An Ode to Animal Jam!What's Animal Jam?
Animal Jam Classic (formerly just Animal Jam) is a free to play MMO developed by Wildworks and National Geographic Kids, first launched in beta in 2010 and later officially opened in 2011. Its goal was to create an interactive educational world that focuses on elements of ecology and zoology, with additional minigames, customization options, and worldbuilding lore.
Because of these elements, as well as ease of social interaction via chat, emotes, and emojis, Animal Jam has been popular since launch and managed to stay relevant throughout its (soon to be) 15 year lifespan.
Because of these elements, as well as ease of social interaction via chat, emotes, and emojis, Animal Jam has been popular since launch and managed to stay relevant throughout its (soon to be) 15 year lifespan.
Lore!
(This is a barely-fact-checked retelling as I remember it, and is subject to change if I can find more cohesive sources)
Animal Jam is set in the fantasy land of Jamaa, with different parts of the map taking inspiration from iconic environments around the world.
According to AJ legend, the world was created and guarded by Mira, a blue heron, and Zios, represented by a golden mask based off the Inca diety Viracocha. The two created the land, seas, and sky, and animals to live therein. They also designated a special few animals to become Alphas (initially referred to as Shamans); protecters of Jamaa, and role models to the other animals.
The antagonists of the world of Animal Jam are the phantoms; dark, variously shaped blobs that have one eye, tentacles, and different special abilites like electricity, poison, and crushing. According to early lore, the phantoms were brought into being by Mira's tears after seeing the cruelty the animals of the world were capable of. Later lore says they were spontaneously formed by feelings of malice, greed, and cruelty, and in-game adventures establish that they can be formed in factories from pollution, candy, or "phantom goop". Their origins are widely speculated after so many retcons and retellings.
Tie-in books establish that Zios' demise was caused by the phantom queen, a giant amorphous phantom defeated later by the Alphas. As you progress through in-game adventures, it's shown that the phantoms are once again forming en masse in Jamaa, and battling on through the onslaught reveals their plan to take over Jamaa and pollute it beyond recognition. In stopping
them and exploring ancient ruins revealed by a solar eclipse, the mythos of the Heartstones is revealed; Heartstones are mystical crystals unique to each species of animal, and bringing them to Jamaa allows new ones to thrive there, even prehistoric ones like direwolves and sabertooth tigers. Along with the rediscovery of their homeland Balloosh, it's revealed the hero of both the heartstones, the arctic wolf Juno, has been turned to stone trying to protect the animals from the phantoms.
Where the lore goes from there, only time will tell...
Why Animal Jam?
Animal Jam has been one of my longest most consistent special interests! I've been an Animal Jam fan artist since 2011 and I don't think I'm going anywhere soon. My main account, Loopy44, is where I even got my name! I'm also a huge fan of the lore, specifically the phantoms!! I even made my first webcomic about them!
Peck
Peck is the first alpha to greet you in the New Jammer tutorial after 2015. She's a rebellious, energetic, and fiesty young alpha with punk-rock spirit and a talent for art. She's friendly to everyone and acts almost as the glue that holds the other alphas' friendship together under strife. Generally a fan favorite, she's regularly featured as the host of art contests on Animal Jam HQ's instagram.
Cosmo
Cosmo is the youngest alpha, a koala with a knack for all things botanical. His animated and friendly personality, as well as his herbalist knowledge and ability to talk to plants often come in handy during adventures. He loves to study and conduct research and experiments of his own, and working in tandem with the other alphas strengths has often produced explosive results. His inventions are some of the most widely utilized in the in-game adventures.
Graham
Graham, the monkey alpha, is known as the inventive one of the alphas. He's known to be a bit scatterbrained, but he has a good sense of humor, and when he's not working, can often be found playing pranks on the other alphas. He dabbles in toolmaking for other animals and machinations for fighting against phantoms. His inventions are some of the most useful in the in-game adventures.
Liza
Liza, the panda alpha, was formerly the first alpha to greet you in the new jammer tutorial. She's seen loosely as the leader of the alphas and has a strong sense of bravery, justice, and loyalty. She's an explorer at heart, and has personally mapped most of the lands in Jamaa. Personality wise, she's very encouraging and friendly, always willing to lend a helping hand.
Sir Gilbert
Sir Gilbert is a powerful, soft-spoken tiger with a warrior's spirit and a poet's soul. He's portrayed as a stoic and hardened warrior who guides animals with gentle encouragement and an emphasis on reverence and honor for those who came before. He was one of the last alphas to appear in-game, only making an official appearance in the Hidden Falls adventure in 2016.
Greely
The wolf alpha, Greely, has been a fan-favorite since the beginning. His personality has been shown to be stoic, cynical, and mysterious (often antisocial) and his "lone wolf" persona often puts him at odds with the rest of the alphas. His powers place an emphasis on magic and ancient mysical knowledge that looks to outsiders like power that the phantoms weild. His loyalty is called into question at multiple points in the game's adventures, but although he may not see eye to eye with the rest of the alphas, he'd never betray them.
Lacking any difinitive origins, the phantoms are instead defined by their goals and their role as antagonists, which remain largely consistent throughout Animal Jam lore: nothing less than the complete takeover and destruction of Jamaa. Solid as these goals are, they're executed with varying levels of competence.
The phantoms' social order seems to operate almost like a beehive, with a commanding Queen and their four (known) kings executing and delegating her orders. The bulk of the phantom population is made up of Common Phantoms, the quintessential mischief makers of the game which possess (often limited) intelligence and a knack for machines. Lesser phantoms, such as Phantom Coral, Phantom Pods, Phantom Webs, and Phantom Snares take on a purely functional form created to obstruct animals from their goals, or to defend an objective. It's unknown if these lesser phantoms possess any sapience.
The Phantom Queen is a mysterious figure, described in the Animal Jam novels as having the powers of telekinetic communication with all nearby phantoms. She's credited as the reason for Mira and Zios' absence from Jamaa, although she was defeated and trapped in the phantom portal by the Alphas in the process. She has two trusted right-hand phantoms named Leach and Stench.
There are four known Phantom Kings; the first of which was revealed in the 2013 adventure The Hive. Subsequent kings were revealed in the later adventures, with a speculative possible limit of 11 kings. The phantom kings possess electric powers, but prefer to attack with body slams which stun them temporarily. The kings act as commanders to nearby lesser phantoms.
These phantoms are the largest threat to animals in Jamaa; in addition to their electricity which can deliver painful shocks, their numbers display a wide array of specialized talents. These include but are not limited to: Guards, factory floor operators, managers, graffiti artists, footsoldiers, and pranksters.
This phantom is an underwater variant revealed in the 2014 adventure Bubble Trouble. They cannot be destroyed in-game, delivering electric shocks to animals foolish enough get too close.
Heavies are large round phantoms with small tentacles that move by bouncing along the ground rather than floating like the other phantoms. Like Phantom Kings, their preferred method of attack is a body slam which can easily knock animals out.
Somewhat illusive phantoms, these only make an appearance in the Animal Jam (mobile game) phantom dimension.
Proto phantoms are small, harmless phantoms that are reportedly made of sugar, and too timid to be useful in the takeover of Jamaa. For the yearly Night of the Phantoms celebrations, these can be found in the adventure Bitter Sweets.
The "ideal" adventure loadout is:
Alpha Gauntlets (50 points), Epic Dragon Mask (8), Rare Long/Bright/Seafoam Spiked Collar (7), Rare Shark Fin (4), and Stegosaurus Tail (7). Since Alpha Gauntlets are somewhat difficult to obtain, my loadout (pictured) deals 77 damage with the Autumn Alien Sword (50), Rare Epic Dragon Mask (8), Seafoam Spiked Collar (7), Rare Stegosaurus Tail (7), and Rare Long Spiked Wristband (6).
Night of the Phantoms is Jamaa's version of Halloween, a yearly celebration of all things spooky, dark, and mysterious! The night of the phantoms celebration is one of the most anticipated events in the game, with new parties, costumes, den items, music, tricks and treats galore! Jamaa Township goes all-out with the decorations, switching to a dark, foggy atmosphere full of string lights and jack o' lanterns.
The statue of Mira at the top of Jamaa township is replaced with a tall phantom statue, and the in-game newspaper is vandalized by phantoms. In addition to the new decor, portals to the Phantom Vortex are opened up in certain places all around Jamaa. The Phantom Vortex is a small purple and black room where the seasonal exclusive game "Phantoms!" appears, in which you have to fend off candy-hungry phantoms with a torch for a unique prize. In the past couple years, a shop has also opened up in the vortex, selling weekly rotating items for diamonds.
Also arriving in Jamaa for the Night of the Phantoms celebration is the adventure Bitter Sweets, where you play as one of your pets and collect candy from proto phantoms around a spooky little map. Candy themed prizes are earned by all! Despite how laggy it is, it's one of my favorites.
In game, the reason behind the Night of the Phantoms is to trick the phantoms and keep them from causing mischief, but amongst the animals it's more turned into a celebration of the phantoms themselves, and everything spooky associated with them!
The phantoms' social order seems to operate almost like a beehive, with a commanding Queen and their four (known) kings executing and delegating her orders. The bulk of the phantom population is made up of Common Phantoms, the quintessential mischief makers of the game which possess (often limited) intelligence and a knack for machines. Lesser phantoms, such as Phantom Coral, Phantom Pods, Phantom Webs, and Phantom Snares take on a purely functional form created to obstruct animals from their goals, or to defend an objective. It's unknown if these lesser phantoms possess any sapience.
Motives
The phantom forces' motivations have been murky since the beginning. Do they sow chaos and destruction because of an innate need? Do they need to take over Jamaa for its natural resources? Do they need the pollution to survive, and are thus expanding their habitable territory? Does Greely's theory that they need to destroy to sustain their own dimension correct? As of now, we've still yet to find out.Types of Phantoms
The Queen
The Phantom Queen is a mysterious figure, described in the Animal Jam novels as having the powers of telekinetic communication with all nearby phantoms. She's credited as the reason for Mira and Zios' absence from Jamaa, although she was defeated and trapped in the phantom portal by the Alphas in the process. She has two trusted right-hand phantoms named Leach and Stench.
Phantom Kings
There are four known Phantom Kings; the first of which was revealed in the 2013 adventure The Hive. Subsequent kings were revealed in the later adventures, with a speculative possible limit of 11 kings. The phantom kings possess electric powers, but prefer to attack with body slams which stun them temporarily. The kings act as commanders to nearby lesser phantoms.
Normal Phantoms
These phantoms are the largest threat to animals in Jamaa; in addition to their electricity which can deliver painful shocks, their numbers display a wide array of specialized talents. These include but are not limited to: Guards, factory floor operators, managers, graffiti artists, footsoldiers, and pranksters.
Phantom Corals
This phantom is an underwater variant revealed in the 2014 adventure Bubble Trouble. They cannot be destroyed in-game, delivering electric shocks to animals foolish enough get too close.
Heavy Phantoms
Heavies are large round phantoms with small tentacles that move by bouncing along the ground rather than floating like the other phantoms. Like Phantom Kings, their preferred method of attack is a body slam which can easily knock animals out.
Spiked Phantoms
Somewhat illusive phantoms, these only make an appearance in the Animal Jam (mobile game) phantom dimension.
Proto Phantoms
Proto phantoms are small, harmless phantoms that are reportedly made of sugar, and too timid to be useful in the takeover of Jamaa. For the yearly Night of the Phantoms celebrations, these can be found in the adventure Bitter Sweets.
Strategy
There are a few tried-and true strategies for defeating phantoms in adventures. Whirlpearls are exclusive to underwater advenures: they unblock passages and deal an unspecified amount of damage to nearby phantoms. Boomseeds and Chomper Plants are botanial innovations by Cosmo. Boomseeds deal 100 damage to phantoms and phantom structures on land, while Chomper Plants can trap a single phantom. Mechachompers are a variation on chomper plants built by Graham, able to trap multiple phantoms in succession. Chomper Clams are an underwater variation.
Weapons
Animal Jam's in-game adventures utlilize hit points for obstacles like phantom pods, though the way it's calculated is somewhat roundabout. You can equip items that will add to the damage you can deal, the highest of which (without glitches or hacking) being 86.The "ideal" adventure loadout is:
Alpha Gauntlets (50 points), Epic Dragon Mask (8), Rare Long/Bright/Seafoam Spiked Collar (7), Rare Shark Fin (4), and Stegosaurus Tail (7). Since Alpha Gauntlets are somewhat difficult to obtain, my loadout (pictured) deals 77 damage with the Autumn Alien Sword (50), Rare Epic Dragon Mask (8), Seafoam Spiked Collar (7), Rare Stegosaurus Tail (7), and Rare Long Spiked Wristband (6).
Night of the Phantoms
Night of the Phantoms is Jamaa's version of Halloween, a yearly celebration of all things spooky, dark, and mysterious! The night of the phantoms celebration is one of the most anticipated events in the game, with new parties, costumes, den items, music, tricks and treats galore! Jamaa Township goes all-out with the decorations, switching to a dark, foggy atmosphere full of string lights and jack o' lanterns.
The statue of Mira at the top of Jamaa township is replaced with a tall phantom statue, and the in-game newspaper is vandalized by phantoms. In addition to the new decor, portals to the Phantom Vortex are opened up in certain places all around Jamaa. The Phantom Vortex is a small purple and black room where the seasonal exclusive game "Phantoms!" appears, in which you have to fend off candy-hungry phantoms with a torch for a unique prize. In the past couple years, a shop has also opened up in the vortex, selling weekly rotating items for diamonds.
Also arriving in Jamaa for the Night of the Phantoms celebration is the adventure Bitter Sweets, where you play as one of your pets and collect candy from proto phantoms around a spooky little map. Candy themed prizes are earned by all! Despite how laggy it is, it's one of my favorites.
In game, the reason behind the Night of the Phantoms is to trick the phantoms and keep them from causing mischief, but amongst the animals it's more turned into a celebration of the phantoms themselves, and everything spooky associated with them!
Style
Since the end of the beta stage of the game, artists hired by Wildworks and Smartbomb Interactive follow a style guide to keep the look and the feel of the game relatively consistent. Here are excerpts from Animal Jam's official corporate style guide:
Background Art
Animal Jam's scenic background art is a major draw for many players; these maps are filled with so much life and detail and mystery, they almost beg you to come explore them. Of course, the wonderful background art wouldn't be possible without the artists:Taylor Maw is the artist behind much of Animal Jam's background art, concept art, pets, animal designs, and lore. His work is foundational to Animal Jam's style; so much so that I can't add everything he did for the game in this short widget! Check out more of his works featured on the Animal Jam wiki and the Twitter linked above.
Mark Jarman is responsible for much of the breathtaking scenery of Mt. Shiveer and Serapia Forest.
Steve Fox is the artist credited with designing many adventure maps, including the seasonal adventures.
Dave Laub created many iconic interiors for Animal Jam, and a few for the mobile game as well.
Animation
Nothing brings Animal Jam's world to life more than its animated features; waterfalls, fireflies, magic effects, campfires, and more. A vast majority of these effects can be attributed to master VFX animator Jason Keyser. His work melds with Animal Jam's asymmetrical lineless style perfectly, and his animations can be found all throughout the game.
World Maps (Just to look at)
Cause they look nice :)
