Return to Pixie Hollow for a heartwarming adventure, Disney’s Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast. An ancient myth of a massive creature sparks the curiosity of Tinker Bell and her good friend Fawn, an animal fairy who’s not afraid to break the rules to help an animal in need.
On Tuesday, August 20th, 2013, Disney Interactive posted on several of its MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) that they would be closing on September 19th, 2013. These roleplays include Toontown Online, Pirates of the Caribbean Online, and Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow Online. According to their Closing FAQ Pages,
'The Walt Disney Company is committed to offering high-quality, entertaining play experiences in both online virtual worlds and mobile apps. At this time, we are shifting our development focus towards other online and mobile play experiences, such as Club Penguin and a growing selection of Disney Mobile apps. We deeply appreciate your enthusiasm and loyal support and sincerely hope you will continue to enjoy the large variety of online and mobile play experiences Disney offers - with more to come soon!'
However, each of these Disney MMORPGs have a legacy behind them. For instance, Toontown has just celebrated its 10th year anniversary, and has been spatting cogs all the while from its start in 2003. Toontown has also received multiple awards, including '2003 MMORPG Game of the Year'. Pirates of the Caribbean Online was started to promote the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, and was eventually released in 2007 to the pirates of the US, Canada, parts of Mexico, and the UK. Its 'Revive POTCO' petition has received over three thousand signatures. Finally, Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow was created in autumn of 2008 to promote the Disney Fairies franchise, especially it's movie series. Since then, the game has evolved and changed--and so has each of the other MMORPGs. Each one is unique in its playing style, and has hundrends if not thousands of players. Now, suddenly, three of Disney's four MMORPGs are being shut down due to a 'shifting development focus'. This leaves tons of players out in the cold, suddenly unsure of what to accomplish in their Toons'/Pirates'/Fairies' last month.
Please sign this petition to help show Disney that we do care about these MMORPGs, and that they mean something to us all. Thank you.
EDIT: Thank you all for the 300 signs, everyone! Every signature counts! However, I have just recently been informed that according to some, Disney Interactive will consider keeping the sites open if we happen to reach 5,000 signatures. I do realize that that is a lot to accomplish in less than a month, but it is worth a try. I am not meaning to sound ungrateful for each and every signature posted so far, but if Disney is willing to consider keeping the sites if we reach 5,000, then I will set the bar that high.
Thank you all again for your participation. - Disney Fan
EDIT: I am completely speechless at how many signatures we've currently collected. Over 4,000? We'll reach 5,000 in no time!
Of course, the more signatures we receive on the more petitions there are, the better chance of Disney keeping these wonderful online worlds open.
Here are some Toontown petitions that would love your support:
https://www.change.org/petitions/bob-iger-lisa-peabody-mihai-pohontu-john-pleasants-disney-keep-toontown-open-facing-the-real-cogs
http://www.change.org/petitions/disney-cancel-toontown-s-shutdown
Here are some Pixie Hollow petitions that would love your support:
https://www.change.org/petitions/robert-iger-disney-pixie-hollow-stop-the-shut-down-of-pixie-hollow
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/372/705/820/save-pixie-hollow/
Here are some petitions advocating for all three sites to not be closed, and would love your support:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/321/185/568/save-disney-fairies-pixie-hollow-pirates-of-the-carribean-online-and-toontown/
Again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart for signing this. If it wasn't for you all, this would just be a fruitless attempt at saving the online worlds I--and as I know now, a lot of people--hold dear.
- Disney Fan
Blogging Disney has featured the world of Pixie Hollow on three previous occasions.
In August 2011, I blogged about the Disney Fairies Magazine and the Disney Fairies Fly mobile app: Tinker Bell and Disney Fairies Magazine.
In September 2011, I promoted the TV premiere and home video release of the Pixie Hollow Games movie with links to online games and contests. Pixie Hollow Games, Contests, and More!
And in July 2013, I gave a detailed review of one of my favorite Disney apps: Disney Fairies Fashion Boutique.
Are you surprised there’s so much happening in the tiny, magical world of Peter Pan’s temperamental fairy sidekick? Don’t be!
Introducing the Garden Fairy Chloe, screenshot from disney.go.com/fairies/
Fans of the Disney Fairies franchise have always known the world of Tinker Bell and her friends is more than just movies, magazines and mobile apps: it’s a vast multiplayer online universe where you can create your own fairy avatar, play games, design fashions and interact with thousands of other Tinker Bell fans.
Err, well…it used to be, anyway.
As it happens, Disney shut down the Pixie Hollow online world in September 2013, just two months after I raved about the Disney Fairies Fashion Boutique app (which I came THISCLOSE to spending real $$$ playing). But on September 19th, Pixie Hollow vanished, and along with it, the Disney Fairies Fashion Boutique app.
Boutique closet, screenshot from Disney Fairies Fashion Boutique, copyright Disney
What about Disney Fairies Fly and the Disney Fairies Magazine? Are they still around? Nope. All gone. Poof. It’s as if they never existed.
Of course, Disney can delete Pixie Hollow from the internet and remove the games from the App Store, but my blog posts are still online. I didn’t even know Disney purged the Disney Fairies universe until I received several comments from readers who couldn’t find the Fashion Boutique in the App Store. The comments were from angry Fairies fans who loved the fashion boutique app but couldn’t download it on new devices and were unable to recover the game after accidentally deleting the original download.
As a Fashion Boutique fan, the frustrations of other gamers inspired me to investigate the vanishing app. The internet isn’t always the easiest place to find things that no longer exist, but after a fair amount of Googling, I found an FAQ explaining Disney’s purge of Pixie Hollow and its related apps.
New Pixie Hollow Website
Unfortunately, the FAQ page is a JPG image, making it inaccessible to screen readers and devices without image support, and the text can’t be read and indexed by search engines. To help the distraught Fairies fans who come to Blogging Disney looking for answers, I’ve copied Disney’s official FAQ below.
Thank you for being a flutterific part of the Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow community and for your loyalty.
Pixie Hollow accounts have now been automatically closed, and can no longer be accessed.
Guests with paid Memberships should have received an email with information about their Membership including refund details. If you have any additional billing-related questions, please contact us at billing@pixiehollow.com or (877) 787-4943. Billing support will no longer be available after November 18, 2013.
Disney Fairies Fashion Boutique has also been removed from the App Store as of September 19, 2013.
When did Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow close?
Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow closed on September 19, 2013.
New Pixie Hollow Movie
Why did Pixie Hollow close?
Disney Interactive is committed to offering high-quality, entertaining play experiences in both online virtual worlds and mobile apps. At this time, we are shifting our development focus towards other online and mobile play experiences, such as the Disney Fairies website and a growing selection of Disney Mobile apps. We deeply appreciate your enthusiasm and loyal support for Pixie Hollow and sincerely hope you will continue to enjoy the large variety of online and mobile play experiences Disney offers – with more to come soon!
Can I still access my account and my Fairy/Sparrow Man avatar(s) and items?
Unfortunately, you can no longer access your account to Pixie Hollow or log into the Pixie Hollow virtual world.
Why can’t I purchase or re-activate my membership?
Pixie Hollow closed on September 19, 2013. Memberships are no longer available for purchase.
I had a recurring paid membership for Pixie Hollow. What happens now?
As of August 20, 2013, your credit card or PayPal account was no longer charged a recurring payment for Pixie Hollow. Guests with paid Memberships received an email with information about Memberships including refund details. Pixie Hollow closed on September 19, 2013. You can no longer access your account to Pixie Hollow or log into the Pixie Hollow virtual world. Billing support will no longer be available after November 18, 2013.
Can I still redeem a secret code I got from a Disney Fairies toy?
Pixie Hollow closed on September 19, 2013, and code redemptions of any kind for Pixie Hollow are no longer available. Please contact us at billing@pixiehollow.com for additional help.
I had purchased a Pixie Hollow game card, but I never redeemed it. What do I do now?
Pixie Hollow closed on September 19, 2013, and Membership for Pixie Hollow is no longer available. If you have purchased a Pixie Hollow Game Card at Target or Toys R Us retail stores, but have not yet activated your Game Card online, please contact us at billing@pixiehollow.com or (877) 787-4943 for additional help. Billing support will no longer be available after November 18, 2013.
Pixie Hollow New Website
I have a Membership/Free Trial code (either from a Game Pass or DVD insert). Can I still use it?
Pixie Hollow closed on September 19, 2013, and Membership of any kind for Pixie Hollow is no longer available. Please contact us at billing@pixiehollow.com for additional help.
New Pixie Hollow Site
Is the Disney Fairies Fashion Boutique mobile app also closed?
Disney Fairies Fashion Boutique was removed from the App Store on September 19, 2013. If you have already downloaded the game on your device, you can continue playing it with more limited functionality.
Pixie Hollow
Will there be any Disney Fairies online games coming out in the future?
You can continue to play flitterific games and activities right here at the official Disney Fairies website! More Fairiy fun will be added regularly!