jamaalidays, or the 2nd day of December. Whichever you prefer. :P

And in accordance with the season, AJ has once again switched the homepage:

It seems to be in the same style as the last one, although possibly a little more headache-y because of the animations. But that's probably just me and my darn headaches.

Personally, I don't really understand why they switched from the alpha homepage to this one. That one was a lot more fitting and organized and attractive while this one is a little... all over the place. It feels like a stand-in for a better homepage. Plus, even though I have a fairly speedy computer, there's a lot of lag when I try to type in my login info.  

I liked the color scheme of the old homepage as well. Earthy tones embody more of the character of the game's art style than bright flashy colors. 

In my opinion, this was the best homepage:

You know, on another game I play you have the option to change the homepage style. What if people had that option on AJ?

To close this post, it's time for the daily Jamaaliday gift!

Today's gift is...

The Jamaaliday welcome mat! A returning gift straight from Jamaalidays 2015. 

That's all for now, Jammers. Have a wonderful December!

Jamaaliday Update 2016

Hi Jammers! It's the first of December, and the first day of the Jamaalidays on AJ. Every day from today to the 31st, there will be a new gift from AJHQ for everyone.

Today's box is blue with a purple ribbon, and within is...

A tiny Jamaaliday tree! Tiny for some, but if your AJ animal is small like a bunny or seal, probably just the right size. :D

Many things on animal jam are new developments, such as adventures or masterpieces. However, the Jamaalidays seems to be a holiday celebrated since the very beginning of AJ. 

Lets go back in time to the December update of 2011:

Another thing that seems to have been celebrated since the very beginning of AJ is the random capitalizing of words in the Jamaa Journal.

So, in the spirit of tradition, LETS TAKE a look AT OTHER parts of TODAY's update:

Yes! As I predicted, nonmembers can now turn their works of digital art into den items! The catch is, I believe, nonmembers can only make them during this December. A little less than what I hoped, but I'm still really happy about it! Quick, go to the Art Studio now and draw something beautiful!!!!

Speaking of masterpieces, I finally finished my own!!!!

I kind of want to put it into the plain wooden frame instead, but I forgot to save the finished product. I tried to use the latest saved version to do so but the panda does not have some (in my opinion) important details.

I can't pinpoint the difference. But there is one.

Ah, whatever. The Mira frame is prettier anyway.

Next up, nonmembers can finally see their chat history again!

Everyone used to have access to the chat history, but at one point for no reason AJ made it so only members were allowed. Fast forward to today, this strange restriction has been lifted once more! 

Here's the rest of the Jamaaliday Journal:

– The Gingerbread House den has returned

– The seasonal adventure "Jamaaliday Rescue" has returned

– The Jamaaliday Jam has returned

– Deer are coming back to Jamaa soon! (Not that I ever noticed them leave)

It can be a little odd to see snow everywhere in Jamaa when it feels nowhere close to snow in real life. People in the Southern Hemisphere of the world probably agree more than I do, lol

Stay safe, have fun, and happy Jamaalidays!!!