Postopia

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Postopia
Type of site
Internet games
Available inEnglish
Founded2001; 24 years ago (2001)
DissolvedJanuary 2011 (2011-01)
OwnerPost Consumer Brands
Created byPost Consumer Brands, Skyworks Technologies
FounderPost Consumer Brands
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
Launched2001; 24 years ago (2001)
Current statusDefunct

Postopia was an American advergaming portal established by Skyworks Technologies in partnership with Post Cereals in 2001.

Work on the website started at Skyworks in 1999, continuing until 2009.[1] The site opened in 2001;[2] its games featured tie-ins with cereal mascots and characters.[3] As of a June 2001 Nielsen survey, the website attracted 260,000 unique users aged under 12.[4]

The first version was developed by Scient. It was advertised on television and was featured in more than 17 million Post cereal boxes.[5] The initial version was divided into four countries, each one with its own main character: Futuria, a futuristic city inhabited by inventors known as the Gadgetrons,[6] led by Zander;[7] the Ice Burbs, a wintry location dedicated to fashion and trends, its inhabitants being the Ice Breakers,[8] led by Kiki;[9] Space Nation, a space station located above Postopia and populated by a team of explorers known as the Galaxy Busters,[10] led by Chelsea;[11] and the underwater Wet World, inhabited by professional athletes known as the Water Loggers,[12] led by Nick.[13] In 2004, the site was made by Razorfish, with two million unique users visiting per month for up to 30 minutes a day each. Development was largely due to the implementation of broadband connections, a technological advancement pivotal for the development of interactive websites.[14]

In November 2005, Skyworks started delivering USB-ported Dance Dance Revolution-inspired dancing mats. These mats were available from sister website NabiscoWorld.[15] That same year, it was heavily targeted by a new Kraft policy to promote only healthier foods, which effected the website by the end of 2006.[16] In 2006, Congress went after advergames for sponsoring unhealthy foods, prompting them to detach from their previous sponsors.[17] The website attracted a million child users in the second quarter of 2006.[18] In December 2007, Postopia received the most traffic from outside advertising on Nickelodeon's website (87%), Disney's website (74%), and RuneScape (67%).[19] As of 2009, the average number of visitors per month had fallen to 264,000.[20]

A 2011 study said that only a limited number of kids were aware that the games were made to advertise cereals—the study targeted the Honey-Comb-sponsored Be a Popstar.[21][22] At the bottom of its homepage, it included a fine-print message explaining that the website contained commercial advertising related to its products.[23] It also featured Postokens, with which users unlocked new levels or features to existing games using passwords found in cereal boxes.[17]

The website was discontinued in 2011, likely as an effect of the reduction in child-based advertising online.[24] Another cause was Kraft's sale of Post to Ralcorp, which hampered the creation of a new website.[25] The website was replaced by PebblesPlay.com, an advergame website promoting Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles,[26] Unlike what happened with Postopia, PebblesPlay did not generate the same amount of impressions.[27]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Postopia". RyanBond.co. October 3, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  2. ^ "Now Showing: News in brief". www.campaignlive.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Another Internet headache: Your kids think it's a game — but it's advertising!". August 23, 2006.
  4. ^ The Faces of Televisual Media. Routledge. 2003. ISBN 978-1-135-63974-7. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
  5. ^ "Postopia.com". www.jimfitts.com.
  6. ^ "Futuria | Country Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
  7. ^ "Zander | Character Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
  8. ^ "Ice Burbs | Country Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
  9. ^ "Kiki | Character Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
  10. ^ "Space Nation | Country Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
  11. ^ "Chelsea | Characters | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
  12. ^ "Wet World | Country Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
  13. ^ "Nick | Character Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
  14. ^ "aQuantive lands major catch with Razorfish | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com.
  15. ^ "Family Plan". November 30, 2025.
  16. ^ "Kraft Web Sites to Only Tout Healthier Foods". adage.com.
  17. ^ a b "Fresh Front in Food Fight: Pols Attack Digital Media". adage.com.
  18. ^ "Food Companies Use Web Games to Lure Kids". ABC News.
  19. ^ "Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents" (PDF).
  20. ^ Rochman, Bonnie (October 23, 2009). "The Sugary Brands Doing the Most Kid-Chasing - TIME" – via content.time.com.
  21. ^ "Advergames: it's not child's play" (PDF).
  22. ^ Moe, John. "Kids don't realize ads are ads". www.marketplace.org.
  23. ^ "Pitching It To Kids | TIME".
  24. ^ "Cereal FACTS 2012: A spoonful of progress in a bowl full of unhealthy marketing to kids | Yale News". news.yale.edu. June 22, 2012.
  25. ^ "Timothy Sheridan - Postopia". timsheridanportfolio.com.
  26. ^ Brownell, Kelly; Harris, Jennifer (June 22, 2012). "Sugar Rush: Why We Can't Trust Cereal Companies to Self-Regulate".
  27. ^ Challenges and Opportunities