Welcome to This Day in History, a column examining important events throughout army history. This edition will cover the leadership crisis involving Elmikey and the Rebel Penguin Federation on February 20, 2014.
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Background
Elmikey’s history is heavily intertwined with that of the Rebel Penguin Federation. He joined Club Penguin Armies in May, 2007 as one of the first recruits of Commando717’s new army, RPF. The Rebels had success in their first year, being on the victorious side of World War III and dominating during The Tundra Wars. In 2008, however, Elmikey retired from RPF. It was not until 2013 that he returned to lead the Rebels to greater heights. Though this was one of the greatest eras in RPF’s history, it was not without tension. In 2013, RPF won Legends Cup IV and Christmas Chaos III but trouble was brewing behind the scenes, coming to a boil in February, 2014.
On February 18, Elmikey and Sir Pj announced that leader Lilstar and advisor Snaily5 would be removed from their ranks. The reason initially given was that they planned to force Elmikey to retire, or coup him if that failed, due to alleged harassment and mistreatment of troops. Elmikey denied the claims, saying that he had only been rude to one moderator. Lilstar claimed that Elmikey took part in unfair demotions, and Snaily5 said that she wanted to give Elmikey a “rest from stress”. Multiple rebels called the oustings “unfair”.
With RPF’s High Command split on whether to support their leaders’ actions, Elmikey doubled down on their decision. He called the demoted people “noobs”, and sent out a warning to the remaining HCOM saying, “I am cleansing the ranks and I will be setting up what I believe will be the ‘perfect’ staff team.” Elmikey and Sir Pj likely felt threatened by the army’s performance, as they had a subpar event following the demotions, and recently lost their #1 spot on the Top Ten.
Elmikey justifies the demotions
February 20, 2014
The tension that had continued to grow within the Rebel Penguin Federation peaked on February 20, when Sir Pj shared his opposition to Elmikey’s leadership. In a post on RPF’s website, he perpetuated claims made regarding Elmikey’s mistreatment of troops, claiming that he would often lie, insult recruits, and frequently ban people. Sir Pj said that Elmikey had fired him for “speaking the truth”, but announced his own intentions to remove him from the army. The website post was quickly removed, but the rebellion that was forming was not slowed.
It seemed that the Rebels had plunged into chaos, with the new “anti-Elmikey rebellion” launching a raid on RPF’s capital, Tuxedo, not long after Sir Pj’s post dropped. Club Penguin Army Central quickly secured an interview with Elmikey to gather his side of the story. In this interview, he once again defended his decisions as before and added that Sir Pj was “one of the worst UK leaders” who had tried to launch a rebellion against him prior to his firing. Elmikey’s main motivation still seemed to be to make RPF as strong as possible at the expense of the demoted troops. At the time of the interview, Elmikey stood as the sole leader of the Rebels, but the leadership crisis was far from over.
Sir Pj announces his opposition to Elmikey
Leadership turmoil continues
Elmikey’s bold actions did not go unchecked, and the rebellion against him raged on. However, a former leader sought a solution to the discontent. Founder Commando717 decided it was time to step in, and created an election so that the troops could have their say on who should lead RPF. With the candidates being Elmikey, Lilstar, and Sir Pj, it would make it clear whose side people were on. In the early hours of February 21, however, a shocking turn of events unfolded. Elmikey announced that he was leaving RPF for the Doritos. He said that he hoped that his absence would stabilize the army as he conceded the election to frontrunner Lilstar. Alongside this, troops who had lost their ranks amid the chaos had their positions reinstated, with Elmikey’s actions being undone.
Despite it seeming that he had moved on from his first army, this still was not the end. The vote carried on, and Elmikey continued to have his say, insisting that RPF would die if he lost despite his previous concession. After a few hours, Lilstar took a huge lead with 29 votes to Elmikey’s 19. Though Sir Pj was far behind, the election was essentially a two-party race, and Sir Pj’s position would remain secure if Lilstar won. Not long afterwards, it was confirmed that Lilstar had won, and would lead alongside Sir Pj, Silverburg, and Ultipenguinj. Elmikey, who seemed willing to return to RPF given the opportunity, turned his back on the army following the election, solidifying his decision to join DCP as its newest leader.
Elmikey disavows RPF but does not rule out returning
Burned Bridges?
Shortly after the dust settled and RPF’s newest leadership team got to work, they faced a new threat to the peace. The same day Elmikey joined DCP, they declared war on what they called the “corrupt version of the RPF”. Not long after that, the Doritos claimed victory in their invasion of RPF’s capital, Tuxedo. With sizes soaring above 50, they proved to be a more dominant force, and that week they also came out on top in the weekly Top Ten. It looked unlikely at the time that Elmikey could work with the Rebels again.
Throughout 2014, Elmikey had stints with multiple armies after being removed from DCP’s leadership. Surprisingly though, he found himself back in RPF in August of that year. This would be short-lived, but he would continue popping back up over the next few years. This culminated in his eventual removal from leadership once more in December 2017. This time, it seems like it would be the last time Elmikey would lead the RPF, but in an interview in November 2024, he said that anything was possible.
DCP takes Tuxedo from the Rebels
Conclusion
February 20, 2014, proved to be one of the most tumultuous dates in RPF’s history. It was also one of the most scandalous moments at the time in CPA. Elmikey’s departure brought in leaders who became well-known in their own right, while he built his legacy across multiple armies. Who would you have voted to lead RPF? Was this an important mark in RPF’s history? Which of the mentioned armies would you want to lead?
Snork
Managing Editor
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Hello, it's Snork!! I am but a wee little lad reporting on the silly penguin game :3