Twenty years ago, a small snowy island opened, and, somehow, it changed the internet forever. Club Penguin was more than just a game; it was a community, a world where imagination had no limits, and lasting friendships emerged.
Designed by Edu14463
It is certainly hard to believe that it has been twenty years since Club Penguin opened its snowy doors to the virtual world. What began as a small Flash experiment by a few Canadian developers in 2005 grew into one of the most beloved online communities of all time, a digital home for millions of kids who just wanted to play, explore, and be part of something bigger.
Club Penguin started as a passion project by New Horizon Interactive, which was later bought by Disney in 2007. Built in the era of dial-up and boxy monitors, it somehow managed to create a living, breathing world out of simple animations and bright colors. There was nothing flashy about it. Just an island, a few buildings, and penguins. But what it did have was soul. You could feel it in the cozy atmosphere of the Coffee Shop, the gentle loop of the Town music, and the hype around the Elite Penguin Force.
Snow Festival in 2007
And then came the parties. Themed events that transformed the island into something new every few weeks. For example, the Halloween Party, Medieval Party, Puffle Party, and Music Jam. Players would stay up till midnight, waiting to re-log on to the game to check the new party updates. Hidden and decorated rooms, special items, and mysteries to uncover. Those moments were magic. Logging in after school, friends waiting by the Plaza, and suddenly the ordinary island felt alive again. Everyone had their favorite party; the one they still remember years later.
Operation: Blackout in November 2012, arguably the best party of CP
And who could forget the puffles? Those tiny, bouncing companions that turned from simple pets into cherished friends of penguins. Each color represented something. The blue puffle’s loyalty, the black puffle’s attitude, and the pink one’s energy. We took care of them, walked them, laughed (or cried) when the green puffle called “Salad” (or the blue puffle called… “Blue”) ran away, and somehow learned responsibility in the process.
Players adopting puffles in the modern Pet Shop
Club Penguin was a marvel of its time. For many of us, it was more than just a pastime; it was a place. The first digital world that felt like home. It taught us friendship through shared EPF/PSA missions and roleplays, creativity through igloo decorating, and empathy through small acts, like helping a fellow penguin complete a stamp or flip the iceberg. It gave shy kids a voice, imaginative kids an audience, and lonely kids, like me, a place to bond with friends and to express myself in many ways.
When the island finally shut down in 2017, the internet paused. Millions of players logged in one last time, gathering in Town, Docks, Snow Forts to say goodbye. Penguins waved, danced, and flooded the chat with a phrase that had become more than a slogan: “Waddle on“. It was a farewell, but it was also a reminder that the friendships and lessons we made there would carry on long after the servers shut down. And they certainly did. Here we are, are we not?
Players bidding farewell to Club Penguin on March 30, 2017.
The community, the true soul of Club Penguin, refused to let go. Fans rebuilt the island in countless forms through CPPS (Club Penguin Private Servers). These projects became more than nostalgia trips. They showed that what was missing was the feeling of belonging it gave us. And here we are, eight years later, still logging in, roleplaying as armies, spamming emotes, creating neat (for some armies, sloppy, haha) formations, still organizing community events, and sharing that same sense of belonging. The graphics are the same, the music still loops like a lullaby, but the meaning has changed. We are older now. We have jobs, studies, and responsibilities. Yet, we return to this island because it reminds us who we were, and how a simple, kind-hearted game could shape so many lives.
What is the fondest memory you have of Club Penguin?
Alucard, People’s Imperial Confederation: Growing up we never really had a “family computer” so we’d always share the one at my nan’s house with my cousins. We had recently been banned from playing Roblox on it because someone (probably 5 year old me) accidentally downloaded a virus infected version of the game so we were limited to only YouTube and games that didn’t need to be downloaded. Anyways in 2009 my mum was scrolling through Facebook when she sees an ad for Club Penguin, knowing we weren’t allowed to download anything she recommends that we start playing it as it was advertised back then as an MMO for kids, she sat me and my cousins down in the front room with my nan’s PC, pulled up Club Penguin and thus, “Boris365” was born. Why Boris365? I’m not sure, it was probably a name we made to protect my actual name from strangers but we then started exploring servers and looking around the island, as I got older I’d go on to make a few more accounts such as “FoodCritic1” and “E45e” getting more involved with Club Penguin and eventually CPPSes but that moment where I made my first ever account with my mum all the way back in 2009 has to the best memory I had with Club Penguin.
Dillon, S/M Army Legend: the second half of 2012 is my fondest memory because of the parties and events you had the adventure party and then the normal parties that are always occurring, like holiday and halloween but you also had blackout, which imo is the peak of club penguin parties and the measuring stick it had the perfect balance of things to do in game (the puzzles to get through herbert’s lair), world building (revealing AA as the director) (turning the docks into a puffle emergency clinic and the lighthouse into a hospital, the underground EPF HQ), atmosphere and stakes (the whole island being plunged into darkness, the snow piling up every week, the everyday phoning facility being destroyed) it was also the first time we really saw that something could go WRONG on club penguin which made it even more impactful, the PSA missions were cool but also a “popcorn bomb” was played for laughs, this was treated as an actual threat. it was such an exciting event those parties solidified me as a club penguin fan, before then I had played it religiously yes but honestly if not for halloween 2012, blackout and holiday party 2012 we probably don’t have this conversation today
Silverburg, Army Legend: My best memory was when Card Jitsu was introduced in late 2008 I grinded tf out of that
Kedi Wain, Elite Guardians: I have many, the 2014 Future Party, my first pin, which was Penguin Nest, and my favorite memory is the 2014 Penguin Cup.
Pjayo, Water Vikings: Holiday Party 2009. Hopping online with my friends after school got out for the last day before Christmas, and seeing just how big the christmas party was for club penguin this year, with the sled rides on top of the night club, the migrator docked at the beach, and nearly every room was decorated. That was the moment, for me at least, that made club penguin something special.
Justin, Dark Warriors Leader: My fondest memory is logging on club penguin as a kid to roleplay as a EPF agent in the EPF command room, that and the halloween events + the fair event.
Ghostt, Scarlet Republic: My fondest memory was likely the day I entered the armies community. I don’t remember the specifics because it was a long long time ago but sometime in late January or Early February 2010, I had found some penguins waddling around Town, Snow Forts & Plaza saying “CP CLONES! ONCE A CLONE ALWAYS A CLONE!” “LOOK US UP ON WOOGLE!” and I was confused thinking what is woogle? Then it all clicked and I figured they were advertising a group. I never would have guessed that the simple google search I made that day would have affected the next few years of my life so much that I’d even revisit the same community over a decade after leaving it
Fun X Time, Star Force Leader: Although I have never played the original Club Penguin that ran until 2017, I had tried Club Penguin Island, the official 3D counterpart. From my experience, such a game would definitely enjoy anyone who plays it. From the Club Penguin private server era, I have favorite moments from Club Penguin Online such as the Star Wars Takeover party, as well as the creation of army CPPS such as CPATG or CPAB. More recently, all the parties on CP Journey are equally well memorable, too.
Elsa, Templars: The fondest memory I have of club penguin is the Star Wars Takeovers! Because I am a huge fan of Star Wars! Thanks Club Penguin!
Lydia, Water Vikings: I remember being a little dweeb looking up how to get CP membership for free on my grandmas window 7 HP computer. I think I ended up getting scammed somehow because I was desperate 🙁
Superhero123, Advisor: honestly any time I was playing club penguin with my brother and friends was dope but i think most fun i had was during operation blackout it was my fav party and growing up i realized a lot of ppl shared the same opinion which was cool it was club penguin’s peak imo after that party downhill started and game was eventually ruined due to disney’s mismanagment and kids prefering roblox over more basic virtual worlds like club penguin imo there was still def potential for the game to remain profitable, even under a smaller playerbase every cpps owner knows how much it costs to mantain such a game and its not that much CPR did an excellent job party wise, on par with the og game honestly and it was just a bunch of teens/early adults running things
KiItanon, Reporter: My fondest memory within Club Penguin came as a result of my isolated childhood. Coming from a rural background, in a small village with very few others of the same age, I frequently played Club Penguin after my older sister had recommended it to me. Being the youngest child, I was often relegated to watching my siblings play, instead of actually playing myself, and despite this sounding lacklustre, it provided with me memories I’ll never forget, most vividly of all has to be whenever “Operation: Blackout” was released in November of 2012. Me and two of my siblings would rush home from school each week to quickly try and solve the “puzzle” that had released that week, bypassing all the security stuff. We would actually have to do this thrice each week, as we all had separate accounts. Funnily enough, despite doing it in quick succession, we still got enjoyment out of repeating the mini game, possibly even more than the first time.
Thuanthaijo, Help Force Leader: I never played the original but my fondest memory would be Help Force’s prom event in 2022 where most people at the prom were single
Jojo Teri, Chief Executive Producer: I remember when I was around 5, I used to be allowed on the family PC for one hour each day of the weekend. I used to grind a lot on minigames, with my favorites being the sled racing, card jitsu and DJ3K. I also liked Jetpack Adventure much but I was mad when they changed it and made it member only after the first level, so i had never managed to finish it. In the more recent Club Penguin era I also liked smoothie smash a lot. Since I started playing very young before I even knew English I had my parents around when I played who helped me get around the game. My favorite parties were the Halloween and Christmas ones as they had the most decorated rooms compared to the other parties, with the latter one often having the Migrator too. In the Christmas party I often donated all the coins I had gathered from the games throughout the year to the coins for change.
Twenty years later, we are still here. Not because of nostalgia alone, but because Club Penguin represented, and still represents, something we all still crave: a world where everyone belonged, where kindness mattered, and where we felt warm. So to every penguin who ever danced in the Night Club, fished in the Ski Lodge, or waited for Rockhopper’s Migrator to appear on the horizon: you kept the island alive. And for those who are still around, scheduling invasions, holding events, creating army rivalries, and even sparking drama across the community. You now keep the spirit alive. Waddle on, always! Happy 20th, Club Penguin.
What is YOUR fondest memory of Club Penguin?
Edu14463
Chief Executive Producer
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Army Legend. Former Water Ninjas leader. Founder and Former Leader of the Elite Guardians of Club Penguin. Currently serving as Chief Executive Producer in Club Penguin Armies.