Friendship Festival, Tigers, and New Code

Today we have a medium sized update. The third Friendship Festival is coming soon, it's Jamaa's version of Valentine's Day. Odd though, in some places AJHQ calls it friendship Festival, in others it is called Valentine's Day.

There is also the new Monthly Member Gift of February, this time it is a pet Tiger. I wish they would give a cool item again instead of a pet.

There is also a new animal coming out soon, Raccoons! They will probably be Member-only, but they look awesome.

A new plaque has been added to the collection, this time it's easy to get! Just click any icon around Jamaa that looks like this:

Then answer all ten questions, and you will get a free plaque!

Also, on the printable Valentine's Day sheets, we have a new code! Its BEMYBUDDY. Click here to learn how to use codes. It gives 500 free gems, apparently it replaces jamaalidays13. Jam on, enjoy the update!

~Gecko~

Rare Wizard Hat & Mysterious Flowers

Today I found one new item, the Rare Wizard Hat. This item is from the Leap Year Party in 2011. You can now buy it in the Hatapalooza in Sarepia Forest.

Today's side topic is an interesting secret in the flowers of the Lost Kindom (Temple) of Zios. I believe Sheesh4 first discovered this. Anyway, find the flowers that look like this.

They will all be the same color when you find them. Now click them, it will randomize their colors. Keep clicking them until they became they same color again. Sometimes this will take five minutes, sometimes five seconds, its completely random.

Why do you think AJHQ made this feature? I guess it just adds to the mysteries of Jamaa!

~Gecko~

Frozen Banner & Valid Usernames

Today I found one new item in Jam Mart Furniture, the Frozen Banner. This item is resold from 2011, from the Ice Den collection.

For today's side topic, I will talk about account usernames that are not in use, and yet cannot be created. For example, you search a username and it says it doesn't exist. But, when you try to create an account with that username, you can't. You will get this pop up:

Here is the list that I discovered is not considered "a valid username".

password
This used to be the most hacked account on Animal Jam. It's username was password; and it's password was password. AJHQ deleted this account when they realized it was being hacked, and no one can create an account with this username anymore.

Any Alpha
You cannot create an account with any Alpha's name to prevent tricking Jammers that a player is an Alpha.

Any Guide
In 2010 and 2011, AJHQ employees roamed the streets of Jamaa as Guides. Their usernames were something like "GuideRabbit". A username cannot be created if it has the word "guide" in it.

shaman
Before late 2012, Alphas were called "Shamans". You cannot create an account with the word "shaman" in it.

AJHQ
You cannot create an account with the name "AJHQ" to prevent tricking jammers that you work for Animal Jam.

I hope this was interesting! If you have any ideas for side topics submit them here.

~Gecko~

Rare Cowboy Hat

Today we have a fun new rare in Jam Mart Clothing, the Rare Cowboy Hat!

For today's side topic, I will talk about Tierney's Aquarium. I hope to add a page about each room to my Jamaa Lands page. This way I can create it day by day.

Date Made: March 15, 2012
Rooms: 2 (Aquarium, Theater)
Games: 1 (Touch Pool)
Shops: 0

Facts:
-Tierney's Theater is a reversed blue version of Sarepia Theater
-A green fish in the main tank will follow your mouse for no reason
-Touch Pool is one of two games that let you earn gems and items, the other is Sky High

Sorry this is very exciting. If you have an idea for a better side topic, comment or Contact Us!

~Gecko~

Rare Top Hat, Football & Ancient Den Items

Sorry this post is really late! I found two new items in Jamaa. On the left we have the Rare Top Hat from the Leap Year Party in 2011, now it is sold in the Mt. Shiveer Hat Shop. On the right we have a new Football in Jam Mart Furniture. JFL probably stands for Jamaa Football League.

For today's side topic I will talk about den items associated with ancient Jamaa.

Mira Statue
-This item is pretty valuable. It is a smaller model of Mira's Statue in northern Jamaa Township.

Zios Sculpture
-This is another rare, in the form of Zios's mask. It is made of solid gold.

Zios Fountain
-This is a cool fountain-memorial of Zios. You can buy it in the Mystery Emporium or trade for the bronze version which is rare.

Alpha Statues
-These are statues of every Alpha known. They are for sale in the Mystery Emporium, or you can trade for the rare bronze version.

Phantom Fountain and Tall Phantom Statue
-These rare statues are carved to look like the evil phantom king. They could be won in past Octobers in the Phantom Vortex.

Hope this was helpful! If you have any ideas for future side topics feel free to Contact Us.

~Gecko~

Shoal of Minnows & Safe Rares

It's Friday! :D Today I found another cool item in Sunken Treasures, a Shoal of Minnows! It looks like the fish in Finding Nemo that were doing impressions. ;)

For today's side topic I will tell which items will not get resold. Or at least shouldn't, if AJHQ keeps their promises. Since rares are always getting resold, it's important to know what is safe.

Items with "Rare" badges

-These items can be resold, ut only on rare occasions. These items include Rare Item Mondays, old colors of items, and Monthly Member Gifts.

Leap Year Party Items

-Yes, these have rare badges. But unless they come out in the Hatapalooza, these items probably won't be released for four years. Why? They're from Leap Year, which occurs once in four years!

Founders Hat

-This item is extremely valuable for two reasons. First, it looks like a Top Hat. Second, it will never be resold! It was sold at the end of Beta Testing to the first Animal Jam players, who were "Founders of Jamaa" in a sense. 

Thanks for reading! If you have any ideas for this post or others, feel free to Contact Us!

~Gecko~

Fire Pot, Chicken Hat & Pages

Today I found two new items. On the left we have the Rare Chicken Hat in the Hat Shop in Canyons Pathway. On the right we have a very old item, the Fire Pot. This has been floating around the shops of Jamaa for years.

For today's side topic, I will list some pages I am making for Jammer Central. Sorry, it's really hard to think of a good side topic every day. ;)

-Ask Us
-About
-Contact Us
-Jamaa Journal Archive
-Animal Jam History
-Codes
-Jamaa Lands

I have  a few others, but I will keep them secret for now. If you have any ideas for a side topic, please let me know! I will give credit if I use your idea.

~Gecko~

Smack of Jellyfish and 2011

Today there is a cool new item in Sunken Treasures, the Jellyfish really swim around! If only we had something like this for land dens.

For today's side topic I will describe to you in depth what early 2011 was like in Animal Jam. It started with the weel known snow covering Jamaa. Jammers were buying all the Jamaalidays items. Then, when the friendship festival came around, all those items became rare. you could trade about four of them for a worn blanket. Gloves were the ultimate goal back then; a good trade for a glove would be a Tie, Worn Blanket, Fox Hat, and other rare. Or you could trade four worn blankets. You see how easy it was back then for new Jammers to get lots of rares? Rares were so plentiful that no one was popular because of them. There were always many, many other people rarer than you. Rares were just a pastime. Jammers mostly enjoyed designing their dens, talking with friends, and exploring. Jamaa was always changing, no one new what to expect. Fun clans developed on each land, that were fair and kind. The clans fought against each other, but in a playful manner. There were very few members at first. The few ones were mostly very kind and enjoyed showing us around their dens and sending us member items. Nonmembers had two basic privileged that I believe shouldn't have been taken away, the ability to change colors of items and receive gifts. Last but not least, there were guides, everywhere. They would play games with us, send us gems and rare items, and give hints to future updates.

Can you notice how much better than AJ is today? The reason it isn't is partly because of AJHQ, but mostly because of snotty rare item hoarders. They think they are so great because they have rares, but the truth is they are just as good as any other Jammer. They are stopping the Trading System, rares are going out of circulation and people are forgetting the value of items. Lets do our part to bring back Jamaa. Send AJHQ a letter asking for these changes. They listen to us.

~Gecko~

Golden Royal Cape & Returning Rares

Today I found one new item in Epic Wonders, the clothing section.

For today's side topic is about returning rares. Most Jammers either really want rares to return to the shops of Jamaa, but a smaller amount do not, usually because the have rares. I don't have rares, and yet I don't want them to be sold again. Think about all those old items... gloves, worn blankets, top hats. It would be so much better if AJHQ never resold them. Because in early 2011, before the first item was resold, it was so easy to collect rares. Super rare items like gloves, worn blankets and top hats were so plentiful that any Jammer could get rare within a month.

It seems obvious to me, if you resell rares, more Jammers will not get rares. Every time a rare is resold, less rares are in Jamaa. That means the remaining rares skyrocket in value, making it impossible for new Jammers to get rares. There is sort of a movement, everyone is saying, "Rares are just pixels!" That is a terrible argument. This whole virtual world is made of pixels, that doesn't mean its bad. Rares were fun easy-to-get collectible items. But because you guys wanted rares resold, or no rares at all, rare item collecting has become something selfish item hoarders do. Lets keep the last few old items that haven't been released the way they are. It will help Jamaa, and make it more like the old Animal Jam, which you all seem to want.

~Gecko~

Rare Fancy Top Hat & Username Change

Today is Rare Item Monday! The rare is on the first page of Jam Mart Clothing.

Today's side topic may not be very interesting, but it's important so I might as well post it here. I have changed my username from geckoguy to BlueGecko. I finally decided to do this, after months of not making up my mind. I don't like the username geckoguy, I made it when I was 11 and it sounds kind of weird. But I had good memories of it, because I have had that account since November 2010. At least I still have the same account, same achievements, same items, just a different name. I made another account named geckoguy which will be my new storage.

I'm working on really big changes for Jammer Central, so stay tuned!

~Gecko~

Raccoon Hat & Rare Achievements

Today we have two new items. The on the left we have the Raccoon Hat in Epic Wonders. It's nonmember! It will probably match the Raccoon Tail from the Summer Carnival. On the right we have the Rare Knitted Hat - this is a Rare item Monday from January 7.

For today's side topic, I will talk about Rare Achievements  Most people think if an achievement can be earned, it can be earned at any time. This is not true in the case of Rare Achievements - Achievements that can no longer be earned. There are only two of the (that I know of). Here the are:

-Answer The Call
   This achievement could be earned in 2011 by answering 15 of AJHQ's polls, or Calls of the Wild. These polls no longer exist, therefore the achievement is impossible to get.

-Herbologist
   This mysterious achievement is only known from the Animal Jam trailer, it is shown as an example of earning achievements. Apparently, it was earned by reading nature facts about plants. No one is known with this achievement.

Here are my achievements:

There are also five achievements for River Race that currently cannot be earned, by this is only temporary. If you know of any more, comment!

~Gecko~

Dog Sled & AJ TV

Today there is one new item, the Dog Sled from 2012 and 2011, sold in Jam Mart Furniture.

For today's side topic, I bring unfortunate news, at least I think so. I cam across a review of Animal Jam on a gaming website called "MMOHut", click here to visit it. It says, "Based on a kids show of the same name..." Many of you already know what that means. Many Jammers know that when searching for Animal Jam things often articles about a TV show that is also named Animal Jam show up. I always thought it was a weird coincidence, but apparently not.

This TV show was produced by Jim Henson, the same person who made The Muppets. Take a look at this image of the Animal Jam TV show:

Shows like this annoy me, because they are pointless and look ridiculous. I really wish AJ wasn't based on a little kids TV show. What do you think? Tell me in a comment!

~Gecko~

Hatapalooza & Birthstones

Today was a rather odd update, not much new. The Jamaalidays have officially ended, but this template will stay up since it is still winter. The big part of this update is "Hatapalooza", a brand new celebration in Jamaa devoted to... hats.

There are three new shops scattered about Jamaa, in odd locations. Each is reselling different rare hats. Here are the current three: From left to right, Sarepia Forest, Mt. Shiveer, Canyons Pathway.

I will not give more info for the sake of the poor rare traders out there, but I will say that one of the has... Top Hats! Gulp. Apparently different items will come every day.

Wierd mistake: the Lion Hat in the Sarepia shop is not rare! It is also in Jam Mart Clothing, so the Lion Hat there now has a "New" badge.

Finally, Cosmo the Koala Alpha has started a new hat contest, follow his instructions to see if your hat can end up in Jamaa!

Also, there is a new Birthstone set for sale in Epic Wonders.

What is your Birthstone? Mine is Aquamarine. Enjoy the update!

~Gecko~

Tablet Computer, Dust Striped Walls & River Race

Today we have two new items. On the left is Dust Striped Walls in Jam Mart Furniture on the 17th page. On the right is a tablet computer in Jam Mart Furniture.

It's kind of funny that they made a tablet computer, it just doesn't fit, haha. But it looks like my tablet, so I would probably get it if I still had membership. I guess I don't mind this, even if it is a human item.

Today's side topic is about one of my favorite games, River Race. I'm not sure if there is an obvious reason, but for the past month I can't play it! There is no game icon, it's not in Sol Arcade, not even in the store!

At first I thought it was a glitch. But as it has been gone for a whole month, I doubt it. I guess the most likely conclusion is that AJHQ is being realistic and not letting us play River Race when the river is frozen. But I have been through every winter in Animal Jam, and I am almost sure we could play River Race the whole winter.

Does any one have a better explanation? Or has AJHQ already told us, and I missed it? Comment with you answers!

~Gecko~

Brown Tile & More Graphics

First of all, I lost my membership today. D: It's going to take a while to re-design my animals and den. Did you know I got my first membership in February 2011? Back then, 1 year memberships were $60.00, but you received a free 2011 NGK Almanac. (This is not today's side topic :P)

Anyway, todays new item is the Brown Tile flooring from 2011. It's on the 18th page of Jam Mart Furniture.

For todays side topic, uh... more graphics! Sorry, tomorrow will be more interesting. But I have some graphics I have found that I have never released! I will put the graphics URL in a link, so just click it to see the image. So here they are... *drum roll*

BACKGROUNDS:

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/national-geographic/45284/images/bg-body.gif

http://d41c509fit9ro.cloudfront.net/uploads/loop_theme/background_image/14801/Fox_Everloop_Background-8426979669e186f63a82abcac2bfba2a.jpg

//d41c509fit9ro.cloudfront.net/uploads/loop_theme/background_image/14801/SnowLeopard_Everloop_BackgroundV2-915db2da843365d17bcff2a3c39d8d29.jpg

http://d41c509fit9ro.cloudfront.net/uploads/loop_theme/background_image/14801/ArcticWolf_Everloop_Background-1b6d4b2172823c1c27a6d70aae948502.jpg

http://ads.animaljam.com/Clothing-Shop.jpg

http://prod.web.animaljam.com/public/images/homepage/alphas/alphas_background.jpg

IMAGES:

http://prod.web.animaljam.com/public/images/homepage/alphas/animal_swf_alphas.png

http://prod.content.animaljam.com/903/ajclient.swf?px-hash=90d3462a38dc64c89eb28bf71640f999&v=1

http://prod.content.animaljam.com/903/preloader.swf?px-hash=10572dc37c7b92a20be62cd210a0760f&v=1

EXTRAS:

http://blog.animaljam.com/wp-content/themes/animal%20jam/images/playnow_hover.png

http://blog.animaljam.com/wp-content/themes/animal%20jam/images/playnow_off.png

http://blog.animaljam.com/wp-content/themes/animal%20jam/images/adorn_top.png

So I you want to use these for your blog, great! Just give me credit (not in a post) with a link to Jammer Central. Thanks, enjoy the graphics!

~Gecko~

Rare Cozy Shoes & Graphics

Today is Rare Item Monday! The Rare, Cozy Shoes, are in the Shiveer Shoppe, which is in the Hot Cocoa Hut. I love the colors, but the actual item isn't that great.

Today's side topic isn't really about Animal Jam, but Animal Jam graphics. I often search through the AJ source code to find cool graphics. I used to give the link to my friend Sheesh4, and she would put them on her popular graphics page. So now many, many Jammers have the graphics I worked to find on their blog, and they don't even know I found them. This may sound mean, but this blog need more traffic so if anyone uses those graphics they have to give me credit. There aren't many though, and most of the graphics I found you can use without credit. But anyway, here are the ones you have to give credit to use:

So if I find these graphics on a blog without credit, I will leave a friendly note asking for credit. That's fair, right? There might be a few others, but for now, just these.

~Gecko~

Sled & Cliff Dwellings

Today's new item is a Sled, in Jam Mart Furniture. This item is from last year.

Today's side topic is about cliff dwellings in Jamaa. Well, there aren't any, right? First we need to remember most of Jamaa's lands and map were designed in Beta Testing or soon after, and back then AJHQ had very different goals. Just remember that. The Coral Canyons map and land, was designed while Animal Jam was in Beta Testing. First, look at this screen shot from the Coral Canyons map.

That really doesn't look much like anything in Coral Canyons, or does it... If you haven't noticed, Pecks Art Studio is built right into the cliff in that picture. The same with Epic Wonders. The cliff in that picture is really this:

Maybe that's obvious. But if you look inside Peck's Art Studio, you find ancient carvings on the walls:

They are very similar to the ones in the Canyons Pathway.

Lot's writing for a simple point. If ancient carvings are on the wall of Peck's Art Studio, that means that Pecks Art Studio is ancient, or at least the building. So my idea is that an ancient race of wolves once lived where coral canyons is today. Greely was one of them. They carved all the rooms in the cliffs, and they are really "cliff dwellings". The carved the door with Greely on it was Greely's home, as he was their leader. Wouldn't it be awesome if some day we could explore Greely's home? 

~Gecko~

Cannons & The White Phantom

Today I found one new item in Jamaa, the Snow Canon from last year. It is available in Jam Mart Furniture. Click this item to make it fire!

Today's side topic is about the White Phantom. Ever since the "Rare Phantom Hat" was released in the Leap  Year Party in 2011, Jammers have wondered who this hat is supposed to represent. Of course, it might just be a cool item. But for those of you who read my story Ancient Jamaa: A Nation United, the White Phantom will appear towards the end. I image the White Phantom being the Phantom King.

His father was a normal black Phantom, but the White Phantom happened to be an albino, which in the animal world is considered a weakling. He was shunned, and the rule of Arnak (my name for the Phantom Kingdom) was given to his younger brother. Although he was weak, he created a small army from the other outlaws. Driven by hate, he murdered his brother and reclaimed the throne. He was a tyrant, and although Phantoms have always been evil, he was more evil than any before him. He soon led the last Phantom War, which conquered most of the lands in Jamaa. Where we are in Jamaa's history, we are recovering from that war.

Thanks for reading! By supporting this blog, some of these ideas might end up in Jamaa. Jam on!

~Gecko~

Frozen Bush & Zios and Mira

   Today's new item is the Frozen Bush, in Jam Mart Furniture, from last year. When you change the "color" of this item, it actually switches which season it is in!

I also noticed that the footer on the Animal Jam Website has changed. I think it looks better.

   The Epic Seasonal Tree has changed from a Jamaaliday's look, to a winter look. Credit to Sheesh4 for this discovery.

   For today's side topic, I'll talk about Zios and Mira. You can learn all we know about them on my Jamaa Lore page. Originally, Zios was a god, and Mira was a goddess, and the were apparently "married". We know that Mira was a stork, but there is no evidence of what Zios was. Apparently Zios died.

   I'm going to suggest that Zios and Mira were voted to be King and Queen (they wouldn't be married). Then we could change Lost Temple of Zios to Lost Kingdom of Zios. Does't that sound better? And then maybe in our journeys, someone might find out that Zios survived!

   I am changing my stories a lot, because now we know the current Alphas are the first ever. That means the last Phantom war was much more recent. I am also going to add Zios and Mira to the story, and make Captain Melville be Zios's general. I'll explain more later.

~Gecko~