Arid got their homepage at Neopets.com

The page below includes the information and statistics collected by surveys on Avatarlog (avatar.starried.net) each year (beginning 2006) on December 31st.

We're hoping that the statistics below will help people (like you and my friend guest) in figuring out what exactly you need to earn the Winter Sidebar/Site Theme for next year :)

Important Note! We use the phrase "sidebar" and "site theme" interchangably on this page. The first few years our survey was run, Neopets still had "sidebars" before changing the website layout and having "site themes" instead.

The two are equivalent, so whenever you see "Winter Sidebar" this means the same as the "Winter Site Theme" which is officially called Winter Holiday on your Preferences page.

Statistics: Chart 1 (FROM 2006)

This first table divides our data into two groups, those who GOT THE SIDEBAR and those who DIDN'T GET THE SIDEBAR. Within each of these groups, we list the percentage of people who fulfilled a particular requirement.

Numbers in green refer to the exact number of people. Numbers in navy are percentages.

.

Category Totals

Total of 2077 people. 48% . Total of 2264 people. 52%

While Getting the Advent Calendar...

99% had both Advent avatars (Plastic Fir and Seasonal Attack Pea) by the 31st. 2047 . 86% had both Advent avatars (Plastic Fir and Seasonal Attack Pea) by the 31st. 1953
97% collected Advent Calendar prizes every day without missing a day. 2015 21% collected Advent Calendar prizes every day without missing a day. 471
24% of people collected their prizes around the same time each day. 498 22% of people collected their prizes around the same time each day. 503
17% had a Snow, Ice or Christmas colored pet on their account. 348 17% had a Snow, Ice or Christmas colored pet on their account. 374

And the items?

30% read the Advent Calendar books to their pets. 627 . 28% read the Advent Calendar books to their pets. 634
7% had all of the Advent Calendar items in their inventory. 140 6% had all of the Advent Calendar items in their inventory. 142
2% had all of the Advent Calendar items stored in their gallery. 48 2% had all of the Advent Calendar items stored in their gallery. 35
50% had all of the Advent Calendar items in their SDB. 1043 36% had all of the Advent Calendar items in their SDB. 808

Active Sidebars Being Used

10% used the Haunted Woods (Halloween) sidebar. 205 . 6% used the Haunted Woods (Halloween) sidebar. 136
28% used the Default (Yellow) sidebar. 579 37% used the Default (Yellow) sidebar. 831
12% used the Altador Cup sidebar. 255 11% used the Altador Cup sidebar. 240
11% used the Cyodrake's Gaze sidebar. 237 10% used the Cyodrake's Gaze sidebar. 226
3% used the Happy Valentines Day! sidebar. 60 4% used the Happy Valentines Day! sidebar. 96
4% used the Curse of Maraqua sidebar. 77 3% used the Curse of Maraqua sidebar. 72
3% used the Qasalan sidebar. 61 3% used the Qasalan sidebar. 72
0% used the Birthday sidebar. 4 0% used the Birthday sidebar. 4
2% used the Premium Space Faerie sidebar. 33 1% used the Premium Space Faerie sidebar. 25
27% used the Altadorian Constellations sidebar. 566 25% used the Altadorian Constellations sidebar. 562

Years of Advent Collecting

21% said that 2006 was their first year collecting the Advent Calendar. 266 . 25% said that 2006 was their first year collecting the Advent Calendar. 385
36% said that 2006 was their second year collecting the Advent Calendar. 464 36% said that 2006 was their second year collecting the Advent Calendar. 560
23% said that 2006 was their third year collecting the Advent Calendar. 293 23% said that 2006 was their third year collecting the Advent Calendar. 363
11% said that 2006 was their fourth year collecting the Advent Calendar. 136 9% said that 2006 was their fourth year collecting the Advent Calendar. 133
10% said that 2006 was their fifth or greater year collecting the Advent Calendar. 132 8% said that 2006 was their fifth or greater year collecting the Advent Calendar. 121

Active Avatars (Most Popular Responses)

Seasonal attack pea 123 = 6% . Seasonal attack pea 88 = 4%
Let it snow! 104 = 5% Let it snow! 87 = 4%
Plastic fir 59 = 3% Plastic fir 57 = 3%
Zdap 33 = 2% Default 44 = 2%
Top gamer 26 = 1% Zdap 26 = 1%
Default 25 = 1% Top gamer 24 = 1%
Raindorf 23 = 1% Raindorf 22 = 1%
Space faerie 22 = 1% Dark nova 19 = 1%
Faerie bubbles 16 = 1% Meowclops 18 = 1%
Hannah and the pirate caves 15 = 1% Chokato 17 = 1%
Mspp 15 = 1% Faerie bubbles 17 = 1%
Not for wreathale 13 = 1% Alien aisha 17 = 1%
Dark nova 13 = 1% Mootix 17 = 1%
Meowclops 13 = 1% Black pteri 15 = 1%
Black pteri 13 = 1% Queen fyora 13 = 1%
Pink! 12 = 1% Gloomy 13 = 1%
Number six 12 = 1% Mazzew 12 = 1%
I taunt the pant devil 12 = 1% Pink! 12 = 1%
Snowmuncher 11 = 1% Snowmuncher 12 = 1%
Gruslen 11 = 1% Whee! 12 = 1%

Neopoints On Hand

42% had less than 1,000 nps out. 870 . 43% had less than 1,000 nps out. 980
30% had between 1,000 & 10,000 nps out. 618 32% had between 1,000 & 10,000 nps out. 726
19% had between 10,000 & 50,000 nps out. 392 16% had between 10,000 & 50,000 nps out. 362
4% had between 50,000 & 100,000 nps out. 91 4% had between 50,000 & 100,000 nps out. 88
4% had between 100,000 & 500,000 nps out. 87 4% had between 100,000 & 500,000 nps out. 92
1% had more than 500,000 nps out. 19 1% had more than 500,000 nps out. 16

Account Age (Most Popular Responses)

6 years = 3% . 14 months = 3%
17 months = 3% 18 months = 2%
20 months = 2% 17 Months = 2%
8 months = 2% 9 months = 2%
2 Years = 2% 1 year = 2%
18 months = 2% 6 years = 2%
29 months = 2% 16 months = 2%
16 months = 2% 30 Months = 2%
1 year = 2% 20 Months = 2%
6 months = 2% 15 months = 2%
19 months = 2% 8 months = 2%
10 months = 2% 31 months = 2%
27 months = 2% 19 months = 2%
13 months = 2% 10 months = 2%
21 months = 2% 35 months = 2%
30 months = 2% 11 months = 2%
14 months = 2% 25 months = 2%
23 Months = 2% 3 months = 2%
37 months = 2% 13 months = 2%
3 months = 1% 23 Months = 2%

Petpet on Active Pet (Most Popular Responses)

No Petpet 190 = 9% . No Petpet 291 = 13%
snowbunny 85 = 4% mazzew 99 = 4%
pile of soot 76 = 4% slorg 78 = 3%
mazzew 73 = 4% pile of soot 74 = 3%
slorg 50 = 2% snowbunny 67 = 3%
gobbler 48 = 2% harris 67 = 3%
gruslen 37 = 2% gobbler 62 = 3%
yes 36 = 2% snicklebeast 52 = 2%
altachuck 35 = 2% abominable snowball 52 = 2%
abominable snowball 33 = 2% yes 44 = 2%
harris 33 = 2% angelpuss 37 = 2%
snicklebeast 32 = 2% gruslen 29 = 1%
huggy 31 = 1% huggy 27 = 1%
angelpuss 25 = 1% altachuck 25 = 1%
faellie 19 = 1% feepit 16 = 1%
sludgy 18 = 1% warf 12 = 1%
quadrapus 14 = 1% spyder 11 = 0%
spyder 13 = 1% puppyblew 11 = 0%
plushie angelpuss 11 = 1% quadrapus 10 = 0%

Statistics: Chart 2 (FROM 2007)

This chart is arranged the same as Chart 1.

.
Category Totals
47.29% received the sidebar. (2150) . 52.71% did not receive the sidebar. (2396)
Collecting Daily
96.84% collected their Advent prize EVERY day without missing a day. (2082) . 15.73% collected their Advent prize EVERY day without missing a day. (377)
2.28% missed at least one day of collecting Advent prizes. (49) . 79.34% missed at least one day of collecting Advent prizes. (1901)
0.88% was not sure if they collected every day or not. (19) . 4.92% was not sure if they collected every day or not. (118)
Advent Calendar Avatars
(Plastic Fir & Seasonal Attack Pea)
99.57% owned both Advent Calendar avatars by the 31st. (2101) . 82.39% owned both Advent Calendar avatars by the 31st. (1951)
0.43% did not have both Advent Calendar avatars. (9) . 17.61% did not have both Advent Calendar avatars. (417)
Advent Calendar items in Inventory on the 31st
6.56% had ALL of the Advent Calendar items in their inventory when collecting. (141) . 4.97% had ALL of the Advent Calendar items in their inventory when collecting. (119)
33.26% had SOME of the Advent Calendar items in their inventory when collecting. (715) . 48.62% had SOME of the Advent Calendar items in their inventory when collecting. (1165)
60.19% had NONE of the Advent Calendar items in their inventory when collecting. (1294) . 46.41% had NONE of the Advent Calendar items in their inventory when collecting. (1112)
Time of Collecting
25.63% collected at roughly the same time each day. (551) . 21.83% collected at roughly the same time each day. (523)
74.37% did not collect at the same time each day. (1599) . 78.17% did not collect at the same time each day. (1873)
Sending Out Items
(This refers to using the "Give to Neofriend" option.)
54.6% sent out at least one item during December. (1174) . 45.58% sent out at least one item during December. (1092)
38.05% did not send out any items during December. (818) . 43.74% did not send out any items during December. (1048)
7.35% was not sure if s/he sent any items in December. (158) . 10.68% was not sure if s/he sent any items in December. (256)
Sending Out Items on Christmas Day
23.16% sent out at least one item on Christmas Day. (498) . 16.94% sent out at least one item on Christmas Day. (406)
63.35% didn't sent out any items on Christmas Day. (1362) . 70.7% didn't sent out any items on Christmas Day. (1694)
13.49% was not sure if s/he sent out items on Christmas Day. (290) . 12.35% was not sure if s/he sent out items on Christmas Day. (296)
Sending Neogreetings
6.98% sent out at least one NeoGreeting during December. (150) . 5.38% sent out at least one NeoGreeting during December. (129)
91.26% did not send out any NeoGreetings during December. (1962) . 92.36% did not send out any NeoGreetings during December. (2213)
1.77% was not sure if s/he sent any NeoGreetings in December. (38) . 2.25% was not sure if s/he sent any NeoGreetings in December. (54)
Being "Good" in 2007
78.65% did not receive any warnings or suspensions in 2007. (1691) . 77.46% did not receive any warnings or suspensions in 2007. (1856)
16.28% received a suspension/warning in 2007. (350) . 16.4% received a suspension/warning in 2007. (393)
5.07% was not sure about receiving warnings/suspensions in 2007. (109) . 6.14% was not sure about receiving warnings/suspensions in 2007. (147)
Using "Usable" Advent Items
(Feed food to pets, put clothes in Closet, furniture in Neohome, read books to pet, played toys with a pet, etc.)
4.7% used ALL usable Advent items. (101) . 5.59% used ALL usable Advent items. (134)
24.51% used MOST usable Advent items. (527) . 24.62% used MOST usable Advent items. (590)
46.84% used only SOME usable Advent items. (1007) . 42.11% used only SOME usable Advent items. (1009)
23.95% did not use any Advent items. (515) . 27.67% did not use any Advent items. (663)
Watching Advent Animations
55.07% fully watched all the Advent animations. (1184) . 43.32% fully watched all the Advent animations. (1038)
11.58% did not watch any of the Advent animations. (249) . 12.85% did not watch any of the Advent animations. (308)
33.35% only watched some of the Advent animations. (717) . 43.82% only watched some of the Advent animations. (1050)

Mood of Active Pet
(Most Common Responses)

27.63% delighted! (594) . 22.08% delighted! (529)
16.37% content (352) . 17.61% content (422)
12.74% happy (274) . 14.27% happy (342)
11.63% cheerful (250) . 11.39% cheerful (273)
7.67% joyful (165) . 7.76% joyful (186)
7.35% extremely happy (158) . 7.47% extremely happy (179)
4.37% unhappy (94) . 6.51% unhappy (156)
3.67% delighted (79) . 2.92% delighted (70)
2% miserable (43) . 2.63% depressed (63)
1.86% depressed (40) . 2.38% miserable (57)
1.35% very unhappy (29) . 1.25% very unhappy (30)

Hunger of Active Pet
(Most Common Responses)
32.93% bloated (708) . 27.34% bloated (655)
12.79% very full (275) . 17.99% dying (431)
11.21% dying (241) . 12.4% very full (297)
8.37% full up (180) . 7.6% full up (182)
7.44% satiated (160) . 6.43% satiated (154)
6.88% fine (148) . 6.39% not hungry (153)
6.33% not hungry (136) . 5.26% fine (126)
4.09% hungry (88) . 4.76% hungry (114)
2.51% starving (54) . 3.59% starving (86)
1.86% very hungry (40) . 2.88% very hungry (69)
1.53% famished (33) . 1.71% famished (41)
0.6% very bloated (13) . 0.67% very bloated (16)
0.37% full (8) . 0.5% full (12)
0.14% not sure (3) . 0.38% satisfied (9)

Chart 1 & 2 Conclusions

From Chart 1, we can see that the most coherent trend seen is that nearly ALL of the people who got the sidebar had:

However, neither of these is the only requirement necessary since there are people who fulfilled both, but did not get the sidebar still. Since the following categories are so spread out, the data shows that account age, active avatar, active pet's petpet, active sidebar and year of Advent Calendar collecting appear to have no, or little, effect on getting the sidebar.

From Chart 2, the same trends are roughly visible (this is always a good sign!).

Over 96% of the people who received the sidebar fulfilled b) collected their prize everyday and (as a result) also fulfilled a) - having both of the Advent Calendar avatars by the 31st. Also, the 2007 data again shows that a significant percentage (15.73%) collected every day but still did NOT receive the sidebar, hinting at additional requirements. Or, this might just be a glitch (?).

The other factors we polled in 2007 had, give-or-take, equal percentages across the board. This suggests that the following factors are not a singular requirement: hunger/mood of active pet, Advent Calendar watching, use of the Advent Calendar items, receiving warnings/suspensions during the year, sending NeoGreetings, giving out items in December/on Christmas, inventory items, and time of collection.

Statistics: Chart 3 (FROM 2006)

Our second table takes the total number of people who fulfilled a particular requirement, and then reports the percentage of those people who ended up getting (or not getting) the sidebar :)

Numbers in pink refer to the exact number of people. Numbers in navy are percentages.

There were 4000 people who had both Plastic Fir and Seasonal Attack Pea by the 31st.
51% of them got the sidebar. 2047	49% of them did not get the sidebar. 1953
There were 340 people who didn't have both avatars by the 31st.
9% of them got the sidebar. 30	91% of them did not get the sidebar. 310
There were 2486 people who collected the Advent Calendar daily without missing a day.
81% of them got the sidebar. 2015	19% of them did not get the sidebar. 471
There were 1855 people who missed at least one day of collecting the Advent Calendar.
3% of them got the sidebar. 62	97% of them did not get the sidebar. 1793
There were 1851 people who had all the Advent Calendar items in their SDB.
56% of them got the sidebar. 1043	44% of them did not get the sidebar. 808
There were 83 people who had all the Advent Calendar items in their gallery.
58% of them got the sidebar. 48	42% of them did not get the sidebar. 35
There were 282 people who had all the Advent Calendar items in their inventory.
50% of them got the sidebar. 140	50% of them did not get the sidebar. 142
There were 2120 people who had the Advent Calendar items in a variety of places.
40% of them got the sidebar. 844	60% of them did not get the sidebar. 1276
There were 1001 people who collected at around the same time each day.
50% of them got the sidebar. 498	50% of them did not get the sidebar. 503
There were 3340 people who collected the Advent Calendar at different times of the day.
47% of them got the sidebar. 1579	53% of them did not get the sidebar. 1761
There were 1261 people who read the Advent Calendar books to their pet(s).
50% of them got the sidebar. 627	50% of them did not get the sidebar. 634
There were 3080 people who didn't read the Advent Calendar books.
47% of them got the sidebar. 1450	53% of them did not get the sidebar. 1630
There were 722 people who had a Snow, Ice, or Christmas pet.
48% of them got the sidebar. 348	52% of them did not get the sidebar. 374
There were 3619 people who didn't have a Snow, Ice, or Christmas pet.
48% of them got the sidebar. 1729	52% of them did not get the sidebar. 1890
There were 1800 people who had less than 1000 nps out.
47% of them got the sidebar. 847	53% of them did not get the sidebar. 953
There were 1324 people who had between 1,000 & 10,000 nps out.
46% of them got the sidebar. 608	54% of them did not get the sidebar. 716
There were 746 people who had between 10,000 & 50,000 nps out.
52% of them got the sidebar. 386	48% of them did not get the sidebar. 360
There were 170 people who had between 15,000 & 100,000 nps out.
49% of them got the sidebar. 84	51% of them did not get the sidebar. 86
There were 178 people who who had between 100,000 & 500,000 nps out.
48% of them got the sidebar. 86	52% of them did not get the sidebar. 92
There were 35 people who had more than 500,000 nps out.
54% of them got the sidebar. 19	46% of them did not get the sidebar. 16
There were 3860 people who had a petpet on their active pet.
49% of them got the sidebar. 1887	51% of them did not get the sidebar. 1973
There were 481 people who had no petpet.
40% of them got the sidebar. 190	60% of them did not get the sidebar. 291

Statistics: Chart 4 (FROM 2007)

Data is arranged the same way as it is in Chart 3.

There were 2459 people who
collected their Advent prizes EVERY day without missing a day.
85%
of them got the sidebar. (2082) 15%
of them did not get the sidebar. (377)
There were 1950 people who
missed at least one day of Advent prizes.
3%
of them got the sidebar. (49) 97%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1901)
There were 4052 people who
had both Advent Calendar avatars by the 31st.
52%
of them got the sidebar. (2101) 48%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1951)
There were 426 people who
did not have both Advent Calendar avatars by the 31st.
2%
of them got the sidebar. (9) 98%
of them did not get the sidebar. (417)
There were 260 people who
had ALL of the year's Advent items in their inventory when collecting.
54%
of them got the sidebar. (141) 46%
of them did not get the sidebar. (119)
There were 1880 people who
had SOME of the year's Advent items in their inventory when collecting.
38%
of them got the sidebar. (715) 62%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1165)
There were 2406 people who
had none of the year's Advent items in their inventory when collecting.
54%
of them got the sidebar. (1294) 46%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1112)
There were 1074 people who
collected their Advent prizes at roughly the same time each day.
51%
of them got the sidebar. (551) 49%
of them did not get the sidebar. (523)
There were 3472 people who
collected their Advent prizes at different times of the day.
46%
of them got the sidebar. (1599) 54%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1873)
There were 2266 people who
sent out at least one item during the month of December.
52%
of them got the sidebar. (1174) 48%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1092)
There were 1866 people who
didn't send out any items during the month of December.
44%
of them got the sidebar. (818) 56%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1048)
There were 904 people who
sent out at least one item on Christmas Day.
55%
of them got the sidebar. (498) 45%
of them did not get the sidebar. (406)
There were 3056 people who
didn't sent out at any items at all on Christmas Day.
45%
of them got the sidebar. (1362) 55%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1694)
There were 279 people who
sent out at least one NeoGreeting in December.
54%
of them got the sidebar. (150) 46%
of them did not get the sidebar. (129)
There were 4175 people who
didn't send out any NeoGreetings in December.
47%
of them got the sidebar. (1962) 53%
of them did not get the sidebar. (2213)
There were 3547 people who
did not receive any warnings or suspensions in 2007.
48%
of them got the sidebar. (1691) 52%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1856)
There were 743 people who
received at least one warning or suspension in 2007.
47%
of them got the sidebar. (350) 53%
of them did not get the sidebar. (393)
There were 235 people who
used ALL of the "usable" Advent Calendar items.
43%
of them got the sidebar. (101) 57%
of them did not get the sidebar. (134)
There were 1117 people who
used MOST of the "usable" Advent Calendar items.
47%
of them got the sidebar. (527) 53%
of them did not get the sidebar. (590)
There were 2016 people who
only used SOME of the "usable" Advent Calendar items.
50%
of them got the sidebar. (1007) 50%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1009)
There were 1178 people who
did not use any of the "usable" Advent Calendar items at all.
44%
of them got the sidebar. (515) 56%
of them did not get the sidebar. (663)
There were 2222 people who
watched all of the Advent Calendar animations fully.
53%
of them got the sidebar. (1184) 47%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1038)
There were 557 people who
didn't watch the Advent Calendar animations.
45%
of them got the sidebar. (249) 55%
of them did not get the sidebar. (308)
There were 1767 people who
only watched some of the Advent Calendar animations.
41%
of them got the sidebar. (717) 59%
of them did not get the sidebar. (1050)

Chart 3 & 4 Conclusions

Most of the percentages in these two charts end up around 50/50 (matching the divide between those who got and did not get the site theme), meaning that these requirements alone don't have much effect on getting the sidebar.

However, we do see a major difference in the following two categories:

People who didn't have both Advent Calendar avatars. The overwhelming majority of people without the two Advent avatars didn't end up getting the sidebar. However, if you *did* have both, you still only had about a 50% chance of getting the sidebar.
Collecting the Advent Calendar daily. Those who didn't collect daily had a tiny chance of getting the sidebar (a whopping 97% didn't get the sidebar among those who didn't collect daily, and only 3% did). Interesting, these percentages came out exactly the same across 2006 and 2007, despite the larger data sample taken in 2007.

It should also be noted the difference between the percentages of people who had "some" of the year's Advent items in their inventory. A 38/62 balance is a larger discrepency when compared to the 50/50 divisions of many of the other categories.

Statistics: Chart 5 (FROM 2008)

This is our 2008 data table, analyzed using got site theme (yes/no) crossed with each individual factor. Percents are listed, with raw numbers displayed (like this).

	.
Category Totals
36.4% received the site theme. (963)	.	63.6% did not receive the site theme. (1684)
Collecting Daily
95.4% clicked on the "collect my prize" button each day. (919)	.	27.3% clicked on the "collect my prize" button each day. (460)
2.9% missed at least one day of prizes. (28)	.	66.3% missed at least one day of prizes. (1117)
1.7% was unsure; may have missed a day. (16)	.	6.4% was unsure; may have missed a day. (107)
Collecting Daily - Previous Year
10% went everyday last year. (96)	.	11.6% went everyday last year. (195)
48% missed at least one day last year. (462)	.	41.7% missed at least one day last year. (702)
10.8% was unsure about last year. (104)	.	14.3% was unsure about last year. (240)
31.3% did not go to Advent Calendar at all last year. (301)	.	32.5% did not go to Advent Calendar at all last year. (547)
Advent Calendar Avatars (Plastic Fir & Seasonal Attack Pea)
97.7% had both Advent Calendar avatars. (941)	.	82.3% had both Advent Calendar avatars. (1386)
2.3% did not have both Advent Calendar avatars. (22)	.	17.7% did not have both Advent Calendar avatars. (298)
Getting to the Advent Calendar
18.5% got to the Advent Calendar by going through the Happy Valley map. (178)	.	13.7% got to the Advent Calendar by going through the Happy Valley map. (230)
40.3% got to the Advent Calendar via a direct link (e.g. daily site). (388)	.	47.8% got to the Advent Calendar via a direct link (e.g. daily site). (805)
40.4% used both Happy Valley and direct links to get to the Advent Calendar. (389)	.	38% used both Happy Valley and direct links to get to the Advent Calendar. (640)
0.8% was unsure how they got to the Advent Calendar. (8)	.	0.5% was unsure how they got to the Advent Calendar. (9)
Time Spent on Neopets in December
9.9% spent less than 10 minutes each day on the site. (95)	.	11.8% spent less than 10 minutes each day on the site. (198)
20.7% spent about 1-2 hours daily on the site. (199)	.	16.9% spent about 1-2 hours daily on the site. (285)
33.9% spent over 2 hours daily on the site. (326)	.	29.3% spent over 2 hours daily on the site. (494)
34.1% varied their time on Neopets: some days none at all, other days many hours. (328)	.	40.8% varied their time on Neopets: some days none at all, other days many hours. (687)
1.6% was unsure about how much time was spent on Neopets in December. (15)	.	1.2% was unsure about how much time was spent on Neopets in December. (20)
Receiving Gifts ('Give to Neofriend' option)
68% received a gift in December. (655)	.	61.8% received a gift in December. (1041)
27.6% did not receive any gifts in December. (266)	.	34% did not receive any gifts in December. (572)
4.4% was unsure if any gifts were received or not. (42)	.	4.2% was unsure if any gifts were received or not. (71)
In a Guild
64.6% were in a guild. (622)	.	69.4% were in a guild. (1168)
34.7% were not in a guild. (334)	.	29.4% were not in a guild. (495)
0.7% was unsure about guild status. (7)	.	1.2% was unsure about guild status. (21)
Taelia Quests
13.7% completed at least one Taelia's quest in December. (132)	.	12.6% completed at least one Taelia's quest in December. (213)
72.8% did not do any Taelia's quests in December. (701)	.	75.7% did not do any Taelia's quests in December. (1274)
7.6% started but did not complete any Taelia's quest in December. (73)	.	7.1% started but did not complete any Taelia's quest in December. (120)
5.9% was unsure about quest status. (57)	.	4.6% was unsure about quest status. (77)
Using Same Computer & Browser for Collecting
56.4% collected Advent prizes on the same computer and internet browser the entire month. (543)	.	56.2% collected Advent prizes on the same computer and internet browser the entire month. (947)
40.1% logged in and collected Advent prizes on a different computer/browser at least one day. (386)	.	40% logged in and collected Advent prizes on a different computer/browser at least one day. (673)
3.5% was unsure whether they used the same computer/browser all month. (34)	.	3.8% was unsure whether they used the same computer/browser all month. (64)
Deleting Browser Cookies
33.3% deleted cookies at least once in December. (321)	.	34.7% deleted cookies at least once in December. (584)
50.4% never deleted browser cookies in December. (485)	.	48.5% never deleted browser cookies in December. (817)
16.3% was unsure whether they deleted cookies during the month. (157)	.	16.8% was unsure whether they deleted cookies during the month. (283)

Statistics: Chart 6 (FROM 2008)

This is our second 2008 data table. It takes the total number of people who fulfilled a particular requirement, and then reports the percentage of those people who ended up getting (or not getting) the side theme.

Numbers in pink refer to the exact number of people. Numbers in navy are percentages.

There were 1379 people who clicked on the "collect my prize" button each day.
66.6% of them got the site theme. 919	33.4% of them did not get the site theme. 460
There were 1145 people who missed at least one day of prizes.
2.4% of them got the site theme. 28	97.6% of them did not get the site theme. 1117
There were 291 people who went everyday last year.
33% of them got the site theme. 96	67% of them did not get the site theme. 195
There were 1164 people who missed at least one day last year.
39.7% of them got the site theme. 462	60.3% of them did not get the site theme. 702
There were 848 people who did not go to Advent Calendar at all last year.
35.5% of them got the site theme. 301	64.5% of them did not get the site theme. 547
There were 2327 people who had both Advent Calendar avatars.
40.4% of them got the site theme. 941	59.6% of them did not get the site theme. 1386
There were 320 people who did not have both Advent Calendar avatars.
6.9% of them got the site theme. 22	93.1% of them did not get the site theme. 298
There were 408 people who got to the Advent Calendar by going through the Happy Valley map.
43.6% of them got the site theme. 178	56.4% of them did not get the site theme. 230
There were 1193 people who got to the Advent Calendar via a direct link (e.g. daily site).
32.5% of them got the site theme. 388	67.5% of them did not get the site theme. 805
There were 1029 people who used both Happy Valley and direct links to get to the Advent Calendar.
37.8% of them got the site theme. 389	62.2% of them did not get the site theme. 640
There were 293 people who spent less than 10 minutes each day on the site.
32.4% of them got the site theme. 95	67.6% of them did not get the site theme. 198
There were 484 people who spent about 1-2 hours daily on the site.
41.1% of them got the site theme. 199	58.9% of them did not get the site theme. 285
There were 820 people who spent over 2 hours daily on the site.
39.8% of them got the site theme. 326	60.2% of them did not get the site theme. 494
There were 1015 people who varied their time on Neopets: some days none at all, other days many hours.
32.3% of them got the site theme. 328	67.7% of them did not get the site theme. 687
There were 1696 people who received a gift in December.
38.6% of them got the site theme. 655	61.4% of them did not get the site theme. 1041
There were 838 people who did not receive any gifts in December.
31.7% of them got the site theme. 266	68.3% of them did not get the site theme. 572
There were 1790 people who were in a guild.
34.7% of them got the site theme. 622	65.3% of them did not get the site theme. 1168
There were 829 people who were not in a guild.
40.3% of them got the site theme. 334	59.7% of them did not get the site theme. 495
There were 345 people who completed at least one Taelia's quest in December.
38.3% of them got the site theme. 132	61.7% of them did not get the site theme. 213
There were 1975 people who did not do any Taelia's quests in December.
35.5% of them got the site theme. 701	64.5% of them did not get the site theme. 1274
There were 193 people who started but did not complete any Taelia's quest in December.
37.8% of them got the site theme. 73	62.2% of them did not get the site theme. 120
There were 1490 people who collected Advent prizes on the same computer and internet browser the entire month.
36.4% of them got the site theme. 543	63.6% of them did not get the site theme. 947
There were 1059 people who logged in and collected Advent prizes on a different computer/browser at least one day.
36.4% of them got the site theme. 386	63.6% of them did not get the site theme. 673
There were 905 people who deleted cookies at least once in December.
35.5% of them got the site theme. 321	64.5% of them did not get the site theme. 584
There were 1302 people who never deleted browser cookies in December.
37.3% of them got the site theme. 485	62.7% of them did not get the site theme. 817

Chart 5 & 6 Conclusions

** A Quick Note: In the 2008 survey, we also asked whether people "played a flash game during the month." However, we had some trouble recording and processing the data for this one question, so we have omitted it from the results. We'll be sure to ask this again in next year's survey which will hopefully run more smoothly!

Fewer People Overall Getting the Site Theme

The first thing of particular interest is that in both past years (2006 and 2007), the split between people who got the site theme and didn't get it was around 48/52 percent (see the data from Charts 1 and 2). However, in 2008, the split in our survey turned out to be 36/63 percent, meaning a lot MORE people did not get the sidebar than in previous years.

One possible explanation is just chance: for some reason, more people who didn't get the sidebar filled out our survey than those (happy) people who did get it. Another explanation is that across the entire population, more people actually missed out: meaning more people didn't collect everyday (or fulfill the other unknown requirements, if such exist). Finally, I think in 2008 a glitch with the Advent Calendar adversely affected a number of people, whereas in prior years, any glitches didn't affect the receiving of the site theme. See below for more discussion of the glitch that occurred.

Collecting Daily: Same Trend as in Previous Years!

Same as in the past two years, people who collected their prizes daily were much more likely to get the sidebar. Of the people receiving the site theme, 96% collected every day. For those who DIDN'T get the theme, the majority (66%) of them failed to collect daily.

However, 28% (of those not getting the sidebar) said they DID collect daily -- this was 21% and 15% in the prior years' survey. It seems a little bit higher this year, in which I think the glitchy days had an effect (see below for more discussion on the glitch).

Other Factors - Seem Irrelevant

Aside from collecting daily and getting both Advent avatars as a result, none of the other factors we polled in the 2008 survey seemed to be significant as a singular factor.

This is concluded from: in Chart 5, the percents on either side are roughly the same, and in Chart 6, the percents are very close to 36/63 (the ratio between those getting the site theme and not, overall).

2008 Advent Glitches

In 2007, there was a "Green Apple" glitch in which users received green apples instead of the Advent Prizes. This year (2008), there was at least one day in which a glitch occurred where users received NO prizes at all despite clicking on the "collect my prize" button. Furthermore, there was one day where the calendar was reset midday to correct this glitch, but not everyone (who "collected" in the morning but got nothing) went back later in the day to re-claim their prize. There were also reports that although TNT tried to send out prizes belatedly to those who did not receive them, some people never got them in the end, and others received the items twice.

This suggests that the 'bookkeeping' (that tracks whether you went on a particular day) might have been a little messier this year, which might have affected the people who thought they went each day (e.g. collected their prize on a glitchy day) but in actuality, the TNT servers might have recorded something different, due to the glitches.

Ideas Suggested by Neopians to Test Next Year

Restocked in a shop
Posted on the Neoboards (December, or on just the 31st)
Changed avatar (to something holiday-y?) at least once during the month
Maybe you have to visit at least so many pages in Terror Mountain in December, and visiting AC every day gets you most, but not all, of those pages.

The following are DISPROVED as being a single affecting factor. (However, these might have some effect as part of a set of requirements; e.g. you needed to do this AND something else in order for it to make a difference.)

The numbers show that there are some odd cases (a small percent) in which this does not "work" as the method, but for the most part, our data consistently shows year after year that people who go every day have the highest chance of receiving the site theme. No other factor analyzed so far shows the same statistical reliability.

All of the statistics above are based off of the data we received from users completing the survey. Obviously, there will be some percentage of error; due to rounding of statistics, unclear wording, or people who accidentally clicked a wrong button. For certain categories, the numbers may not divide out because we took an adjusted percentage accounting for people who said the situation didn't apply, or didn't answer a field.

PLEASE DON'T SWIPE OUR STATISTICS. Linking to this petpage would be muchly appreciated instead!