A Spring Idea for AJHQ

Hey Jammers! I know the announcement of the winning weekly featured masterpiece is already a day late, but hold on until tomorrow. Only two people entered, so I'm gonna give it one more day.

In other news, yesterday was Lucky Day!

Sleep tight, little crocodile. May your dreams be filled with fields of clover.

Behold my hastily decorated Lucky Day den.

My geckos watch the giant, radioactive clover patch that cost me 11,000 gems.

Here's a story about clovers that I might have told you guys already, but even so, I think it's cool: Once upon a time, I found 3 five leaf clovers and 1 six leaf clover in the small patch in front of my building!!! I believe I pressed the six leaf clover in Harry Potter #6, but I tried flipping through and couldn't find it. Maybe one day it'll turn up...

Truth be told, there isn't much news today. The biggest change that happened this update was the cougars arriving, and even then the hype died down very quickly. 

Even still, I really haven't been keeping up very well with this blog. I don't post the daily item anymore unless it's cool and nonmember, and I haven't talked about promo toys or member benefits because I don't think they're very interesting. You can find out about those anywhere you like, but I want Animal Jam Stream to have unique stuff. There may be less quantity, but I want it to be quality.

Plus, there's just so much going on that it would take an eternity to discuss it all and I wouldn't even get a chance to talk about the interesting stuff! 

But just because there isn't much news right now, doesn't mean that I have nothing to talk about. 

March is technically soon to be over, and because AJ aggressively hops from one holiday to the next without much space in between, we can safely assume that the Spring Festival is coming next update.

Without question, the Spring seasonal adventure is sure to come this April. But do you know what probably won't happen, because it hasn't happened since 2014?

The Spring Egg Hunt.

From the dawn of Jamaa in 2011, the Spring Egg Hunt was a yearly tradition that taught Jammers about the natural world. Through a fun scavenger hunt across the land, Jammers would learn about the eggs animals lay in Springtime. In the process, they would win cool prizes like the ones above!

Sadly, once the April group adventure came out in 2015, this fun tradition was no more.

...but does it have to be?

Because one is in Jamaa and the other is an adventure, the two egg hunts could actually exist side-by-side and make April in Jamaa a lot more fun!

Here are the benefits of bringing back the Spring Egg Hunt:

Older Jammers will be less likely to quit. The most frequent reason for quitting AJ is rampant change replacing old stuff, so this addition will endear older Jammers to stay!

Because less people will quit, more Jammers will buy and continue paying for memberships to support the game.

The Spring Egg Hunt running alongside the seasonal adventure could also strengthen the Jamaa community by connecting long-time AJ players with newer Jammers. 

AJHQ, if you're reading this, I hope you consider this idea. I think it could make Animal Jam really fun! C:

That's all for now, see you in Jamaa!

~DoomyPanda

Happy Pi Day!

Wanna show off your artwork? Enter in Animal Jam Stream's ongoing Masterpiece contest by Friday to have your art appreciated! First, display a Masterpiece in an unlocked den or unlocked Jammer Wall. Next, comment your username on any post on this blog. I can't wait to see your beautiful art! :D

Hey Jammers! Today is March 14th, which means it's National Pi Day in the United States! ^-^

If you haven't already noticed, the reason why Pi Day is on March 14th is that the first three digits are 3.14. If you didn't know that, now ya do! 

Pi Day 2015 was very special because if you wrote the date out in USA school-fashion (month/day/year), then what you got was the first five digits of Pi! 3/14/15... 3.1415... get it? 

And some say that on that very Pi Day, at 9:26 and 53 seconds... if you chanted the first 100 digits of Pi, while standing in a circle of salt... you would summon the almighty Pi demon to rain doom and mathematics down upon Earth... O_O

A Pi Day like 2015 won't happen, say, for another 98 years, so you have plenty of time to prepare for the next summoning of the Pi demon. Yippee! :D

March 14, 2015 also happens to be the date that Animal Jam first started celebrating Pi Day. Every year since then, six seasonal items have come out in Jam Mart Furniture:

They are available for today:

The Pi Table would be a helpful item to stockpile if you plan on designing your den like a school at some point. However, your animal can only sit in front of them, not behind them for some reason. So I guess you could angle the front of the classroom to the back of each table. :0

Back to the concept of Pi. In school yesterday, I told my cool friend "Oh wow, tomorrow's Pi Day!" and she then proceeded to RECITE FROM MEMORY OVER 150 DIGITS OF PI, IN ORDER. Needless to say, I was amazed. 

A local bakery in my area celebrates Pi Day by giving any customer a free slice of pie if they can recite 20 digits. By my calculations, my friend would almost get a whole free pie if she showed up today. :O

Sadly, that bakery is not open today. Why? Because today is a Snow Day, which is why I'm posting at 12:30! No one can go anywhere today.

Still, it's a nice opportunity to stay inside and bake a pie yourself in celebration.

Anyhow, maybe you've gotten this far and still don't really know what the big deal is about Pi. I'll tell you.

Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. If you don't understand, let me break it down: a circumference is like the perimeter of a circle, but is difficult to measure because it doesn't have clear sides, say, like a rectangle. A diameter is a line that cuts a circle in half. 

Ratio is a little hard to explain, so here's an example: if a bowl of fruit contains 3 apples and 2 oranges, then the ratio of apples to oranges is 3 to 2. In this bowl of fruit, there are 2 apples for every 3 oranges. That's a ratio.

So the ratio of circumference to diameter is equal to Pi. That, however, is a much more difficult math problem than apples and oranges. For a long time, it was very difficult for mathematicians to fully figure it out, which makes Pi so significant. Circumference = distance x Pi.

Pi is very important for measuring different things about circles and spheres, like their area and volume. You learn that in math class.

However, the most interesting thing about Pi by far is that it seemingly goes on forever. It's often shortened to 3.14, but the digits behind that are endless. Any combination of numbers exists beyond that decimal point, from your phone number to your birthday to the web code of your favorite color. Mathematicians consider Pi to be endless.

One more fact: write 3.14 on a piece of paper. Hold it up to a mirror and see what it spells. ;D

Happy Pi Day, Jammers!

~ DoomyPanda

Weekly Featured Masterpiece – Winner #5!

Hey Jammers! It is without saying that I am very sorry for such a late, late, late, late post. :O

This coming week, I'll have a couple days where my school starts late, in addition to the strong probability of a snow day. I'll use the extra time I get to update this blog.

But without further ado, lets give a big shoutout to lostfairy, Talloose, and Swimminggoofyseal for entering their stunning masterpieces into AJ Stream's ongoing art contest. But who, out of these three excellent artists, will be this week's winner?

The winner is...

...

...

...

Swimminggoofyseal!!!

True to the artist's name, this piece depicts some goofy oceanic creatures swimming through their watery homes. No seals to speak of in this image, but it certainly looks like a fun place for one! :D

My favorite part of this picture is the little spiky pufferfish. So much joyful expression in so few lines! At the end of the day, I think that is what's truly admirable in an artist.

But beyond the adorable beauty of this image lies a message that rings truer today than any other time: be kind to the oceans, because their pristine beauty will someday be confined only to drawings if people keep polluting them at the rate they are now. 

The ocean is truly the heart of the world. The ocean evaporates and rains down over the land, deciding whether humanity's food farms survive through drought, deciding whether the trees and animals survive or not, too. The condition of the ocean affects the winds and weather, causing peaceful days, or devastating storms that leave death in their wake. 

The majority of the Earth's animals live in the ocean. The ocean is 95% unknown, yet almost all of the ocean is lethally polluted. 

Humans are destroying our last frontier before we can even learn about it. So many creatures in the oceans slaughtered by our own negligence before we can even name them. 

So pick up your trash before you leave the beach. Please. Better yet, set an example and do even more good by picking up other litter the next time you go! Bring a friend or two and make a real difference.

The ocean is a home we all live in, whether we have flippers or not. It is in the best interest of everyone to keep it clean and happy!

Or as Swimminggoofyseal puts it, ocean life forever. ^-^

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful artwork!!!

Anyone who leaves warm feedback for Swimminggoofyseal gets a digital cookie for their thoughtful kindness. <3

If you are interested in having a post dedicated to your artwork, as well as having it displayed in a place of honor on this blog for over a hundred Jammers to admire, here's how to enter:

Step 1: Display a Masterpiece you made in an unlocked den or an unlocked Jammer Wall.

Step 2: Comment your username on any post on this blog! I will see it and go check out your artwork.

Winners are usually chosen every Friday. 

If you have entered already and have not won, you can enter again! 

If you have already won, you can enter again, only the Masterpiece you enter has to be different.

Here's a little gallery of past winners:

Winner #1

Winner #2

Winner #3

Winner #4

What are you waiting for, guys? Time for another round of amazing Masterpieces! :D

I will try very hard to find time to post tomorrow, and a post on Tuesday seems likely. 

Until then, see you in Jamaa! 

Weekly Featured Masterpiece – Winner #4!

Hey Jammers! I really apologize for the lack in posting, even though I warned you about it. I've had an emotionally difficult week so I've expended a lot of my energy with worrying. 

That is the reason why the announcement of the weekly winning Masterpiece is a day late.

I'd like to give a sincere thank you to lostfairy, Talloose, and lpslover98989 for entering this round of AJ Stream's Weekly Featured Masterpiece. 

This week's winner is someone who works excellently with vibrant colors. I present to you, the one, the only...

...

...

lpslover98989!

This Masterpiece of brilliant green, blue, purple, and red shows a fox reaching up, eyes closed, to the word PEACE suspended in midair over a backdrop of colorful swirls. 

This is truly a unique piece. I haven't seen anything like this in Jamaa before! The artist made great use of the airbrush tool to create a soft, organic feeling reminiscent of meditation. This artwork also has excellent composition and detail, with the main figure (the fox) in the center. The eye naturally travels from the fox to the suspended bubble letters, which are well-shadowed and defined with the yellow swirls. The flower on the fox's chest, as well as the claws and red accents, all work together to pull this beautiful image together.

The mood of lpslover98989's masterpiece is, well, PEACE, but a fun kind of peace. Peace and happiness, a wonderful combination that many people strive to create. Maybe that's why the fox is reaching toward it.

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful artwork, lpslover98989!!! :D

Feel free to enter again if you have not won already, or if you want to enter for the first time. We normally only get a handful of entries, so you are sure to win at some point soon.

Here is a small gallery of past winners:

Week #3

Week #2

Week #1

Interested in having your artwork join the Amazing Gallery of Cool Artists? Here's how to enter:

Step 1: Display a Masterpiece either in an unlocked den or on an unlocked Jammer Wall.

Step 2: Comment your username on any post on Animal Jam Stream!

If you just do those 2 simple things, I'll go look at your Masterpiece in your den or Jammer Wall and you will be automatically entered in the contest. Winners are typically announced on Friday.

If you win, not only will you have a post dedicated to you and your artwork, but your artwork will be displayed in a place of honor at the top of this blog for over a hundred Jammers to admire!

And now, I have a new rule: If you won in the past, you may now enter again if you enter a different Masterpiece.

Entries will be accepted starting NOW! C'mon, guys! :D

P.S. I was right! The new animal is a cougar, another name for a mountain lion! My analysis was right! :D

Pale Green Worn Blanket

...sigh

Well, February break is over. I have to go back to school. Back to an irregular posting schedule. Back to stress.

If you're curious, here are today's new Spring items that are part of that Diamond Shop event thingy:

Oh boy, a green worn blanket.

Here's AJHQ announcing this item by being Hip and Cool on The Social Media:

I wonder who was in charge of writing that caption.

In other news... there isn't really much news. I'm sorry this post was so short. I feel tired, a little sad, and I have a lot of homework.

If you're interested, you can enter in this blog's masterpiece contest by displaying a masterpiece you made in an unlocked den or on an unlocked Jammer Wall, and then commenting your username on any post here. The winner will be announced Friday.

Jam on, guys!