A Look at Neopian Mutant History

      Y2 - Dr. Sloth's Evil Plan

     It was precisely in Y2 that we met Dr. Sloth. He introduced himself to Neopia by sending a message to show his own creation - the Virtupets. But the Space Faerie, along with the Island Mystic, were able to discover Dr. Sloth's true intentions. His ultimate goal was not to create Virtupets, but rather to mutate Neopets into them. To do this, Dr. Sloth created Transmogrification Potions. These potions, when coming into contact with a Neopet, mutate it into a new version. The side effects of this new version were diverse: The Neopet could become huge, sprout new body parts, look as if it were from another dimension, or distort its visual identity. The look did not draw positive attention - it was terrifying.

     In his tests, Dr. Sloth abducted a series of Neopets and gave them his famous Transmogrification Potion. Furthermore, there are several reports from Neopians saying that at that time, potions simply fell from the sky, appeared mysteriously in places, or simply arrived in their hands in some unknown way. There are no reports or confirmation as to whether Dr. Sloth was also behind distributing the potion previously in Neopia, whether someone was working with him, or even acting independently.

     Returning to the final plan - Dr. Sloth had created a secret mechanism inside the Virtupets Station - a giant transmogrification ray - that in a single shot would be capable of mutating the entire population of Neopia. This even sounds like a movie plot - but it was truly Dr. Sloth's grand evil plan! Everything seemed to be working out because Dr. Sloth had imprisoned the Space Faerie. But Neopia resisted and gave enough strength for the Space Faerie to free herself and be able to stop Dr. Sloth and his plans. In a strategic strike, the Space Faerie turned the ray against Dr. Sloth himself! Thus, the giant ray was destroyed and Dr. Sloth has not been seen since - although they always say he is plotting a grand return.

     And what happened after that?

     The Virtupets Station survived the destruction of the Giant Ray and later became a place of research and also the home of the Grundos, creatures that until then were imprisoned by Dr. Sloth. But many Neopets were already mutated, and hundreds of Transmogrification Potions were still circulating in Neopia. What has happened since then?

      Mutant Neopets Came to Live in Neopia

     The Neopets that had been the targets of tests and Transmogrification Potions continued to live in Neopia. Deep down, their personality and habits did not change. The Transmogrification Potion had only visual and physical effects. However, at that time, the population of Neopia was very afraid of Mutant Neopets. After all, they ended up being Dr. Sloth's creations in some way; who could guarantee that they would not turn against the population of Neopia?

     On that occasion, the Neopian leaders of the time gathered some Neopian scientists to thoroughly study the Transmogrification Potion. Neopia needed an answer regarding its effects. The first years were difficult for the Mutant community. Without answers from the scientists, the population remained afraid and divided. One group supported Mutant Neopets and promoted sales and trades of Transmogrification Potions, while another group felt terrified by more and more Mutant Neopets circulating through Neopia. It is worth remembering that at that time, regions well known for their studies, such as Brightvale and Altador, had not yet been discovered and integrated into Neopian society.

     Finally, in Y4, scientists released an official study detailing all the effects of the Transmogrification Potion. If we look at the details of the study, we can find some interesting paragraphs. Take a look:

     "The Transmogrification Potion has a permanent effect. Tests have proven that there is no reversal to the Neopet's original colour..."

     "...Studies analysed a group of 128 Mutant Neopets over 60 days to correlate the effect of the Transmogrification Potion with their habits. No personality changes were identified that could be linked to the Transmogrification Potion. The study concludes that the Transmogrification Potion has only visual and physical effects..."

     "...Possible effects of the Transmogrification Potion: Color changes, appearance of spikes, skin deformations, increase in size, increase in strength, multiplication of organs and body parts, changes in saliva..."

     The study included the participation of more than one hundred scientists. After the publication of the study, Neopian leaders gathered and created recommendations for Neopians on how Mutant Neopets could adapt and integrate into Neopia.

      Changes in Neopia

     One of the recommendations generated considerable debate at the time: Mutant Neopets should have the possibility of having Mutant Petpets. Until then, nothing similar to the Transmogrification Potion had been used on Petpets. With what was learned in the study, scientists were able to extract the essence responsible for the mutations and created a Mutant PetPet Paint Brush. The promise was that the paint brush could transform Petpets into Mutants safely to be friends with Mutant Neopets and also with Neopets of other colors. After several conversations with the PPL (Petpet Protection League), the paint brush was released, and the first Mutant Petpets appeared in Neopia.

     The second recommendation indicated on the list was for Neopian companies to start making items, especially toys, inspired by Mutant Neopets. Usuki was already a fever here, and it was important that the Mutant community could also look for products and toys with which they could identify.

     Representatives of the Mutant community were able to close a historic partnership with a plushie shop that started releasing plushies inspired by Mutant Neopets.

     The plushies exploded in sales! And they burst out of the Mutant community's bubble at the time and reached all of Neopia. Gradually, people realised that Mutant Neopets had their own charm and their own identity. They did not represent evil to Neopia; they added to it! This popularity was reflected in the stamps of the time, where the Post Office released the symbolic Mutant Usul Stamp and later the Mutant Grundo Stamp, inspired by one of Neopia's best-known Mutant figures.

     Although the Mutant community was becoming known and included in Neopia, there were still groups that were afraid of Mutant Neopets. You can check newspapers of the time until then that, even after the studies published in Y4, still had doubts about whether Mutant Neopets were safe for Neopia. Bearing this in mind, the leaders of Neopia came together and declared the creation of Mutant Day on the 25th day of the month of Hiding.

     This was also the day, back in Y1, that Dr. Sloth was defeated and the Mutant Neopets were freed in Neopia, which is why this day was chosen to represent Mutant Day. The idea was to positively promote Mutant Neopets. Mutant would become a culture in Neopia as well. To celebrate the first Mutant Day, a series of accessories for a Mutant Neopet's comfort in their Neohome was released in Neopia, and the scientists themselves released a new Transmogrification Potion. From that day on, Rukis could also be transformed into Mutants! And from that day on, Neopia officially declared investments in Transmogrification Potions. They would be seen as Paint Brushes of any other colour and could be coveted by any Neopian. Was your dream to have a Faerie Neopet? But your dream could also be to have a Mutant Neopet!

     A few months later, the first Mutant Ruki published an autobiographical book - Twisted Tales of Mutant Ruki. In his book, the author tells several adventures and brings a positive image of living life as a Mutant Ruki.

      The Years After the Establishment of Mutant Day

     Since then, every Mutant Day makes a point to recall the importance of the Mutant colour. We have had t-shirt collections, new Potions, new Petpets, special foods, accessories, books, and exclusive wearables for Mutants.

     Mutants have also appeared in the Styling Studio, and you can acquire your classic Mutant pose since Y26!

      And Today?

     Today, Mutant Day is celebrated annually in Neopia. Every year, Neopian companies continue to release items related to Mutants, new Petpet colours, and new Potions. The origin of Mutants may trace back to Dr. Sloth's evil plans, but Neopia has proven to be bigger than that - Mutant Neopets were embraced and are today part of our culture! We want to hear from you, dear Neopian: Did you know this story? Do you want to have a Mutant Neopet?

     Take care of yourselves and enjoy Mutant Day to the fullest!

     I am David GoldEye - and I tell stories about Neopia.