Do you ever wonder what happened to websites like Club Penguin that seemingly disappeared? While they may be gone, they certainly aren’t forgotten.
This story originally aired as part of our WNUR News Touches Grass Special Broadcast.
[Myspace IM notification sound]
You have your first friend, Tom!
Now to Gen Z, this may seem unfamiliar, but those who used MySpace understand this message perfectly. When you first downloaded this website, you would already have your first friend, created based on the site’s Co-Founder, Tom Anderson. But whatever happened to this once-popular social networking giant? It’s floated into the realm of dead websites, alongside other childhood favorites.
These websites may have kept us indoors in the past. But, in the spirit of touching grass, let’s take a trip down memory lane, exploring the most iconic dead websites.
[Club Penguin theme song]
Hearing this music might evoke a rush of nostalgia for fans of Club Penguin. This Disney-operated web game had over 330 million users worldwide. For Princeton University Freshman Minh Thanh Nguyen, this game had a huge influence growing up.
[Minh Thanh Nguyen] Club Penguin was my childhood. I used to play that game all day, 24/7.
The game also spread through childhood friendships for Northwestern Freshman Ty Moyer.
[Ty Moyer] My neighbors introduced me to it, and I put more time into it than I care to admit.
But what was the big appeal of this game? Why were kids all over the world so glued to their screens, fascinated by this unique creation?
[Moyer] I think it was very simplistic. I liked the simple design. They kind of let you do whatever you want. You got to make your own house, the games were addicting, the music was really good, and just the ability to talk to a bunch of other people wasn’t something that I had done at the ripe age of 6 years old.
[Nguyen] I could change my outfits, my skin tone, my hats, my puffles. I could change everything. And I think that really appealed to a younger me. I think it was the customizability of the game.
These weren’t the only sources of appeal for users, however. For Beatriz Leschziner, a Freshman at The George Washington University, it was also a learning mechanism and form of family bonding.
[Beatriz Leschziner] I grew up in Brazil, so we used Club Penguin in English, because there wasn’t a translation for it. So, I had to take the help of my sister in the beginning so I could understand everything. So, it kind of, in a way, brought us closer together.
However, not all websites can remain popular forever. Websites like MySpace struggled with reliability and speed in the face of competition like Facebook. Many may remember Vine, who’s 7-second videos couldn’t stand the test of time like YouTube and TikTok. For Club Penguin, as the amount of users dropped, so did revenue. This culminated in the shutdown of their website in 2017. For fans, the reactions were mixed.
[Nguyen] I think I was growing out of it and shifting into Minecraft more, so it didn’t hit me as hard, but it did hit me.
[Moyer] I was like, ‘Okay, that’s not a big deal,’ because I’d grown out of it, I thought.
[Leschziner] I remembered when it shut down, it was so sad. It was kind of like a little part of my childhood had shut down.
However, other developers attempted to recreate the game. At the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic, sites such as Club Penguin: Rewritten saw huge surges in popularity. Those who loved the interconnectedness of the game growing up strove to have that same connection while at home.
[Moyer] I actually came back to it during the Pandemic. I think a lot of people actually did. But that was kind of a nostalgic release.
Will Club Penguin ever return to its original glory? According to a comment on X, formerly known as Twitter, from Creator Lance Priebe last March, he is “confident that it will one day return.” Until then, users are left with other versions and the childhood nostalgia that they provided.
From WNUR News, I’m Gabe Shumway.
