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{{Short description|Massively multiplayer online game (2005–2017)}}
{{italic title}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Puffle|Ruffle (disambiguation){{!}}Ruffle|Puffleg}}
{{for-multi|the franchise it spawned|Club Penguin (franchise){{!}}''Club Penguin'' (franchise)|its successors released in 2017|Club Penguin Island{{!}}''Club Penguin Island''|and|Club Penguin Rewritten{{!}}''Club Penguin Rewritten''}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox video game online service
| name = Club Penguin
| title = ''Club Penguin''
| image = Club Penguin Logo 2012 - 2017.png
| caption = Final logo, used from 2012 to 2017
| developer = New Horizon Interactive<br>RocketSnail Games<br>[[Disney Interactive Studios]]
| type = [[Massively multiplayer online game]]
| launched = {{Start date and age|2005|10|24}}
| discontinued = {{Start date and age|2017|3|30}}
| platform = [[Online]] ([[Adobe Flash]])
| status = Discontinued and replaced by ''[[Club Penguin Island]]'' ({{End date|2017|03|30}})
| members =
| website = {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225030817/http://www.clubpenguin.com/|title=Club Penguin website|date=February 25, 2017}}
}}
'''''Club Penguin''''' was a [[massively multiplayer online game]] (MMO) that ran from 2005 to 2017. The game featured a [[virtual world]] that included a wide range of online games and activities. It was created by New Horizon Interactive (now known as Disney Canada Inc.). Players used cartoon penguin-[[Avatar (virtual reality)|avatars]] and played in an [[Antarctic]]-themed [[open world]]. After [[Software testing#Beta testing|beta-testing]], ''Club Penguin'' was made available to the general public on October 24, 2005. It expanded into a large [[online community]], such that by late 2007, ''Club Penguin'' reported that there were over 30 million user accounts. In July 2013, ''Club Penguin'' had over 200 million registered user accounts.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |title='Star Wars' Takes Over Disney's Club Penguin |author=Graser, Marc |url=https://variety.com/2013/digital/news/star-wars-takes-over-disneys-club-penguin-1200561084/ |newspaper=Variety |date=July 11, 2013 |access-date=August 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814113840/http://variety.com/2013/digital/news/star-wars-takes-over-disneys-club-penguin-1200561084/ |archive-date=August 14, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>
While free memberships were available, revenue was predominantly raised through paid memberships, which allowed players to access a range of additional features, such as the ability to purchase virtual clothing, furniture, and in-game pets called "puffles" for their penguins through the usage of [[in-game currency]]. The success of ''Club Penguin'' led to New Horizon being purchased by [[the Walt Disney Company]] in August 2007 for the sum of 350 million US dollars, with an additional 350 million dollars in bonuses should specific targets be met by 2009.<ref name= WSJAcquire>{{cite news | title=Disney Buys Kids' Social-Network Site – WSJ.com | work=Wall Street Journal | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118599768804085026?mod=hpp_us_whats_news | access-date=December 26, 2010 | first1=Merissa | last1=Marr | first2=Peter | last2=Sanders | date=August 2, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307214255/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118599768804085026?mod=hpp_us_whats_news | archive-date=March 7, 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref>
The game was specifically designed for children from 6 to 14; however, users of any age were allowed to play. Consequently a major focus of the developers was on child safety,<ref name="Kiely" /> with several features facilitating this, including offering an "Ultimate Safe Chat" mode whereby users selected their comments from a menu, [[Wordfilter|filtering]] that prevented swearing and the revelation of personal information,<ref name="Kiely" /> and using [[Forum moderator|moderators]] who patrolled the game.<ref name="Flanagan">{{cite news|last=Flanagan|first=Caitlin|date=July–August 2007|title=Babes in the Woods|work=[[The Atlantic Monthly]]|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/07/babes-in-the-woods/5974/|url-status=live|access-date=May 24, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914180133/http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/07/babes-in-the-woods/5974/|archive-date=September 14, 2010}}</ref>
''Club Penguin'' shut down its servers on March 30, 2017 following an announcement on January 30, 2017; the game was replaced by ''[[Club Penguin Island]]'' , which itself was discontinued the following year. Since being shut down, the original game has been hosted and recreated on a number of [[Server emulator|private servers]] using downloaded [[SWF]] files from the game's old website. Many of the private servers were shut down around May 15, 2020, after [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] filings by the Walt Disney Company were sent on May 13, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=DMCA (Copyright) Complaint to Google :: Notices :: Lumen|url=https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/20957053|website=lumendatabase.org|access-date=2020-05-15|archive-date=May 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515022746/https://www.lumendatabase.org/notices/20957053|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kelly|first=Makena|date=2020-05-15|title=Club Penguin Online shuts down after receiving copyright claim from Disney|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/15/21260122/club-penguin-dmca-disney-takedown-cponline-online|access-date=2020-12-21|website=The Verge|language=en|archive-date=May 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515174623/https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/15/21260122/club-penguin-dmca-disney-takedown-cponline-online|url-status=live}}</ref> The most notable private server, ''[[Club Penguin Rewritten]]'', a complete [[Game emulation|recreation]] of ''Club Penguin'', had launched on February 12, 2017, and accumulated an online community of more than 11 million users among the consequences and restrictions from the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and its [[COVID-19 lockdowns|lockdowns]]. ''Rewritten'' was shut down on April 13, 2022, by the [[City of London Police]] in compliance with a copyright investigation request by Disney.<ref name="NewYork">{{Cite web |last=Alter |first=Rebecca |date=April 13, 2022 |title=The Day the Puffles Cried: Disney Shuts Down Club Penguin Rewritten |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/disney-shuts-down-club-penguin-rewritten-server.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714161453/https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/disney-shuts-down-club-penguin-rewritten-server.html |archive-date=July 14, 2022 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |website=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]}}</ref><ref name="Kotaku1">{{Cite web |last=Jiang |first=Sisi |date=April 14, 2022 |title=Club Penguin Remake Pulled By Disney, Three Arrested |url=https://kotaku.com/club-penguin-rewritten-disney-arrests-shutdown-london-p-1848794609 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621072149/https://kotaku.com/club-penguin-rewritten-disney-arrests-shutdown-london-p-1848794609 |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref><ref name="Vice">{{Cite web |last=Cox |first=Joseph |date=April 14, 2022 |title=Cops Arrest 3 People for Running 'Club Penguin Rewritten' Beloved by Millions |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/cops-arrest-3-people-for-running-club-penguin-rewritten-beloved-by-millions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621162332/https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvn4nw/cops-arrest-3-people-for-running-club-penguin-rewritten-beloved-by-millions |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |access-date=September 2, 2022 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]}}</ref>
== Plot and gameplay ==
''Club Penguin'' was divided into various rooms and distinct areas. Illustrator Chris Hendricks designed many of the first environments. Each player was provided with an igloo for a home. Members had the option of opening their igloo so other penguins could access it via the map, under "Member Igloos."<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-10-28|title=Video game franchises we want raised from the dead|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/10/28/video-game-franchises-we-want-raised-dead/|access-date=2021-12-13|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|archive-date=November 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101132425/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/10/28/video-game-franchises-we-want-raised-dead/|url-status=live}}</ref> Members could also purchase larger igloos and decorate their igloos with items bought with virtual coins earned by playing mini-games.<ref name="Reid" /> At least one party per month was held on ''Club Penguin''. In most cases, a free clothing item was available, both for paid members and free users. Some parties also provided member-only rooms which only paid members could access. Some major ''Club Penguin'' parties were its annual [[Halloween]] and Holiday parties. Other large parties included the Music Jam, the Adventure Party, the Puffle Party, and the Medieval Party.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}
==
=== Predecessors (2000–2004) ===
The first seeds of what would become ''Club Penguin'' began as a [[Adobe Flash|Flash 4]] [[Web application|web-based]] game called ''Snow Blasters'' that developer Lance Priebe had been developing in his spare time in July 2000.<ref name="BDODunwoody">{{cite web|url=http://www.bizactions.com/index.cfm/ba/e105/fa/68240602G627J357168P0P10056056T0/|title=BDO Dunwoody Announcement|work=BDO Dunwoody|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016214213/http://bizactions.com/index.cfm/ba/e105/fa/68240602G627J357168P0P10056056T0/|archive-date=October 16, 2007|access-date=May 19, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |user=rocketsnail |number=289216023683547138 |date=January 9, 2013 |title=@InfinityBitDF Snow Blasters was never finished. It become Experimental Penguins (the first Penguin Chat) |language=en |access-date=February 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170209080023/https://twitter.com/rocketsnail/status/289216023683547138 |archive-date=February 9, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |user=rocketsnail |number=350638923585843200 |date= June 28, 2013 |title=Reading my original note book for Snow Blasters. I am amazed how many features are still in Mech Mice. |language=en |access-date=February 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210140826/https://twitter.com/rocketsnail/status/350638923585843200 |archive-date=February 10, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Priebe's attention was brought to penguins after he "happened to glance at a ''[[The Far Side|Far Side]]'' cartoon featuring penguins that was sitting on his desk."<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/business/media/10adco.html|title=A Procession of Penguins Arrives on Madison Ave.|last=Elliott|first=Stuart|date=January 10, 2007|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201234856/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/business/media/10adco.html|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The project was never finished, and instead morphed into ''Experimental Penguins. Experimental Penguins'' was released through Priebe's company of employment, the [[Kelowna]], [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]]-based online game and comic developer RocketSnail Games, in July 2000, though it ultimately went offline the following year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rocketsnail.com/experimental-penguins|title=Experimental Penguins|website=RocketSnail|language=en-US|access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203163749/http://rocketsnail.com/experimental-penguins|archive-date=February 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> It was used as the inspiration for ''Penguin Chat'' (also known as ''Penguin Chat 1''), a similar game which was released shortly after ''Experimental Penguins''<nowiki>'</nowiki> removal. Released January 2003, ''Penguin Football Chat'' (also known as ''Penguin Chat 2)'' was the second attempt at a penguin-themed [[MMORPG]], and was created on FLASH 5 and used the same interface as ''Experimental Penguins.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rocketsnail.com/penguin-chat/|title=Penguin Chat|website=RocketSnail|language=en-US|access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203162414/http://rocketsnail.com/penguin-chat/|archive-date=February 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The game contained various minigames; the premiere title of RocketSnail Games was ''Ballistic Biscuit'', a game that would be placed into ''Experimental Penguins'' and eventually be adapted into ''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s ''Hydro Hopper''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rocketsnail.com/games/|title=Games|website=RocketSnail|language=en-US|access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201035125/http://rocketsnail.com/games|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> RocketSnails Games' ''Mancala Classic'' would also be placed into the game as ''Mancala''.
Lance Priebe, as well as co-workers Lane Merrifield and Dave Krysko, started to formulate the ''Club Penguin'' concept when the trio were unsuccessful in finding "something that had some social components but was safe, and not just marketed as safe" for their own children.<ref name="Mlynek">{{cite news|url=http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/ceo_interviews/article.jsp?content=20080428_198723_198723 |title=Q&A: Club Penguin's Lane Merrifield |last=Mlynek |first=Alex |date=April 28, 2008 |work=[[Canadian Business]] |access-date=May 16, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219060236/http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/ceo_interviews/article.jsp?content=20080428_198723_198723 |archive-date=December 19, 2008 }}</ref> Dave Krysko in particular wanted to build a safe social-networking site their kids could enjoy free of advertising.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/company/about|title=About Club Penguin|newspaper=Club Penguin|language=en|access-date=January 19, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131182951/http://www.clubpenguin.com/company/about|archive-date=January 31, 2017}}</ref> In 2003, Merrifield and Priebe approached their boss, with the idea of creating a spinoff company to develop the new product.<ref name="McKenna">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/children-and-penguins-turn-trio-into-kingpins/article18176636/|title=Children and penguins turn trio into kingpins|last=McKenna|first=Barrie|date=November 13, 2006|work=[[The Globe and Mail]]|___location=Toronto|access-date=May 16, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218111840/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/children-and-penguins-turn-trio-into-kingpins/article18176636/|archive-date=February 18, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The spin-off company would be known as New Horizon Interactive.
=== Early history (2004–2007) ===
Work commenced on the project in 2004, and the team settled on a name in the summer of 2005.<ref name=":2" /> The developers used the previous project ''Penguin Chat 2'' – which was still online – as a jumping-off point in the design process, while incorporating concepts and ideas from Experimental Penguins. Penguin Chat's third version was released in March 2005, and was used to test the client and servers of ''Club Penguin''.<ref name="Priebe">{{cite web|url=http://rocketsnail.com/blog/2011/02/21/experimenting-with-penguins/|title=Experimenting with Penguins|last=Priebe|first=Lance|work=Rocketsnail Games|date=February 21, 2011 |access-date=May 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429222843/http://rocketsnail.com/blog/2011/02/21/experimenting-with-penguins/|archive-date=April 29, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Variants of ''Penguin Chat 3'' included ''Crab Chat, Chibi Friends Chat, Goat Chat, Ultra-Chat, and TV Chat.'' Users from Penguin Chat were invited to beta test ''Club Penguin'' in August 2005. The original plan was to release ''Club Penguin'' in 2010, but since the team had decided to fast-track the project, the first version of ''Club Penguin'' went live on October 24, 2005,<ref name="Priebe" /> and four days later Penguin Chat servers were shut down. While Penguin Chat used ElectroServer, ''Club Penguin'' would use SmartFoxServer.<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=rocketsnail |number=223980934335180800 |date=July 13, 2012 |title=@rewrite_1 Penguin Chat 3 used ElectroServer. We changed to SmartFoxServer 3 months after launching Club Penguin |language=en |access-date=February 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211041756/https://twitter.com/rocketsnail/status/223980934335180800 |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> The developers financed their start-up entirely with their own credit cards and personal lines of credit, and maintained 100 percent ownership.<ref name="Jordan">{{cite news|url=http://www.bcbusiness.ca/people/lane-merrifield-club-penguin|title=Lane Merrifield: Club Penguin|last=Jordan|first=David|date=April 1, 2008|work=[[BCBusiness Online]]|___location=Toronto|access-date=November 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203033854/http://www.bcbusiness.ca/people/lane-merrifield-club-penguin|archive-date=December 3, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Club Penguin'' started with 15,000 users, and by March 2006 that number had reached 1.4 million—a figure which almost doubled by September, when it hit 2.6 million.<ref name="McKenna" /> By the time ''Club Penguin'' was two years old, it had reached 3.9 million users, despite lacking a marketing budget.<ref name="Shields">{{cite journal|last=Shields|first=Mike|year=2007|title=Avatar Nation|journal=MediaWeek|volume=17|issue=44}}</ref> The first mention of the game in ''[[The New York Times]]'' was in October 2006.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/29Rparenting.html|title=Halloween, Unmasked|last=Winerip|first=Michael|date=October 27, 2006|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201235545/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/27/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/29Rparenting.html|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The following year, ''Club Penguin'' spokesperson Karen Mason explained: "We offer children the training wheels for the kinds of activities they might pursue as they get older."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/03/fashion/03Online.html|title=Online sites-online sites for children|last=Slatalla|first=Michelle|date=May 3, 2007|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201234946/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/03/fashion/03Online.html|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Acquisition by Disney (2007) ===
Although the three ''Club Penguin'' co-creators had turned down lucrative advertising offers and venture capital investments in the past,<ref name="McKenna" /> in August 2007, they agreed to sell both ''Club Penguin'' and its parent company to [[Disney]] for the sum of $350.93 million.<ref name="Walmsley">{{cite news|last=Walmsley|first=Andrew|date=October 24, 2007|title=Kids' virtual worlds are maturing nicely|work=Marketing}}</ref> In addition, the owners were promised bonuses of up to $350 million if they were able to meet growth targets by 2009.<ref name="Brooks">{{cite news | last = Brooks | first = Barnes | date = August 2, 2007 | title = Wary of Losing Out Online, Disney Buys Site for Children up to ages from 6 to 16 | work = [[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Disney ultimately didn't pay the extra $350 million, as ''Club Penguin'' missed both profit goals.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/119491/Disney_Skips_350M_Payment_As_Club_Penguin_Misses_Profit_Targets.php|title=Disney Skips $350M Payment As Club Penguin Misses Profit Targets|last=Caoili|first=Eric|language=en|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202000835/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/119491/Disney_Skips_350M_Payment_As_Club_Penguin_Misses_Profit_Targets.php|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/business/media/13penguin.html|title=Disney Gets a Half-Price Deal for Club Penguin|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|date=May 12, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201234646/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/business/media/13penguin.html|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> At the point when it was purchased by Disney, ''Club Penguin'' had 11–12 million accounts, of which 700,000 were paid subscribers, and was generating $40 million in annual revenue.<ref name="Walmsley" /><ref name="Jordan" /> In making the sale, Merrifield has stated that their main focus during negotiations was philosophical,<ref name="Mlynek" /> and that the intent was to provide themselves with the needed infrastructure in order to continue to grow.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} By late 2007, it was claimed that ''Club Penguin'' had over 30 million user accounts.<ref name="Walmsley"/> In December of that year, ''The New York Times'' asserted that the game "attracts seven times more traffic than ''[[Second Life]]''."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/business/31virtual.html|title=Web Playgrounds of the Very Young|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|date=December 31, 2007|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201234438/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/business/31virtual.html|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Club Penguin'' was the 8th top social networking site in April 2008, according to Nielsen.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/nielsen-myspace-club-penguin-growth-static-linkedin-soaring/|title=Nielsen: MySpace, Club Penguin growth static, LinkedIn soaring|newspaper=CNET|language=en|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201235853/https://www.cnet.com/news/nielsen-myspace-club-penguin-growth-static-linkedin-soaring/|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
After Disney's acquisition, Disney Interactive had four MMOs to simultaneously juggle: ''[[Toontown Online|ToonTown]]'', ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean Online]]'', ''[[Pixie Hollow (video game)|Pixie Hollow]]'', and ''Club Penguin'', with ''[[The World of Cars Online|World of Cars]]'' set to follow soon. Lane Merrifield assured GlobalToyNews at the time that "it's a lot of worlds to manage, but we have really strong teams." Merrifield's role changed from taking a backseat in daily game design to focusing on overall branding and quality control of the virtual gaming properties. One of his roles was to merge the ''Club Penguin'' studio New Horizon Interactive in Kelowna (renamed to Disneyland Studios Canada) with Disneyland Studios LA. Disneyland Studios Canada focused its efforts on one product (with such features as multilingual versions), while Disneyland Studios LA focused on customer products and franchises of a wide selection of games. Merrifield was responsible for cross-pollinating both cultures.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globaltoynews.com/2010/08/an-interview-with-lane-merrifield-creator-of-club-penguin-.html|title=An Interview with Lane Merrifield; creator of Club Penguin – Global Toy News|website=globaltoynews.com|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201234723/http://www.globaltoynews.com/2010/08/an-interview-with-lane-merrifield-creator-of-club-penguin-.html|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Franchising and growth (2007–2015) ===
Since the Disney purchase, ''Club Penguin'' continued to grow, becoming part of a larger franchise including video games, books, a television special, an anniversary song, and an app MMO. Disney has often used the game as a cross-promotion opportunity when releasing new films such as ''[[Frozen (2013 film)|Frozen]],'' ''[[Zootopia]],'' and ''[[Star Wars]],'' having special themed events and parties to celebrate their releases.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kidscreen.com/2014/08/19/club-penguin-gets-frozen/|title=Club Penguin gets Frozen|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131192413/http://kidscreen.com/2014/08/19/club-penguin-gets-frozen/|archive-date=January 31, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/whats-new/zootopia-party-announcement|title=Zootopia Party Announcement|date=April 28, 2016|newspaper=Club Penguin|language=en|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201110014/http://www.clubpenguin.com/whats-new/zootopia-party-announcement|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2013/digital/news/star-wars-takes-over-disneys-club-penguin-1200561084/|title='Star Wars' Takes Over Disney's Club Penguin|last=Graser|first=Marc|date=July 11, 2013|newspaper=Variety|language=en-US|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131200312/http://variety.com/2013/digital/news/star-wars-takes-over-disneys-club-penguin-1200561084/|archive-date=January 31, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The game forged an ever-growing mythology of characters and plot elements, including: a pirate, a journalist, and a secret agent.
In 2008, the first international office opened in Brighton, England, to personalise the level of moderation and player support. Later international office locations included [[São Paulo]] and [[Buenos Aires]].<ref name=":0" /> On March 11, 2008, ''Club Penguin'' released the ''Club Penguin'' Improvement Project.<ref name="BillyBob2008a">{{cite web | last = BillyBob | date = March 10, 2008 | title = Welcome!! | work = Club Penguin Improvement Project: Blog | url = http://community.clubpenguin.com/cpip/2008/03/welcome-to-the-club-penguin-im.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080421205905/http://community.clubpenguin.com/cpip/2008/03/welcome-to-the-club-penguin-im.html | archive-date = April 21, 2008 | access-date = May 19, 2007}}</ref> This project allowed players to be part of the testing of new servers, which were put into use in ''Club Penguin'' on April 14, 2008.<ref name="BillyBob2008d">{{cite web | last = BillyBob | date = April 14, 2008 | title = New website and new servers | work = Club Penguin Improvement Project: Blog | url = http://community.clubpenguin.com/cpip/2008/04/new-website-and-new-servers.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080420170611/http://community.clubpenguin.com/cpip/2008/04/new-website-and-new-servers.html | archive-date = April 20, 2008 | access-date = May 19, 2007}}</ref> Players had a "clone" of their penguin made, to test these new servers for bugs and glitches.<ref name="BillyBob2008b">{{cite web | last = BillyBob | date = March 10, 2008 | title = Account Questions | work = Club Penguin Improvement Project: Blog | url = http://community.clubpenguin.com/cpip/2008/03/account-questions.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080421205844/http://community.clubpenguin.com/cpip/2008/03/account-questions.html | archive-date = April 21, 2008 | access-date = May 19, 2007}}</ref> The testing was ended on April 4, 2008.<ref name="BillyBob2008c">{{cite web | last = BillyBob | date = April 4, 2008 | title = Server Test Success!! | work = Club Penguin Improvement Project: Blog | url = http://community.clubpenguin.com/cpip/2008/04/server-test-success.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080421041844/http://community.clubpenguin.com/cpip/2008/04/server-test-success.html | archive-date = April 21, 2008 | access-date = May 19, 2007}}</ref>
On June 20, 2011, the game's website temporarily crashed after the company let the ''Club Penguin'' ___domain name expire.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/club-penguin-downtime-is-only-disneys-latest-internet-misstep/240752/|title=Club Penguin Downtime Is Only Disney's Latest Internet Misstep|last=Jackson|first=Nicholas|newspaper=The Atlantic|language=en-US|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131195315/http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/club-penguin-downtime-is-only-disneys-latest-internet-misstep/240752/|archive-date=January 31, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2011, one of ''Club Penguin'''s minigames, Puffle Launch, was released on iOS as an app. Merrifield commented: "Kids are going mobile and have been asking for ''Club Penguin'' to go there with them."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/disneys-club-penguin-celebrates-150-186884|title=Disney's Club Penguin Celebrates 150 million users by launching new app|last=Mirror.co.uk|date=September 15, 2011|newspaper=mirror|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202113740/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/disneys-club-penguin-celebrates-150-186884|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
In late 2012, Merrifield left Disney Interactive to focus on his family and a new educational product, Freshgrade. Chris Heatherly took Merrifield's former position.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-xpm-2012-oct-17-la-et-ct-disney-interactive-club-penguin-20121017-story.html | title=Disney Interactive loses Club Penguin founder Lane Merrifield | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | first1=Dawn C. | last1=Chmielewski | first2=Ben | last2=Fritz | date=October 17, 2012 | access-date=January 17, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331143426/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/17/entertainment/la-et-ct-disney-interactive-club-penguin-20121017 | archive-date=March 31, 2017 | url-status=live }}</ref> The company dropped the words "Online Studios" from its name<ref>{{cite web |title=Club Penguin Trademark Details |url=http://trademarks.justia.com/850/69/club-penguin-85069142.html |date=November 20, 2013 |access-date=December 27, 2013 |publisher=Justia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228072829/http://trademarks.justia.com/850/69/club-penguin-85069142.html |archive-date=December 28, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/privacy-policy/en |title=Privacy Policy |publisher=Club Penguin |access-date=December 27, 2013 |date=November 1, 2013 |quote=Disney Club Penguin ("Club Penguin") is operated and presented to users in all locations by Disney Canada Inc. (formerly known as Disney Online Studios Canada Inc.)... |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226133601/http://www.clubpenguin.com/privacy-policy/en |archive-date=December 26, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> in 2013. As of July 2013, ''Club Penguin'' had over 200 million registered user accounts.<ref name=":1" /> In 2013, ''Club Penguin'' hired singer and former ''Club Penguin'' player [[Jordan Fisher]] to record a song entitled ''It's Your Birthday'', to commemorate ''Club Penguin'''s 8th anniversary.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/blog/2013/10/exclusive-interview-jordan-fisher|title=Exclusive Interview with Jordan Fisher!|date=October 23, 2013|newspaper=Club Penguin|language=en|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202034242/http://www.clubpenguin.com/blog/2013/10/exclusive-interview-jordan-fisher|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Decline and discontinuation (2015–2017) ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:The Penguin Times.jpg|thumb|400x400px|This message was provided by Aunt Arctic (a proxy for ''Club Penguin'' developers) in the last issue of the in-universe newspaper The Penguin Times. It nostalgically looks back on the game's 12-year history, comments on how far the community has grown, and has an optimistic view on the future for its members.]] -->
In April 2015, it was revealed that Disney Interactive had [[Layoff|laid off]] 28 members of ''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Kelowna headquarters due to the game's declining popularity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techvibes.com/2016/03/05/layoffs-club-penguin-2016-03-05|title=Disney Canada Hit by Layoffs – More to Come?|date=March 5, 2016|website=Techvibes|access-date=September 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921020905/https://techvibes.com/2016/03/05/layoffs-club-penguin-2016-03-05|archive-date=September 21, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The company's UK office in Brighton was shut down around April 17, 2015. Some employees in the [[Los Angeles]] office were also let go. Disney Interactive replied to Castanet on the layoffs: "Disney Interactive continually looks to find ways to create efficiencies and streamline our operations. As part of this ongoing process, we are consolidating a small number of teams and are undergoing a targeted reduction in workforce."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/137843/Club-Penguin-cuts-jobs|title=Club Penguin cuts jobs – Kelowna News|website=castanet.net|access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429223753/http://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/137843/Club-Penguin-cuts-jobs|archive-date=April 29, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
On September 2, 2015, ''Club Penguin'' closed down the [[German language|German]] and [[Russian language|Russian]] versions of the site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/blog/2015/06/important-news-about-club-penguin-russian-and-german-languages|title=Important News About Club Penguin in the Russian and German Languages|website=Club Penguin|access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420234558/http://www.clubpenguin.com/blog/2015/06/important-news-about-club-penguin-russian-and-german-languages|archive-date=April 20, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> A spin-off mobile app, Puffle Wild, was removed from the [[App Store (iOS)|App Store]] and [[Google Play]] the same day in order to allow Disney Interactive to focus on ''Club Penguin''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://help.disney.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/About-Puffle-Wild?section=clubpenguin|title=Disney Interactive Support – Puffle Wild Closure|date=September 5, 2015|access-date=April 9, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905223247/https://help.disney.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/About-Puffle-Wild?section=clubpenguin|archive-date=September 5, 2015}}</ref> On January 11, 2016, the Sled Racer and SoundStudio apps (the former being an original game and the latter being a [[Porting|port]] of a game on the website) followed suit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/whats-new/important-information-regarding-sled-racer-soundstudio-apps|title=Important Information Regarding Sled Racer & SoundStudio Apps|website=Club Penguin|access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405071902/http://www.clubpenguin.com/whats-new/important-information-regarding-sled-racer-soundstudio-apps|archive-date=April 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> With the closure of Disney Interactive in 2015, ''Club Penguin'' side-projects wound down to allow a streamlined effort to focus on the core ''Club Penguin'' experience; this involved the layoffs of 30 Disney Studios Canada staff.<ref name="Wawro">{{Cite news|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/report-layoffs-strike-disney-s-i-club-penguin-i-|title=Report: Layoffs strike Disney's Club Penguin|last=Wawro|first=Alex|language=en|access-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131194538/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/241587/Report_Layoffs_strike_Disneys_Club_Penguin.php|archive-date=January 31, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
On January 30, 2017, ''Club Penguin'' announced that the current game would be discontinued on March 29, 2017, to make way for its successor, ''[[Club Penguin Island]].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/31/club-penguin-is-shutting-down/|title=Club Penguin is shutting down|last=Perez|first=Sarah|date=January 31, 2017|website=TechCrunch|access-date=February 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206184552/https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/31/club-penguin-is-shutting-down/|archive-date=February 6, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2017/1/31/14458168/club-penguin-closing|title=Club Penguin set to close, breaking millennial hearts worldwide|last=Frank|first=Allegra|date=January 31, 2017|website=Polygon|access-date=February 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203191158/http://www.polygon.com/2017/1/31/14458168/club-penguin-closing|archive-date=February 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/01/31/club-penguin-shutting-down-and-everyone-sad/97277620/|title=Club Penguin is shutting down and everyone is sad|last=Molina|first=Brett|date=January 31, 2017|newspaper=USA Today|access-date=February 5, 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202204217/http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/01/31/club-penguin-shutting-down-and-everyone-sad/97277620/|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Membership payments for the original game were no longer accepted as of January 31, 2017, with paid members slated to receive emails about membership and refunds.<ref name="CPBlog">{{cite web|author=Megg|date=January 30, 2017|title=Important Announcement Regarding Club Penguin on Desktop and Mobile Devices|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/whats-new/important-announcement-regarding-club-penguin-desktop-and-mobile-devices|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328202618/http://www.clubpenguin.com/whats-new/important-announcement-regarding-club-penguin-desktop-and-mobile-devices|archive-date=March 28, 2017|access-date=January 31, 2017|publisher=Club Penguin}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.idigitaltimes.com/club-penguin-shutting-down-mobile-only-club-penguin-island-take-its-place-582155|title='Club Penguin' Shutting Down; Mobile-Only 'Club Penguin Island' To Take Its Place|last=Medina|first=Nathalie|date=February 2, 2017|newspaper=iDigitalTimes.com|access-date=February 5, 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205055603/http://www.idigitaltimes.com/club-penguin-shutting-down-mobile-only-club-penguin-island-take-its-place-582155|archive-date=February 5, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
It became popular in the final weeks of ''Club Penguin'' to attempt [[speedrun]]s to see how fast users could get banned from the site; the fastest world record was a [[tool-assisted speedrun|tool-assisted speedrun (TAS)]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2017/2/22/14698354/club-penguin-ban-speedruns|title=Getting banned from Club Penguin is now a competitive sport|date=February 22, 2017|website=Polygon|access-date=March 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317233507/http://www.polygon.com/2017/2/22/14698354/club-penguin-ban-speedruns|archive-date=March 17, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How to get banned from Disney's Club Penguin in under 30 seconds |url=https://www.engadget.com/2017-02-23-how-to-get-banned-from-disneys-club-penguin-in-under-30-seconds.html |website=Engadget |date=February 23, 2017 |access-date=19 September 2021 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111235608/https://www.engadget.com/2017-02-23-how-to-get-banned-from-disneys-club-penguin-in-under-30-seconds.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Messner |first1=Steven |title=Getting banned from Club Penguin is now a speedrunning competition |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/getting-banned-from-club-penguin-is-now-a-speedrunning-competition/ |website=PC Gamer |access-date=19 September 2021 |date=21 February 2017 |archive-date=August 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830104505/https://www.pcgamer.com/getting-banned-from-club-penguin-is-now-a-speedrunning-competition/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Days before the shut down, ''Club Penguin'' announced that on the final day of the game's operation, all users would be given a free membership until the servers were disconnected.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/whats-new/waddle-party-finale-meet-times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326053454/http://www.clubpenguin.com/whats-new/waddle-party-finale-meet-times|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 26, 2017|title=Waddle On Party: Finale Meet-Up Times {{!}} Club Penguin|date=March 26, 2017|access-date=September 23, 2018}}</ref>
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Club Penguin Final Seconds.jpeg|thumb|250px|Penguins gathered around town in the server Blizzard seconds before the shut down of the ''Club Penguin'' servers.]] -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Club Penguin Lost Connection.jpg|thumb|250px|The message that displayed on users' webpages when the ''Club Penguin'' servers disconnected.]] -->
Multiplayer transmissions stopped and twenty seconds later on March 30, 2017 @ 00:01:39 [[Pacific Daylight Time|{{Abbr|PDT|Pacific Daylight Time}}]] (07:01:39 [[Universal Coordinated Time|{{Abbr|UTC|Universal Coordinated Time}}]]), ''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s servers were officially shut down.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rizz|first=George|date=2017-03-30|title=Disney's Club Penguin Shut Down And People Are Devastated|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/georgerizz/club-penguin-finally-closed-last-night-and-people-2gdrn|access-date=2020-08-10|website=BuzzFeed|language=en|archive-date=August 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826041028/https://www.buzzfeed.com/georgerizz/club-penguin-finally-closed-last-night-and-people-2gdrn|url-status=live}}</ref> A message would appear on screen for all players, saying "The connection has been lost. Thank you for playing Club Penguin. Waddle on!"
== Design ==
=== Business model ===
Prior to being purchased by Disney, ''Club Penguin'' was almost entirely dependent on membership fees to produce a revenue stream.<ref name="Kiely">{{cite news | last = Kiely | first = Lynsey | date = January 14, 2007 | title = C-c-c-click on clubpenguin | work = [[Sunday Independent (Ireland)|Sunday Independent]] | url = http://www.independent.ie/national-news/cccclick-on-clubpenguin-120865.html | access-date = May 25, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080516060149/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/cccclick-on-clubpenguin-120865.html | archive-date = May 16, 2008 | url-status = live }}</ref> The vast majority of users (90% according to [[The Washington Post]]) chose not to pay, instead taking advantage of the free play on offer.<ref name="Reid">{{cite news | last = Reid | first = Alice | date = October 18, 2007 | title = Breaking the Ice — Club Penguin Allows Kids to Safely Explore the World of Online Gaming and Chatting | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/17/AR2007101702198.html | access-date = May 25, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110628204724/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/17/AR2007101702198.html | archive-date = June 28, 2011 | url-status = live }}</ref> Those who chose to pay did so because full (paid) membership was required to access all of the services, such as the ability to purchase virtual clothes for the penguins and buy decorations for igloos,<ref name="Navarro">{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/fashion/28virtual.html | last = Navarro | first = Mireya | date = October 28, 2007 | title = Pay Up, Kid, or Your Igloo Melts | work = [[The New York Times]] | access-date = February 21, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170201235627/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/fashion/28virtual.html | archive-date = February 1, 2017 | url-status = live }}</ref> and because peer pressure created a "[[caste system]]," separating paid from unpaid members.<ref name="Robertson">{{cite journal | last = Robertson | first = Heather-Jane | year = 2007 | title = Postman Does Penguins | journal = [[Phi Delta Kappan]] | volume = 88 | issue = 5| pages = 410–411 | doi = 10.1177/003172170708800517 | s2cid = 144887487 | issn = 0031-7217}}</ref> Advertising, both [[In-game advertising|in-game]] and on-site, was not incorporated into the system, although some competitors chose to employ it, including: [[Whyville]], which used corporate sponsorship,<ref name="Diaz">{{cite news | last = Diaz | first = Sam | author2 = Yang, Xiyun | date = August 3, 2007 | title = Playground Networking, Now Online — Social Sites Aim at Users Too Young for MySpace | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202351.html | access-date = May 25, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110628204818/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/02/AR2007080202351.html | archive-date = June 28, 2011 | url-status = live }}</ref> and [[Neopets]], which incorporated product placements.<ref name="Rushe">{{cite news | last = Rushe | first = Dominic | date = November 18, 2007 | title = Hooking the kids with the internet | work = [[The Sunday Times]] | url = http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2889446.ece | access-date = May 25, 2008 | ___location = London | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090508151627/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2889446.ece | archive-date = May 8, 2009 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
An alternative revenue stream came through the development of an online merchandise shop, which opened on the ''Club Penguin'' website in August 2006,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://community.clubpenguin.com/blog/2006/08/NOW-OPEN.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080429194151/http://community.clubpenguin.com/blog/2006/08/NOW-OPEN.php | archive-date = April 29, 2008 | title = NOW OPEN!!! | access-date = June 17, 2008 |author=Billybob | date= August 31, 2006 | work = Club Penguin Developer Blog}}</ref> selling stuffed [[#Puffles|Puffles]] and T-shirts. Key chains, gift cards, and more shirts were added on November 7, 2006.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://community.clubpenguin.com/blog/2006/12/Lots-of-New-Stuff.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080421162623/http://community.clubpenguin.com/blog/2006/12/Lots-of-New-Stuff.php | archive-date = April 21, 2008 | title = Lots of New Stuff!! | access-date = June 17, 2008 | author = Billybob | date = November 7, 2006 |work = Club Penguin Developer Blog}}</ref> In October 2008, a series of [[plush toys]] based on characters from ''Club Penguin,'' were made available online (both through the ''Club Penguin'' store and Disney's online store), and in retail outlets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/company/news/102408-new-consumer-products.htm |title=New Consumer Products Extend Club Penguin Offline (Press release) |access-date=December 4, 2008 |date=October 24, 2008 |work=Club Penguin |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113192817/http://www.clubpenguin.com/company/news/102408-new-consumer-products.htm |archive-date=November 13, 2008 }}</ref>
As with one of its major rivals, [[Webkinz]], ''Club Penguin'' traditionally relied almost entirely on [[word-of-mouth]] advertising to increase its membership base.<ref name="Garofoli">{{cite news | last = Garofoli | first = Joe | date = May 27, 2007 | title = I'm 8, I'm late for an online date with a cuddly penguin | work = [[San Francisco Chronicle]]}}</ref>
=== Child safety ===
''Club Penguin'' was designed for the ages of 6–14.<ref name="kudos">{{cite web|date=December 11, 2006|title=Kudos continue as Club Penguin marks one-year anniversary (Media Release)|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/company/news/061211-one-year-anniversary.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420210109/http://www.clubpenguin.com/company/news/061211-one-year-anniversary.htm|archive-date=April 20, 2008|access-date=June 15, 2008|work=Club Penguin}}</ref> Thus, one of the major concerns when designing ''Club Penguin'' was how to improve both the safety of participants and the suitability of the game to children. As Lane Merrifield stated, "the decision to build ''Club Penguin'' grew out of a desire to create a fun, virtual world that I and the site's other two founders would feel safe letting our own children visit."<ref name="Merrifield">{{cite journal|last=Merrifield|first=Lane|year=2007|title=Safety First?|journal=[[The Atlantic Monthly]]|volume=300|issue=3|page=17|author2=Males, Mike|author3=Flanagan, Caitlin}}</ref> As a result, ''Club Penguin'' maintained a strong focus on child safety,<ref name="Jesdanun">{{cite news|title=Safety questioned as younger kids flock to Internet — Parents need to set guidelines, limits|last=Jesdanun|first=Anick|date=July 23, 2007|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> to the point where the security features were described as almost "fastidious" and "reminiscent of an [[Orwellian]] [[dystopia]]",<ref name="Williamson">{{cite news|title=Why Many Children Are Now Picking a Penguin as Their Favourite Online Friend|last=Williamson|first=David|date=January 5, 2008|work=[[Western Mail (Wales)|Western Mail]]}}</ref> although it was also argued that this focus might "reassure more parents than it alienate[d]."<ref name="Williamson" />
The system employed a number of different approaches in an attempt to improve child safety. The key approaches included preventing the use of inappropriate [[usernames]];<ref name="Reidb">{{cite news|title=Safe surfing: Club Penguin is a G-rated MySpace-type site that gives kids a safer way to mingle online|last=Reid|first=Alice|date=October 18, 2007|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> providing an "Ultimate Safe Chat" mode, which limited players to selecting phrases from a list;<ref name="Jesdanun" /> using an automatic [[Wordfilter|filter]] during "Standard Safe Chat" (which allowed users to generate their own messages)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/parents/club_penguin_guide.htm#safe|title=Is It Safe?|access-date=June 17, 2008|work=Club Penguin Q&A for Parents|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705192151/http://www.clubpenguin.com/parents/club_penguin_guide.htm#safe|archive-date=July 5, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> and blocked [[profanity]] even when users employed "creative" methods to insert it into sentences;<ref name="Reidb" /> filtering seemingly innocuous terms, such as "mom"; and blocking both telephone numbers and email addresses.<ref name="Jesdanun" /> It also included employing paid [[Forum moderator|moderators]]; out of 100 staff employed in the company in May 2007, Merrifield estimated that approximately 70 staff were dedicated to policing the game.<ref name="Garofoli" /> It also included promoting users to "EPF (Elite Penguin Force) Agent" status, and encouraging them to report inappropriate behavior.<ref name="Jesdanun" />
Each game server offered a particular type of chat—the majority allowing either chat mode, but some servers allowed only the "Ultimate Safe Chat" mode. When using "Standard Safe Chat", all comments made by users were filtered. When a comment was blocked, the user who made the comment saw it, but other users were unaware that it was made—suggesting to the "speaker" that they were being ignored, rather than encouraging them to try to find a way around the restriction.<ref name="Jesdanun" />
Beyond these primary measures, systems were in place to limit the amount of time spent online, and the site did not feature any advertisements, because, as described by Merrifield, "within two or three clicks, a kid could be on a gambling site or an adult dating site."<ref name="Garofoli" /> Nevertheless, after ''Club Penguin'' was purchased by Disney, concerns were raised that this state of affairs might change, especially in regard to potential spin-off products,<ref name="Dwyer">{{cite news|title=Virtual kids|last=Dwyer|first=Michael|date=November 29, 2007|work=[[The Age]]}}</ref> although Disney continued to insist that it believed advertising to be "inappropriate" for a young audience.<ref name="Rushe" />
Players who used profanity were often punished by an automatic 24-hour ban, although not all vulgar language resulted in an immediate ban. Players found by moderators to have broken ''Club Penguin'' rules were punished by a ban lasting "from 24 hours to forever depending on the offense."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.clubpenguin.com/help/help/safety.htm|title="Breaking the Rules" and "How a Penguin is Banned"|access-date=June 17, 2008|work=Club Penguin Communicating|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723123728/http://support.clubpenguin.com/help/help/safety.htm|archive-date=July 23, 2008}}</ref>
=== Education and charity ===
Research shows that the design of virtual worlds, like ''Club Penguin'', provide children with opportunities to develop literacy and communication skills while having a powerful impact on their social relationships and identity formation.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Kargın|first=Tolga|date=2018-02-26|title=The commercial side of virtual play worlds|journal=Phi Delta Kappan|volume=99|issue=6|pages=14–19|doi=10.1177/0031721718762417|s2cid=148579345|issn=0031-7217}}</ref> One literary practice involved players frequently engaged in semiotic analysis of other player profiles, which was a display of that player's identity within the game.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Marsh|first=Jackie|date=2011-04-05|title=Young Children's Literacy Practices in a Virtual World: Establishing an Online Interaction Order|journal=Reading Research Quarterly|volume=46|issue=2|pages=101–118|doi=10.1598/rrq.46.2.1|issn=0034-0553}}</ref> Other literacy and communication practices included the use of the in game postal service and of emoticons, which served to build social cohesion and structure.<ref name=":4" />
Coins for Change was an in-game charity fund-raising event which first appeared in 2007. The fund-raising lasted for approximately two weeks each December during the game's annual "Holiday Party". Players could "donate" their virtual coins to vote for three charitable issues: Kids who were sick, the environment, and kids in developing countries.<ref name="coins for change 2007 whattheyplay">{{cite web|url=http://www.whattheyplay.com/blog/2008/12/10/coins-for-change-kicks-off-this-friday/|title=What They Play – Coins for Change kicks off this Friday|work=What They Play|access-date=February 15, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231212056/http://www.whattheyplay.com/blog/2008/12/10/coins-for-change-kicks-off-this-friday/|archive-date=December 31, 2009}}</ref> Players were able to donate in increments of 100, 250, 500, 1,000, 5,000, or 10,000 virtual coins. At the end of the campaign, a set amount of real-world money was divided among each of the causes based on the amount of in-game currency each cause received. At the end of the first campaign, the New Horizon Foundation donated a total of $1 million to the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]], the [[Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation]], and [[Free The Children]].<ref name="coins for change 2007 whattheyplay" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/29/AR2007122901848_pf.html|title=For Modern Kids, 'Philanthropy' Is No Grown-Up Word|last=Rucker|first=Philip|date=December 30, 2007|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=April 22, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927172236/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/29/AR2007122901848_pf.html|archive-date=September 27, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In both the 2007 and 2008 campaigns, two-and-a-half million players participated.<ref name="coins for change 2007 whattheyplay" /><ref name="coins for change 2008 whattheyplay">{{cite web|url=http://www.whattheyplay.com/blog/2008/12/25/club-penguin-kids-donate-3-billion-in-game-coins-t/|title=What They Play – Club Penguin kids donate 3 billion in-game coins to charity|work=What They Play|access-date=February 15, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231212005/http://www.whattheyplay.com/blog/2008/12/25/club-penguin-kids-donate-3-billion-in-game-coins-t/|archive-date=December 31, 2009}}</ref> In 2009, ''Club Penguin'' donated $1,000,000 Canadian dollars to charitable projects around the world. In 2010, ''Club Penguin'' donated $300,000 towards building safe places, $360,000 towards protecting the Earth, and $340,000 towards providing medical help. Lane Merrifield said: "Our players are always looking for ways to make a difference and help others, and over the past five years they've embraced the opportunity to give through Coins For Change, it was exciting to see kids from 191 countries participate together.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/company/news/01-01-12-coins-for-change.htm|title=Virtual world celebrates fifth year of Coins For Change|work=celebrates fifth year|access-date=February 15, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125092513/http://www.clubpenguin.com//company/news/01-01-12-coins-for-change.htm|archive-date=January 25, 2012}}</ref> In 2011, the amount of money donated was doubled to $2 million, ostensibly in response to an unexpected increase in participation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clubpenguin.com/global-citizenship/coins-for-change-2011|title=Coins For Change 2011|year=2011|publisher=Club Penguin|access-date=September 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920025046/http://www.clubpenguin.com/global-citizenship/coins-for-change-2011|archive-date=September 20, 2015}}</ref>
==
{{Main|Club Penguin (franchise){{!}}''Club Penguin'' (franchise)}}
Disney's franchising of the brand began with its acquisition of ''Club Penguin'' in 2007. In addition to the ''Club Penguin Island'' web-based video game,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://kotaku.com/club-penguin-island-to-shut-down-marking-final-end-of-1829370171 |title=Club Penguin Island To Shut Down, Marking Final End Of The Beloved Children's MMO |date=September 27, 2018 |last=D'Anastasio |first=Cecilia |website=Kotaku |access-date=November 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205185831/https://kotaku.com/club-penguin-island-to-shut-down-marking-final-end-of-1829370171 |archive-date=December 5, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> the franchise has also included console video games for [[Nintendo DS]] and [[Wii]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/jinnygudmundsen/2008-12-11-club-penguin_N.htm |title=Join 'Elite Penguin Force' on Nintendo DS |first=Jinny |last=Gudmundsen |date=December 11, 2008 |access-date=November 30, 2018 |newspaper=USA Today |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231000423/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/jinnygudmundsen/2008-12-11-club-penguin_N.htm |archive-date=December 31, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://worthplaying.com/article/2010/6/10/news/74812/ |title='Club Penguin Game Day!' (Wii) Announced |date=June 10, 2010 |website=Worthplaying |access-date=November 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201005131/https://worthplaying.com/article/2010/6/10/news/74812/ |archive-date=December 1, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> television specials in the UK,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.factorycreate.com/factory-produces-new-show-disney/ |title=Factory Produces New Disney Show |date=November 24, 2014 |website=Factory |access-date=November 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714170733/http://www.factorycreate.com/factory-produces-new-show-disney/ |archive-date=July 14, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> and a series of books.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whattheyplay.com/blog/2008/10/22/club-penguin-books/ |title=What They Play – Club Penguin books|work=What They Play |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718040129/http://www.whattheyplay.com/blog/2008/10/22/club-penguin-books/ |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 30, 2018 |first=John |last=Davison |date=October 22, 2008 }}</ref>
== Critical reception ==
{{Undue weight section|date=April 2023}}
''Club Penguin'' received mixed reviews. The site was awarded a "kids' privacy seal of approval" from the [[Better Business Bureau]].<ref name="Green">{{cite journal | last = Green | first = Elizabeth Weiss | date = March 19, 2007 | title = Clique on to Penguin | journal = [[U.S. News & World Report]] | volume = 142 | issue = 10}}</ref> Similarly, Brian Ward, a [[Detective Inspector]] at the Child Abuse Investigation Command in the United Kingdom, stated that it was good for children to experience a restricted system such as ''Club Penguin'' before moving into [[social networking]] sites, which provide less protection.<ref name="TheAustralian">{{cite news | date = October 9, 2007 | title = Kids' online community growing fast | work = [[The Australian]]}}</ref> In terms of simple popularity, the rapid growth of ''Club Penguin'' suggested considerable success, although there were signs that this was leveling out. [[Nielsen Company|Nielsen]] figures released in April 2008 indicated that in the previous 12 months, ''Club Penguin'' traffic had shrunk by 7%.<ref name="McCarthy">{{cite web | last = McCarthy | first = Caroline | date = May 20, 2008 | title = Nielsen: MySpace, Club Penguin growth static, LinkedIn soaring | work = CNet | url = http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-9948219-36.html | access-date = May 25, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080719165638/http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-9948219-36.html | archive-date = July 19, 2008 | url-status = live }}</ref>
=== Concerns ===
==== Encouragement of cheating ====
One of the criticisms expressed by commentators was that the game encouraged [[consumerism]]<ref name="Navarro" /> and allowed players to [[cheating in online games|cheat]].<ref name="Benderoff" /> While ''Club Penguin'' did not require members to purchase in-game products with real money (instead relying on a set monthly fee), players were encouraged to earn coins within the game with which to buy virtual products. Furthermore, ''Club Penguin'' was full of advertisements for their paid membership that repeatedly encouraged children to subscribe in order to gain access to the full range of activities.<ref name=":3" /> These advertisements included notices that certain levels of games and items were reserved for paid members and even included paid members that unwittingly acted as recruiters.<ref name=":3" /> Additionally, ''Club Penguin'' merchandise was sold through the website and in Disney retail stores that would unlock items and coins in the game. In this way, critics believe that Disney positioned children as economic subjects that became acculturated to shopping as a key cultural practice.<ref name=":4" /> Others argue that the use of in-game money possibly helps teach children how to save money, select what to spend it on, improve their abilities at math,<ref name="Navarro" /><ref name="Reid" /> and encourage them to "practice safe money-management skills".<ref name="Bishop">{{cite news|last=Bishop|first=Tricia|date=April 8, 2007|title=Sites aimed at preteens gaining in popularity — Marketers courting children ages 6–12 as their spending soars|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref>
In addition, the "competitive culture" that this could create led to concerns about [[cheating in online games|cheating]], as children looked for "shortcuts" to improve their standing. It was suggested that this might influence their real-world behavior.<ref name="Benderoff">{{cite news | url = http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703080167mar08,0,7203137.story | last = Benderoff | first = Eric | date = March 7, 2007 | title = Young gamers may be learning the art of cheating | work = [[Chicago Tribune]] | access-date = March 16, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091129074025/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703080167mar08,0,7203137.story | archive-date = November 29, 2009 | url-status = live }}</ref> To counter this, ''Club Penguin'' added guidelines to prevent cheating, and banned players who were caught cheating or who encouraged cheating.<ref name="Benderoff" />
==== Child safety and behavior ====
In spite of the attempts to create a safe space for children in ''Club Penguin'', concerns about safety and behavior still arose within the media. While the language in-game was filtered, discussions outside of ''Club Penguin'' were beyond the owner's control, and thus it was stated that third-party ''Club Penguin'' [[Internet forum|forums]] could become "as bawdy as any other chat".<ref name="Robertson" /> Even within the game, ''Club Penguin'' had a unique form of anti-social behavior and cyberbullying that presented as angry emoticons, relentless throwing of snowballs at other players and some messages were able to get through the filtered chat.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last1=Bauman|first1=Sheri|last2=Tatum|first2=Tanisha|date=2009|title=Web Sites for Young Children: Gateway to Online Social Networking?|journal=Professional School Counseling|volume=13|issue=1|pages=1–10|doi=10.1177/2156759X0901300102|jstor=42732914|issn=1096-2409}}</ref> Also, the "Caste system" between those who had membership and exclusive items and those who lacked full membership (and therefore were unable to own the "coolest" items) could lead to players having a difficult time attracting friends.<ref name="Robertson" /> Furthermore, some researchers were concerned that due to the differing experiences and privileges between paid and non-paid members, children would be exposed to a class system where some would be competing for higher and higher status.<ref name=":3" /> Others worried that the display of class and promotion of consumerism within ''Club Penguin'' fosters the notion that the accumulation of wealth and possessions are the direct result of one's success and status.<ref name=":5" /> Additionally, some critics have noted the presence of strong sexual connotations due to the modeling of romantic relationships and behaviors.<ref name=":5" />
One criticism came from Caitlin Flanagan in ''[[The Atlantic Monthly]]'': in relation to the safety procedures, she noted that ''Club Penguin'' was "certainly the safest way for unsupervised children to talk to potentially malevolent strangers—but why would you want them to do that in the first place?"<ref name="Flanagan" /> While views of the strength of this criticism might vary, the concern was mirrored by Lynsey Kiely in the ''[[Sunday Independent (Ireland)|Sunday Independent]]'', who quoted Karen Mason, Communications Director for ''Club Penguin'', as saying "we cannot guarantee that every person who visits the site is a child."<ref name="Kiely" />
On August 20, 2013, Disney announced that ''[[Toontown Online]]'', ''[[Pixie Hollow (video game)|Pixie Hollow]]'', and ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean Online]]'' were closing directly because of ''Club Penguin'' and Disney's mobile games. This caused major controversy between ''Club Penguin'' and fans of the three games, especially ''Toontown'', where some users had played for more than 12 years (''Toontown''<nowiki/>'s [[Alpha-test|alpha test]] started in August 2001).<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/tech/gaming-gadgets/closing-toontown/ | publisher=CNN | title=Coping with the loss of an online world | date=August 24, 2013 | access-date=August 24, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823225043/http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/tech/gaming-gadgets/closing-toontown | archive-date=August 23, 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref>
== Private servers ==
A Club Penguin Private Server (commonly abbreviated and known as a CPPS) is an online multiplayer game that is not part of ''Club Penguin'', but uses unlicensed [[SWF]] files from ''Club Penguin'', a database, and a server emulator in order to create a similar environment for the game. Many now use these environments in order to play the original game after its discontinuation. CPPSes often contain features that did not exist in the original game such as custom items and rooms, free membership, etc.
Throughout the official game's existence, various players created private servers of ''Club Penguin'', and in response to its closure, more private servers were created. ''[[Club Penguin Rewritten]]'', a popular remake, launched on February 12, 2017. It had reached a million players as of October 12, 2017,<ref name=Cooley>{{cite magazine |url=http://culture.affinitymagazine.us/save-club-penguin-the-game-we-know-and-love/ |magazine=Affinity |title=Save Club Penguin: The Game We Know and Love |first=Marcus |last=Cooley |access-date=November 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102064051/http://culture.affinitymagazine.us/save-club-penguin-the-game-we-know-and-love/ |archive-date=November 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> before announcing its permanent shutdown on March 4, 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://community.cprewritten.net/announcement.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226202443/https://community.cprewritten.net/announcement.php |archive-date=February 26, 2018 |date=February 26, 2018 |title=Announcement Regarding the future of Club Penguin Rewritten |publisher=Club Penguin Rewritten }}</ref> Citing community support and funding however, the remake returned a month later on April 27, 2018, along with all existing user accounts,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://community.cprewritten.net/2018/04/27/the-island-has-returned/ |title=The Island Has Returned! |author=Stu |website=Club Penguin Rewritten |date=April 27, 2018 |access-date=April 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430182212/https://community.cprewritten.net/2018/04/27/the-island-has-returned/ |archive-date=April 30, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> nearly twice as many as ''Club Penguin'' had 12 years earlier in December 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Playing Dirty: Searching for sex in Club Penguin|url=https://www.engadget.com/2007-04-12-playing-dirty-searching-for-sex-in-club-penguin.html|access-date=2020-12-21|website=Engadget|date=April 12, 2007 |language=en|archive-date=December 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213065014/https://www.engadget.com/2007-04-12-playing-dirty-searching-for-sex-in-club-penguin.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], private servers experienced a surge in popularity,<ref>{{cite web |title=Club Penguin in The Time of COVID-19: Keep Calm and Waddle On |url=https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/club-penguin/ |website=Study Breaks |access-date=19 September 2021 |language=en-us |date=13 October 2020 |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213065016/https://studybreaks.com/tvfilm/club-penguin/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with between 6,000 and 8,000 new players signing up each day.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rosario|first=Alexandra Del|date=2020-03-23|title=Students Flock to 'Club Penguin' Amid Coronavirus Quarantine|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/club-penguin-sees-major-boost-student-users-coronavirus-quarantine-1285830/|access-date=2022-01-18|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US|archive-date=July 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707202029/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/author/alexandra-del-rosario/|url-status=live}}</ref> On April 16, 2020, American musician [[Soccer Mommy]] collaborated with ''Club Penguin Rewritten'' to host a [[virtual concert]] for her new album ''[[Color Theory (album)|Color Theory]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=I was supposed to see Soccer Mommy live. Instead, I watched their concert on Club Penguin. |url=https://dbknews.com/2020/04/18/soccer-mommy-club-penguin-color-theory-concert/ |website=The Diamondback |access-date=19 September 2021 |date=18 April 2020 |archive-date=September 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919034641/https://dbknews.com/2020/04/18/soccer-mommy-club-penguin-color-theory-concert/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The event had been rescheduled from April 2, 2020, due to higher than expected player counts that overloaded the server.<ref>{{cite web |title=Soccer Mommy postpones Club Penguin gig because fans 'overloaded the servers' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/soccer-mommy-postpones-club-penguin-gig-because-fans-overloaded-the-servers-2640255 |website=NME |access-date=19 September 2021 |date=3 April 2020 |archive-date=September 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920211840/https://www.nme.com/news/music/soccer-mommy-postpones-club-penguin-gig-because-fans-overloaded-the-servers-2640255 |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Legal status ===
Since private servers essentially copy materials copyrighted by Disney, there has been much controversy as to whether or not creating and hosting them is legal. Disney and ''Club Penguin'' have pursued numerous CPPSes and attempted to have them taken down with [[DMCA]] notices.<ref>{{cite web|title=Notice by Club Penguin Rewritten that they are switching domains due to Disney's legal action|url=https://clubpenguinrewritten.pw/|access-date=October 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022113002/https://clubpenguinrewritten.pw/|archive-date=October 22, 2017}}</ref>
=== Vulnerabilities ===
Many private servers have become vulnerable to [[Denial-of-service attack|DDOS attacks]] and [[Data breach|database leaks]] due to insufficient security measures.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speedycppshq.com/breaking-news-cpps-me-breach/|title=CPPS.me Database Breach|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712162751/http://www.speedycppshq.com/breaking-news-cpps-me-breach/|archive-date=July 12, 2018|access-date=June 4, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speedycppshq.com/breaking-news-supercpps-database-breach-10000-accounts/|title=SuperCPPS Database Breach|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712162738/http://www.speedycppshq.com/breaking-news-supercpps-database-breach-10000-accounts/|archive-date=July 12, 2018|access-date=June 4, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> On January 21, 2018, the login data of over 1.7 million ''Club Penguin Rewritten'' users were stolen after a data breach<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://monitor.firefox.com/breach-details/ClubPenguinRewritten|title=Club Penguin Rewritten (January 2018) Data Breach|website=Firefox Monitor|date=April 23, 2019|access-date=September 12, 2020|archive-date=December 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213065016/https://monitor.firefox.com/breach-details/ClubPenguinRewritten|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |user=haveibeenpwned |number=1120558354118713346 |date=April 23, 2019 |title=New breach: Club Penguin Rewritten had 1.7M records breached in Jan last year. Exposed data included email & IP addresses, usernames and passwords stored as bcrypt hashes. 41% of addresses were already in [https://twitter.com/haveibeenpwned/ @haveibeenpwned] [http://haveibeenpwned.com http://haveibeenpwned.com] |access-date=September 12, 2020 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108005241/https://twitter.com/haveibeenpwned/status/1120558354118713346 |url-status=live}}</ref> and on July 27, 2019, the private server suffered a second data breach, which exposed the data of an additional 4 million accounts.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/logins-stolen-from-admin-backdoored-club-penguin-rewritten-site/ |title=Logins Stolen From Admin-Backdoored Club Penguin Rewritten Site |website=BleepingComputer |language=en-us |access-date=2020-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821084353/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/logins-stolen-from-admin-backdoored-club-penguin-rewritten-site/ |archive-date=August 21, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://monitor.firefox.com/breach-details/ClubPenguinRewrittenJul2019|title=Club Penguin Rewritten (July 2019) Data Breach|website=Firefox Monitor|date=July 30, 2019|access-date=September 12, 2020|archive-date=March 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324212221/https://monitor.firefox.com/breach-details/ClubPenguinRewrittenJul2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |user=haveibeenpwned |number=1156208124493123585 |date=July 30, 2019 |title=New breach: Club Penguin Rewritten had 4M records breached this week in addition to 1.7M from a previous breach. Exposed data included email & IP addresses, usernames and passwords stored as bcrypt hashes. 61% of addresses were already in [https://twitter.com/haveibeenpwned/ @haveibeenpwned] [http://haveibeenpwned.com http://haveibeenpwned.com] |access-date=September 12, 2020 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108003553/https://twitter.com/haveibeenpwned/status/1156208124493123585 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cprewritten.net/announcement.html|title=Important Announcement — Security & Our Story|website=Club Penguin Rewritten|access-date=September 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025105503/https://cprewritten.net/announcement.html|archive-date=October 25, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===
On May 14, 2020, it was announced that all private servers using the ''Club Penguin'' brand were given DMCA take-down notices after allegations emerged concerning [[Child sexual abuse|predation]] by an administrator of another popular private server, ''Club Penguin Online''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tidy |first1=Joe |title=Disney forces explicit Club Penguin clones offline |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52677039 |website=BBC News |access-date=15 May 2020 |date=15 May 2020 |archive-date=December 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206123332/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52677039 |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 15, 2020, the site was shut down after complying with the DMCA takedown notice by [[The Walt Disney Company]].<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=DisneyGive |number=1261440951874011137 |date=May 15, 2020 |title=Carta de despedida de CPO / CPO Farewell Letter |access-date=September 12, 2020 |archive-date=May 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516014334/https://twitter.com/DisneyGive/status/1261440951874011137 |url-status=live}}</ref> In a statement, Disney said, "Child safety is a top priority for the Walt Disney Company and we are appalled by the allegations of criminal activity and abhorrent behaviour on this unauthorised website that is illegally using the ''Club Penguin'' brand and characters for its own purposes. [...] We continue to enforce our rights against this, and other, unauthorised uses of the ''Club Penguin'' game."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Makena |title=Club Penguin Online shuts down after receiving copyright claim from Disney |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/15/21260122/club-penguin-dmca-disney-takedown-cponline-online |website=The Verge |access-date=15 May 2020 |language=en |date=15 May 2020 |archive-date=May 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515174623/https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/15/21260122/club-penguin-dmca-disney-takedown-cponline-online |url-status=live }}</ref>
''Club Penguin Rewritten'' was shut down on April 13, 2022, by the [[Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit]] of the [[City of London Police]], who took control of the website and arrested three people "on suspicion of distributing materials infringing copyright".<ref>{{Cite web |title='Club Penguin Rewritten' allegedly shut down by Disney, website seized by London police |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/13/club-penguin-rewritten-shut-down-disney/ |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US |first=Amanda |last=Silberling |date=April 13, 2022 |archive-date=April 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415132946/https://social.techcrunch.com/2022/04/13/club-penguin-rewritten-shut-down-disney/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to one of the game's administrators, the team had shut down the game and "voluntarily given control over the website to the police" after a request from Disney.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hurler |first=Kevin |date=2022-04-13 |title=Three Arrested After Disney Squashes Popular Club Penguin Knockoff |url=https://gizmodo.com/disney-club-penguin-rewritten-london-police-shut-down-1848789765 |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=Gizmodo |language=en-us |archive-date=April 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413203438/https://gizmodo.com/disney-club-penguin-rewritten-london-police-shut-down-1848789765 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Awards and nominations ==
{{incomplete list|date=June 2013}}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"
|+
!Year !! Award !! Title !! Result !! {{Reference column heading|multi=no}}
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2008
|Web Marketing Association
|Entertainment Standard of Excellence
|{{won}}
| <ref name="Web Marketing Association">{{cite web|title=Walt Disney Internet Group wins 2008 WebAward for Club Penguin|url=http://www.webaward.org/winner.asp?eid=10249#.Uyjl1_38_B0|publisher=Web Marketing Association|access-date=March 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319033556/http://www.webaward.org/winner.asp?eid=10249#.Uyjl1_38_B0|archive-date=March 19, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|Web Marketing Association
|Game Site Standard of Excellence
|{{won}}
| <ref name="Web Marketing Association" />
|-
|2008 [[Webby Award]]s
|Youth Category
|{{nominated}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Youth The Webby Awards Gallery|url=http://winners.webbyawards.com/2008/web/general-website/youth/club-penguin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313081053/http://winners.webbyawards.com/2008/web/general-website/youth/club-penguin|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 13, 2014|access-date=March 13, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| 2009
|2009 [[Webby Award]]s
|Games Category
|{{won}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Games The Webby Awards Gallery|url=http://winners.webbyawards.com/2009/web/general-website-categories/games/club-penguin|publisher=The Webby Awards|access-date=March 13, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313070520/http://winners.webbyawards.com/2009/web/general-website-categories/games/club-penguin|archive-date=March 13, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| 2010
| rowspan="4" |Children's [[BAFTA Award]]
| rowspan="4" |Kids Vote
|{{won}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=2010 Children's BAFTA Kids' Vote|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2010/childrens/bafta-kids-vote-2010-top-10s-websites|publisher=BAFTA|access-date=February 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302010843/http://awards.bafta.org/award/2010/childrens/bafta-kids-vote-2010-top-10s-websites|archive-date=March 2, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 2011
|{{nominated}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=2011 Children's BAFTA Kids Vote Powered By Yahoo!|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2011/childrens/bafta-kids-vote-powered-by-yahoo-top-10s-websites|publisher=BAFTA|access-date=February 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317212659/http://awards.bafta.org/award/2011/childrens/bafta-kids-vote-powered-by-yahoo-top-10s-websites|archive-date=March 17, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 2012
|{{nominated}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=2012 Children's BAFTA Kids' Vote|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2012/childrens/bafta-kids-vote-2010-top-10s-websites|publisher=BAFTA|access-date=February 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305073547/http://awards.bafta.org/award/2012/childrens/bafta-kids-vote-2010-top-10s-websites|archive-date=March 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 2013
|{{nominated}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=2013 Children's BAFTA Kids' Vote|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/childrens/bafta-kids-vote-2010-top-10s-websites|publisher=BAFTA|access-date=February 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408090200/http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/childrens/bafta-kids-vote-2010-top-10s-websites|archive-date=April 8, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}
== See also ==
* ''[[Animal Jam Classic]]''
==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
{{commons category}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-club-penguin.ogg|date=2019-11-06}}
* {{webarchive |title=Club Penguin Website |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330010044/http://www.clubpenguin.com/ |date=March 30, 2017 }}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220180134/https://www.clubpenguinisland.com/ |title=Official ''Club Penguin'' Island website |date=December 20, 2018}}
* [https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-technology-behind-disneys-club-penguin/ The technology behind Disney's Club Penguin]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Club Penguin]]
[[Category:2005 video games]]
[[Category:Browser games]]
[[Category:Children's websites]]
[[Category:Disney video games]]
[[Category:Disney acquisitions]]
[[Category:Inactive massively multiplayer online games]]
[[Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2017]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2005]]
[[Category:Miniclip games]]
[[Category:Video games about penguins]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Canada]]
[[Category:Video games set in the Arctic]]
[[Category:Video games set on fictional islands]]
[[Category:Video games with customizable avatars]]
[[Category:Webby Award winners]]
[[Category:Flash games]]
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