If you grew up with a computer at home, you’ve likely played a game or two online. Many people may share the same memory of rushing to your computer after a long day of school and going on a number of sites like Club Penguin or Movie Star Planet. You would spend hours talking with random strangers who would either be your closest friends or your worst enemies.
Today, most of those sites are dormant. As a child, I was filled with distraught as one site after another closed — I felt like I was almost losing parts of myself with every sad note about another game shutting its doors with very little chance of it reopening ever again.
However, one site that almost flies under the radar for these discussions of favorite online games — but has been a personal favorite of mine for years — was revived and has managed to survive for the last 10 years, all thanks to its strong user base.
That game is Toontown Rewritten.
For a bit of history, Toontown is a brand owned by Disney Enterprises, originally opening the park “Mickey’s ToonTown” in Disneyland in 1993. The park found success and nearly a decade later, on June 2, 2003, Disney launched the game Toontown Online.
Toontown Online was a family MMO that saw the player as an animal resident of the Toontown world. They would need to stop the evil cogs — essentially robot businessmen — from destroying their world and turning everything to nothing but dark and dreary business buildings.
For being an online game that the whole family can play, Toontown was considered one of the first of its kind, and quickly established its place in the online realm. However, that magic wouldn’t last forever, as on Sept. 19, 2013, Toontown online shut its doors due to budget cuts and executive changes.
This isn’t the end of the story though. Nearly a month after Toontown was closed, players soon found the game, “Toontown Rewritten.” Toontown Rewritten in itself is a fascinating story of the efforts of passion and dedication. To learn as much as I could about it, I spoke with Joey Ziolkowski, the creative director of Toontown Rewritten for more insight on this game.
Toontown Rewritten started development on Aug. 20 2013, said Ziolkowski, around the same time Disney had announced Toontown online was shutting its doors.
“Our main goal, with the small team that we had, was to try and get a playable prototype,” said Ziolkowski, having been around since the beginning of Toontown Rewritten. “It was this race against the clock where we knew that ToonTown was closing Sept. 19 and everyone was going to be devastated… we were working as much as we could to just really quickly get something together… to say that Toontown is not gone forever.”
The team had an Alpha release of the game on Oct. 28, 2013. Years of work would go into this remake that proudly keeps the game alive today.
One of the most wonderful things about this remake is that it is entirely made up of carefully selected volunteers — people who dedicate not only their time but money into the game.
Ziolkowski noted that the team is researching original design documents of ToonTown Online and studying the game on “a deeper level” so that the game feels like it is still a product of Disney.
Beyond updates, this team ensures the safety of the player through their moderation. As they wish to remain good in the eyes of the Walt Disney company, the team wants to ensure that they are not only as good but in some cases even better for the whole family which in a way helps it to withstand the test of time.
Toontown Rewritten is greatly thriving today with an estimate of about 35,000 players a week and sometimes even more with the most recent 10 year celebration of this game having happened. Ziolkowski still greatly thanks the most dedicated people — the community — who keep on coming back to the game.
“I think that while we have certainly done our part to keep Toontown alive, the content we’ve created for ToonTown Rewritten, the events we have hosted … it is the community that really keeps the game alive,” Ziolkowski said. “The game is a tool for connecting people.”
Frequent news and updates are posted about the game on its own website, and it’s very easy to see the love that everyone clearly puts behind this property. I believe that to be one of the loveliest factors of this game — it is a shining testament of not only nostalgia people have for the creation of a safe, welcoming environment but also the ability for rediscovery and newly formed memories.
Their is no telling what the future may be for Toontown Rewritten, but if I could end this article on any note, I think the best way to do that is by saying support Ziolkowski and the rest of the amazing Toontown Rewritten team by giving this game a look and allowing yourself to be transported back to your childhood.
