It has been more than 10 months since Pixie Hollow closed, and unfortunately, I haven’t yet seen a solid proof or hint of its re-opening anytime in the near future. Of course, I am always keeping my fingers crossed, and I still do dream of hanging out with my pixie pals and playing Animal Derby. I do believe Hollow shall return one day.
When Pixie Hollow closed, I just had one hope. I was very sure that Disney won’t take the trouble to open it again, so, we could rely on some sincere fans.
So, do you remember that it wasn’t just Pixie Hollow that had closed it doors in September 2013? Two other virtual worlds, both Disney MMORPGs had also closed (I’m quite sure that you are aware of this).
One of them was Toontown.
Toontown Online, loosely based on the 1988 Walt Disney film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” was a multiplayer Internet game for kids and families that drew more than 1 million users after it was introduced in 2003.
Disney shut it down last year amid a shift away from subscription-based games, just like Pixie Hollow and Pirates of the Caribbean Online.
Now, Toontown is getting a second life. Thanks to fans who made a knock-off version of the popular Disney game. This indicates that Toontown did have a solid fan base, who were real fans.
In the original game, animal characters called Toons tried to prevent the takeover of their town by corporate robots called Cogs. After Disney closed Toontown Online in September to focus on other projects, about two dozen developers, many in high school or college, created Toontown Rewritten. The site is flourishing: traffic has grown so fast that users have to wait in line to play.
Here is the link to the site : https://www.toontownrewritten.com/
I tried playing it myself, but so huge was the traffic that not even one seat was available, for weeks! I haven’t had a chance to play the game yet, but some of my friends have. According to a friend, it is ‘a fun game, which is immensely enjoyable’.
The best thing is that, it is unlike most other fan-made virtual worlds. It is efficient and fun to play, and very professionally made. And, there always tons of people hanging around, so you make many new friends!
Toontown Rewritten has a similar look to that of the real virtual world
The end of Toontown Online left some fans distraught and prompted a petition to save it on Change.org that drew more than 21,000 signatures, compared to 5,000 on the petition for Pixie Hollow.
“Toontown has helped me through so many rough patches of my life,” wrote a fan from Kirkland,Washington, who identified herself as Jasmine A on the Change.org site. “I literally burst into tears when I read that Toontown was closing.”
Joey Ziolkowski, the 16-year-old leader and 24 or so others, including programmers, texture artists and composers, began working from around the world on their version of Toontown almost immediately after hearing the game was being discontinued.
A big applause for all of them, for allowing the game to continue longer than it was supposed to.
I emailed the Toontown Rewritten team to inquire if they could also make a knock-out version of Pixie Hollow, a virtual world that I really miss. They replied saying that they have no plans for any other game at the moment, and they get funds for TTR. However, they might consider it in future. So, wings crossed! ^^
If you want to contact the TTR team, then their email address is support@toontownrewritten.com
I suggest that you check out Toontown Rewritten today itself. Leave a comment below and let me know about how you feel. 😀
~Sarah
Sarah's Adventures 