The Club Penguin Comeback

Picture by Alyssa Hoffman

By Alyssa Hoffman, Staff Writer

On March 29, 2017, tragedy struck. It was the day that the staple of so many childhoods was erased forever. It was the day that Club Penguin was shut down.

Club Penguin, the place where puffles were nurtured, snow balls were thrown, and love was born, no longer existed. When the website launched in October of 2005, many of today’s now-teens spent countless hours, as well as dollars, on this virtual frozen island. It had everything you could ever want: games, shops, chatting, customizable characters — you name it. Club Penguin was the perfect place for kids to escape the stress of their third grade lives and “chill-out.”

Nowadays, teens, and some adults, look back fondly on their memories playing Club Penguin. They reminisce about their online love affairs and ice fishing. They warmly remember the Coffee Shop and the Elite Penguin Task Force. Many may have even revisited the website over the years since their childhood, just to get a sense of sweet nostalgia and perhaps kill some time.

That all came to a harsh end in March of last year. In an attempt to make way for a new project called Club Penguin Island, the creators shut down the website. However, this was heartbreaking to the many that had dedicated a large portion of their lives as tiny children to their penguin-sonas.

People were shocked, outraged, and just generally saddened by the news. Those who attempted to log on or create a new penguin just for fun were met with the unfortunate news that it was no longer possible — Club Penguin did not exist.

It was a great loss for the community. Many mourned and suffered from it. That is, until a team of modern-day heroes brought it back.

That’s right, Club Penguin has been brought back. In fact, it was made available again even before it officially shut down. Club Penguin Rewritten launched on February 12, 2017. It is essentially just a carbon copy of Club Penguin, but legally doesn’t belong to Disney.

This alternate version offers the exact same playing experience and even more. With Club Penguin Rewritten, there is no need to purchase a membership; everyone is automatically a member. You no longer need to look enviously at those who had all the cool clothes, colored puffles, and fancy igloos. Now, everyone has access to all those previously members-only items. It’s the equality for which we have all been yearning for.

Take a trip down memory lane and check the site out for yourself at https://cprewritten.net next time you’ve got some time to kill.