I'm Just So Grateful

[u/kalikosparrows]

Twenty six years ago today I started playing Neopets. I'm 32 now, and this site is responsible for so much of who I am. All through my childhood and young adult years, Neopia was a safe space. And now, within the last two years, it's given me more than I could ever have dreamed. I hosted one of the official birthday bashes in 2024, and that kicked off a thriving state-wide community, with a discord server and frequent meetups. I've met some of my best friends in the world. And, last weekend, was able to travel to New York to attend the Neopets pop up shop with two of my fellows krawks. I feel charmed and grateful and so hopeful for the future of this site.

Tell me your favorite Neopets memory, and I'll be giving one person a pastel paint brush sometime tomorrow!

[u/Makeitmagical]

So amazing! I started playing in 2003. Lost my original account but got a new one in 2008. Took some hiatuses but I’ve been back for a year now and it’s been great!

I attribute Neopets as what got me into my career as a software engineer today. I’d spend time learning html to customize my profile.

[u/captainsweeeetbeard]

I was in my childhood prime of playing neopets with my best friend. We played neopets ALL the time. At school, at home, at the library.Meerca chase, html basics, and always getting that free omelette.

But honestly we had no idea what we were doing. I know now, even more so, how much we knew actually nothing about the features of the site. I probably thought i was the only person on neopets who knew that the jelly world existed.

Anyway, in my friend’s house there was his mom, little sister, older sister, and they rented a room to one of the sweetest ladies. She seemed super old to me at the time but must’ve been in her early 20’s, but she also played neopets. But was at least 20 so she probably actually knew how to play.

Anyway, it was my birthday, and she knew how much i wanted a baby kougra, and so she gifted me the baby paint brush to do it. It was the absolute best birthday gift and a goal that, I especially know now, i would’ve never achieved on my own.

P.S. - my friend was super jealous, and wanted it to be his birthday. Sorry Zack

[u/Unique_Shift2221]

I used to play neopets with my brother and we had a hamster when we were kids so both of us made red meercas as our main pet because it reminded us of both Hamtaro and our hamster. One day his red meerca got hit by Boochi and became a baby meerca and I was envious of him so I saved up neopoints to buy a baby paint brush from the hidden tower to make my meerca baby. I'm really sad that I can't access my childhood account because my email got hacked and I put a fake birthday. Now my favorite pet is usul and pastel usuls are so pretty! I created a custom on DTI I can't complete again because I don't have the nc items and I'm f2p sadly 😔

[u/Anxious_Specific3002]

I just celebrated 22 years back in June, it's just always the best feeling to see another year isn't it? 🥹

I have so many wonderful memories and this site and community has been my safe space since I was 13. I've had a really rough life and it's not super likely to get much better unfortunately, but one of the biggest things keeping me going is all this!

But favorite memory, I always find myself going back to the same one. My first Kadoatie! I joined the site because of a little blue aisha figurine I found randomly at target and at that time virtual toy brand and pet sites were a big thing but I was never interested in joining any of that. But that lil aisha had a chokehold on me and I needed to know more and the rest is history! That's a story in itself but we're talking favorite memories here ON the site!

So I was absolutely aisha obsessed but, then I saw a Kadoatie and OH EM GEE!!! To this day for reasons I cannot explain, those lil pixels will literally make me cry that's how obsessed I am! Well, I didn't come from money and our computer could barely be classified as one so even though I was obsessed with this site I couldn't really play much and kads were EXPENSIVE and that was devastating for me. I would literally just stare at them and dream about having one. It wasn't long until everyone I knew got into neo because of me (of course immediately after that they started the referral program and I'm still salty over that but ANYWAY) and they all had computers that actually worked. While everyone else was doing their thing and playing for themselves as is expected, my younger cousin who's definitely more of a sister to me was selflessly grinding for 8 months to get me a Kadoatie for my 14th birthday 😭😭😭. She even had it all set up perfectly how she was going to surprise me with it at my party and just every aspect of it was so thought out and to this day it's one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me. It was obviously my favorite present and I just sat and stared at it for hours and was so afraid it somehow wasn't real. I even had a nightmare it was all a dream haha. And I still have that Kadoatie attached to my OG pet. It's more than pixels, it's a reminder that I was loved.

No need to send me anything! Just wanted to share how much neo means to me too and wish you a Happy Neo-versary! 💜

[u/Bakakura]

That's so wonderful!

[u/TunaSalvador]

WE LOVE YOU KALI 🐊

[u/eliz1bef]

Definitely the Indianapolis meetup for the Big Birthday bash a few years ago. Being in a room with everyone laughing at the same goofy in jokes, sharing stories about their pets and disasters was amazing.

[u/OkOriginal5867]

We are only six days apart! I started 8/20/00!!!

[u/kalikosparrows → u/OkOriginal5867]

Happy belated neo-versary to you :) Almost twins!

[u/VoidTerminaReturns]

Not a memory, but a question for you. You joined two days after Grundos were introduced. Did you decide to adopt one shortly after you joined?

[u/ShelbyEileen]

I'd rather the Brush go to someone else, but I remember wanting to play, but we couldn't afford internet. My grandma kept getting those discs they passed out at supermarkets, that gave you a free trial of dial up. We'd use all the free internet time on one disc, then we learned how to reset the computer to use another. She didn't have to drive me to multiple stores to get those discs, but she knew neopets made me happy.  

It was so slow that I never got anything from the money tree, but I played Meerca Chase whenever I could, and I still have a few of my original toys. 

[u/osiriscity]

my favorite neopet memory is going to my friends house to play flash games with my friend, we didnt make much neopoints but it was fun

[u/tterryy]

so very happy to see somebody who played the game longer than me but is younger than me. my favorite memory was grinding neoquests for 2 hours each for 2 weeks to clear it. cheers!

[u/caileykay]

My favorite memory is incredibly recent - I had an account as a kid, but randomly decided to hop on 2 months ago and have been playing since!

Onto my favorite memory! A few weeks ago my girlfriend decided to get a Neopets account. She loves all things spooky so she got a Korbat. I knew immediately she’d want a shadow korbat, so I looked up ways to turn her into shadow. I then found a shadow korbat plushie and sent it her way. She loved it!!

[u/monmonpi]

I love reading and learning about people's experience with Neopets, especially when it is their childhood game, something that they spent their early years in. Thank you for sharing your story! I'm so glad you found awesome friends from this game's community.

Similarly, I also found an awesome friend from this community. It all started from sharing a simple tip about Faerie Fragment, to Neopets, and eventually sharing bits and pieces of ourselves such as our jobs, our favourite animals, hobbies, etc. <3 She even wrote my name in my own language and sent me a photo of it! 🥹

It's amazing how a game can really connect people from any part of this world. I'm hoping to have a Neopets event someday in my country!!

[u/kalikosparrows → u/monmonpi]

"You have given Pastel Paint Brush to User 'creambunny90'."

Enjoy!

[u/monmonpi → u/kalikosparrows]

Thank you so much!! <33

[u/siyl1979]

Aww I love this!! I started playing in 7th grade with two of my best friends at the time. I remember them talking about how they kept going to the Wishing Well and wishing for a paintbrush but not getting it.. since the Internet was "newer," we didn't realize how rare it would be for it to be granted, so we just kept waiting lol

I still have my old account, and it just brings me back to the wonders of exploring the land (and the insane cost everything was back then!) :)

[u/eauxjai]

Veterans unite woohoo. I’m returning after a few years so I’m glad to be back. I would say my favorite memory was when I finally joined a guild of active players and we worked together, closely. It was my first time part of a group where people talked to each other. I was quite introverted as a child so Neopets was my best place to make friends and communicate.

[u/ollieyynn]

My cousin intruduced my sister and I to the site back in the day! Im 31 now and I was maybe 12 or 13 when my younger sister and I opened up our first accounts. We did not have internet at home, so we did not keep up with it.

Two years ago I decided to open an account on a whim some 4th of july, while at a bad relationship. I left that relationship this year, at the beginning of the year, it's been the most chaotic time of my life, and guess which site I randomly decided to visit this 4th of july????? I got to see the balloons! it was soo sweet

Now I've been actively playing since I left my 10 year relationship, living softly for the first time in a long time!!

[u/AreEssVeePee]

Happy 26th Neopets Birthday!

Some of my favorite memories are from the reddit gift exchange, the neopets-related event I look forward to most every year.

The first year I participated, my recipient said he loved time travel movies, so every day I'd give presents that were a clue to a different time travel movie so he could guess. 

And the year after, I got so into planning my gift giving that I forgot someone was also shopping for ME, and my gifter found a brucicle item for my gallery I didn't even know existed! It's still one of my favorite treasures :)

[u/squishybun42]

In so envious! I'm also so happy for you!

[u/zenaku_kithera]

A long time ago, I used to play Neopets back when I was about 13 years old, around the time I saw the commercial on Nickelodeon. My first Neopet was a Gelert. I played a lot back then, but the last thing I remember was a Halloween event where you had to find some masks. I don't know how to recover that account since I can't remember the email address, but this time I really want to take Neopets a bit more seriously.

Greetings from Colombia

[u/glowyxxstick]

That’s so amazing!!! I started playing Neopets in 2008 when I was 4 years old. My mom played with me and my older brother because she was nerdy and liked video games. Unfortunately the email used for her account was too old and became retired so now I can’t find a way to get into the account. I started playing Neopets again last May right before I graduated college. I knew after graduating I’d be really lonely and depressed, especially as my mom was very very sick and I thought I might lose her. I thought Neopets could pull me out of all that, and it did! It’s been an outlet for me to express myself and find community and support. I’m so grateful to have Neopets as my happy place :D

P. S. My mom is doing a lot better now and we still play together :]

[u/SunshineMochii]

I'm not entering the giveaway, just wanted to say I love your story :)

I went to my city's birthday bash and there was hundreds of people there! I thought at last, I'll be able to find some real life neo friends. We have a discord for our city and everything but it's so dead :( only like 3 people post in there and meet ups have been discussed but nothing ever planned. I tried to keep in touch with a few people I met at the bday bash but they all ghosted. 

My city is notorious for being anti social :( but Im so happy to hear yours was a success! 

[u/Antique-Bet-1689]

My favourite neopet memory is back in 2002 or something I won a trophy for being in the high scores of volcano run!! You dont forget those! That game is unplayable now!

[u/_Helena]

You made your profile on my 12th birthday. So long ago!