2016 Item Trends Part II: Wearables

BACKGROUNDS & FOREGROUNDS

If you were going to call 2016 on Neopets the year of anything, you would have a pretty strong case for going with The Year of Excellent Backgrounds. The quality of backgrounds and foregrounds this year was absolutely phenomenal. Even a whole section in this article is nowhere near enough to cover all the great backgrounds and foregrounds in-depth, so here are my honourable mentions: Quaint Negg House Background, Deserted Volleyball Court, Lit Candles on a Stream Foreground, Nightfall Background, and Frozen Cherry Tree.

Breathtaking Night Sky

Of all the amazing backgrounds released this year, I’ve got to say that this one truly is the most breathtaking. This gorgeous nightscape was released as a Daily Dare prize and, unsurprisingly, it’s one of the most valuable items from the event this year. It’s currently sitting at around 250-300K but given that it’s a rarity 101 item never to be released again, the price is likely to climb slowly from there.

Soft Rain Background

This beautiful, mellow background has an art style reminiscent of impressionism. This branch out from the more traditional Neopets art style impressed and appealed to many players. Props to the art team for taking a risk on this one; it definitely paid off! This item has a rarity of 81, stocks at Mystical Surroundings, and currently costs about 25K on the Shop Wizard.

Grey Road

This gloomy background is the perfect backdrop for any dispirited pet, and was just the thing for the rainy April in which it was released. This item has a rarity of 91, stocks at Mystical Surrounds, and currently costs about 40K.

Terror Mountain Blizzard Background

This snowy animated background does get a leg-up in the popularity stakes on account of it being given out free by the Advent Calendar just a few weeks ago. However, it has quickly become the base of many Holiday-themed and seasonal customisations. It’s a bit early to know where the price will settle, but since it’s an Advent Calendar item, it should stay quite affordable, at least for the moment!

CLOTHES & OTHER WEARABLES

Most popular wearables tend to be the species non-specific wearables since they have to potential to reach the widest audience. However, there were also lots of species-specific outfits which I think deserve an honorable mention, particularly the outfits which were also pop culture shout-outs - lookin’ at you Cwin Eyrie outfit and Toyed Up Vandagyre clothes!

Loving Kadoatie

This adorable little wearable petpet was an immediate hit - and it’s not hard to see why. When it was first released in June, suddenly it seemed like everyone was squealing “ohmygoshImusthaveitnow!!!” The Wishing Well was inundated with requests for it, hopeful restockers were clamouring their way through the Gift Shop, and in the first weeks after its release, it sold for upwards of 2 million NP! Thankfully, it’s relatively low rarity means that you no longer need to fork out millions; you can grab one of these cuties for just 40K.

Galaxy Hair with Flower Accessory

This lovely pastel wig was given out as a prize for the Festival of Neggs event in March. I think at least some of us kind of want hair like that IRL but feel like we don’t quite have the guts or mojo to pull it off...so instead we can live vicariously through our neopets :P This wig is about 20K on the shop wizard currently, and like most rarity 101 items, it looks like its price will increase slowly over time.

Priceless Seal

This was another one-time-release item, given after this year’s “Net Worth Calculator” April Fools prank. The description reads “How do you calculate the worth of someone that’s priceless?” which I thought was actually a very sweet way to end a silly prank. TNT really does love us guys! Ironically, the Priceless Seal does have a price and it’s about 2K on the Shop Wizard.

Little Hearts Dress

This cool little dress features card suits as well as a beautiful red rose. The description reads Doesnt this little Hearts dress remind you of - "Off with their heads!"? and indeed, it has a distinctly Wonderland-ish vibe about it. Perhaps that’s why, almost two months after its release, it has stayed at over a whopping one million neopoints despite it being fairly common, with a rarity of 88. If you want to try your hand at restocking it, it stocks in Uni’s Clothing Shop - good luck!

UNDERRATED GEMS

There were so many cool wearables released this year, that I feel that a few might have slipped under the radar. Here are some wearables that I think deserved a little more attention than they got.

Mystical Little House Background

This is one of my personal favourite wearables released this year! This lush background transports your Neopet right into the heart of quaint little village...perhaps even fit for a hobbit! This fun background is rarity 84, stocks at Mystical Surroundings, and costs about 10-15K on the Shop Wizard.

Painted Flowers Foreground

This is another wearable that departs from the usual art style to produce a wonderful effect. This rarity 81 item stocks at Ugga Shinies and will set you back about 15-20K according to the Shop Wiz.

Prison Cage Foreground

This foreground was recently released during November’s Games Master Challenge, and I think it is such a cool idea! I wish I saw more people coming up with characters and customisations featuring this, especially since it costs a measly 1000NP to procure!

That concludes the two-part series of most popular neopoint items of the year. I hope you have had as much fun as I did buying, selling and using these wonderful little pixels this year! I look forward to finding out what exciting new items are in store for us next year, and I wish you the very best for this holiday season. See you next year!