Toontown Online

Toontown
Toontown Online Official Logo
Developer(s)	Walt Disney Internet Group
Publisher(s)	The Walt Disney Company
Distributor(s)	The Walt Disney Company
Designer(s)	The Walt Disney Company
Composer(s)	Jamie Christopherson
Engine	Panda3D
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Release date(s)	Beta: August 2001, LE: October 4, 2002, Official Opening: June 2, 2003
Genre(s)	MMORPG
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone (E) PEGI: 3+ CERO: A
System requirements Minimum for Microsoft Windows[1] OS: Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 Internet Browser: Internet Explorer v. 6.0 or higher, Firefox v. 3 or higher. Processor: Intel Pentium III 750 MHz or faster. RAM: 256 MB Graphics card: 32 MB 3D graphics card Hard drive: 150 MB of free space DirectX: 9.0c Microsoft Windows Connection Speed: A 56K modem, or faster. 'Minimum for Mac OS X[2] OS: OS X 10.4.6 (Tiger) or newer. Internet Browser: Safari v. 3.0 or newer, Firefox v. 3 or higher. Processor: PowerPC 450 MHz or any Mac with an Intel processor. RAM: 256 MB Graphics card: 32 MB video card Hard drive: 150 MB of free space Connection Speed: A 56K modem, or faster.

Disney's Toontown Online (commonly known as simply Toontown) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game created by The Walt Disney Company and billed as the first such game intended for kids and families.^[3] Designed for children as young as seven, but teens and adults also play this,^[4] the depth of the game's content has drawn in many older players as well.^[5] Toontown's 3D virtual world takes its theme from the colorful style and humor of classic animated cartoons, packaged into an online game experience that its authors claim is social and kid-safe.^[6] The game was rated "E" (Everyone) by the ESRB for "Cartoon Violence" and "Comic Mischief".^[7]

First introduced in the United States in 2003, Disney has since produced versions of Toontown for the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Brazil but have since been discontinued. Disney does not release figures on the number of subscribers, but VR Studio head Mike Goslin stated in mid-2005 that "we have nearly 10,000 people playing simultaneously during our busiest times."^[8] In May 2007, independent internet research firm Comscore estimated Toontown Online had nearly 1.2 million users.^[9] As of November 2011^[update], Toontown has over 70 million online players worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

The Toontown game software is available as a free download. Players can choose either the free-to-play version with limited access to game features^[10] or the unlimited access version, which requires payment via subscription fee or the use of game cards. Subscriptions for the unlimited access version renew automatically.

History

Both Toontown Online and its game engine (called Panda3D) were developed by Disney's Virtual Reality Studio, a team of technologists and artists at Walt Disney Imagineering that is now managed by the Walt Disney Internet Group. The VR Studio had previously created virtual reality attractions for the DisneyQuest "indoor interactive theme park" at Walt Disney World.^[5] Beta testing for Toontown occurred between 2001 and 2003, and Toontown was officially launched on June 2, 2003.^[3] A retail box version of the game (containing a software CD-ROM and a two-month subscription) was released in Autumn 2005, but has since been discontinued.^[11]

Gameplay

Toons battling a Cog inside a Cog Building.

In the game, you can play as any of the following animals: a dog, cat, duck, mouse, rabbit, horse, pig, monkey, bear. Horses, monkeys, and bears can only be created by those with a member (paid) account. Players choose the species and customize the look of their toons when they first start the game. When creating your toon you can change their height, color, head, and body. The game tutorial explains that Cogs transform the bright and cheerful Toontown into a dark and dreadful corporate world. They turn the Disney Worlds into the dark dreadful worlds.

To battle the Cogs, Toons use "gags" — silly pranks that are reflective of the slapstick humor found in classic cartoons: cream pies, seltzer bottles, banana peels, dropping anvils, squirting flowers, and so on. Perhaps just as appropriately, both the Cogs' names and their weapons are taken from business slang: Micromanager, Spin Doctor and the like. Defeating Cogs also earns experience points for the player in various gag "tracks," eventually leading to new and more powerful gags.

The game plays like other RPGs using a simplified interface. (The game designers have claimed that Toontown is "easy to learn but difficult to master.")^[5] Nearly all activities in the game utilize the mouse, the control key, and the arrow keys on the keyboard, and Gamepad. At the beginning of the game, a "Toontorial" teaches the new player how to move, how to battle Cogs, how to communicate, use gags, and how to complete the first set of required tasks. Battles with Cogs are turn-based: the Toons attack, the Cogs counter-attack, and so on until one side is victorious. When it's the Toons' turn, the player simply clicks on the gag they wish to use, followed by the target, assuming the gag requires one. A successful Cog attack reduces the Laff Points of the toon, or a gag hit reduces the life points of the Cog, leading back and forth until one or the other has none left. The Toon and the Cog can dodge the other's attack based on skill level and randomized events.

Teamwork is encouraged in Toontown since low-level Toons frequently need the help of others to complete difficult challenges or perform certain tricks. For example, "Toon-up" cannot be used by a player on their own character, so to be healed during battle one needs another player to use a Toon-up. Some gags also work better when used in combination with certain other gags; for example, a trap door gag is useless until another Toon "lures" the Cog towards it. A "drop" gag (such as a falling anvil or piano) is much more likely to hit if the Cog is first "stunned" by another gag. Conversely, some gags are much less effective when combined with certain other gags; a drop gag always misses a Cog lured away from his original spot.

As many as four players can team up together for typical Cog battles. Though, the game also has four Cog boss battles in which up to eight Toons can participate (Sellbot VP, Cashbot CFO, etc.). In simple battles, any Toon can walk in on the battle and participate, provided there aren't already four Toons doing so. For building and boss battles, the boss battles held inside Cog HQs (permanent Cog headquarters), the participating Toons must all enter at the same time, after which the building is sealed until the battle ends. Players can also purchase "doodles", virtual pets the player can name and train to do various tricks. Trick phrases are purchased from the Cattlelog to be taught to the doodle. Doodles help restore a Toon's Laff points when told to do a trick, they can also be called forth during a battle using the SOS button to raise your and your battle mate(s)'(s) laff.

Gags

Gags are used to defeat cogs. Toons start with throw and squirt, then after completing most of the Toontown Central toontasks, toons are given the choice to train for "Sound" or "Toonup". Once one or the other have been chosen, you are given tasks to complete to train for that certain gag. After completing the gag training you are allowed to choose another gag to train for: "Drop", "Lure", "Trap", or "Sound"/"Toonup" (depending on which one you didn't choose). You are only allowed to train for 6 of the 7 extra gags so you must think about which gags best suit your strategy. For example, some toons play more defensively and get the gags lure and toonup while others play more aggressively and get the gags drop and trap. "Toonup" gags are used to heal other toons in battle. "Lure" gags draw in the cogs individually or as a group. Cogs that are lured cannot attack toons, but, however, avoid all "Drop" gags. "Trap" gags are the counter-part to the "Lure" gags and can be set by another toon or yourself to draw the cogs into all sorts of creative traps, like sand pits, trap doors, and even TNT. "Sound" gags hurt all the cogs in battle and are very effective when used together with other toon's sound gags. "Drop" Gags miss more frequently than other gags but do more damage. A good way to improve the accuracy of a "Drop" gag is to hit the cogs with another gag before using the drop gag, like "Throw","Squirt" or "Sound". Free players can use Level 1 Sound or Toon-up gags, but need to become a member to access Level 2s and higher, as of 2011. Level 7 gags are the best, which makes a lot and destroys most cogs. trap gag tnt is acutally tied for the strongest gag but is a level 6 gag in trap its tied with toontanic drop level 7

gag type level gag name

Toonup:

              1            Feather
              2            joke megaphone
              3            lipstick
              4            cane
              5            pixie dust
              6            juggling balls
              7            high dive

Trap:

              1            Banana peel
              2            rake
              3            marbles
              4            mud pit
              5            trap door
              6            tnt
              7            train

Lure:

             1             $1 Bill
             2             Small magnet
             3             $5 bill
             4             Large magnet
             5             $10 bill
             6             Hypno goggles
             7             presentation

Sound:

             1             Bike horn
             2             Whistle
             3             trumpet
             4             oogha
             5             elephant trunk
             6             fog horn
             7             opera

Throw:

            1              cupcake
            2              slice of blueberry pie
            3              Slice of banana pie
            4              Whole fruit pie
            5              Whole Cream Pie
            6              Birthday Cake
            7              Wedding Cake

Squirt:

            1              Squirting Flower
            2              Glass of water
            3              Squirt Gun (water gun)
            4              Seltzer Bottle
            5              Fire Hose
            6              Storm Cloud
            7              Geysers

Drop:

            1              Flower Pot
            2              Anvil
            3              Sandbag
            4              100 tons
            5              metal safe
            6              grand Piano
            7              Cruise Ship (boat)

Toontasks

Advancement in the game requires completing "Toontasks", tasks or "missions" assigned by the non-player characters scattered about Toontown. Every Toontask has an award for completion, such as additional "laff points" (equivalent to the player's "health"), jellybeans (the in-game currency), and a variety of other benefits. Tasks range from simple delivery missions to defeating Cogs. The easiest tasks are in "Toontown Central" where all Toons start out, while some of the more challenging tasks are at "Donald's Dreamland" and "The Brrrgh". Some tasks are required for a Toon to advance in the game, while other tasks are optional, giving the player extra jellybeans or tickets for new clothes. Completing a task also heals any damage the player has taken.

Some tasks are designed to encourage teamwork between strong Toons and weaker Toons. For example, a strong Toon may receive a task to help low-level Toons defeat Cogs or Cog buildings. To further promote teamwork and helping others to complete tasks, the game allows each Toon to teleport (using a portable hole) to the exact location of a friend, even if that friend is in another district (server). This portable hole can become extremely useful, especially if you get lost.

Playgrounds

The playground in Toontown Central.

Playgrounds are the areas of Toontown that are permanently safe from Cogs. In the playgrounds, Toons can receive new Toontasks, turn in completed tasks, buy new items, play trolley games, or go fishing. Each playground features one of Disney's classic animated characters (Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, or Chip 'n Dale) as an NPC. In the middle of Toontown Central is Toon Hall, where the mayor of Toontown resigns. He is referred to as "Flippy" and is in most of the Toontown commercials which have been discontinued for some time now. In the game, Flippy is a NPC. He is also used as an in-game SOS, which you can earn by defeating the Sellbot VP, but it is very uncommon to get an opportunity to win this SOS. Toons also use the Playgrounds to heal after they have become injured in battle. Toons do not die but they do become sad; a sad Toon teleports to the nearest playground automatically to heal and restock. Playgrounds heal Toons slowly over time, but scattered around them are various "treasures" unique to each playground that speed up the process. Toons that are sad can not leave the playground until they have at least 1 laff point in their meter.

There is a playground in each "neighborhood" of Toontown: Toontown Central, Donald's Dock, Daisy Gardens, Minnie's Melodyland, The Brrrgh, Donald's Dreamland, Goofy Speedway,and Chip 'n Dale's Acorn Acres. Each playground and neighborhood share a unique theme. The themes are given with a character, and a theme to match the name of the neighborhood (for example, Minnie's Melodyland has a musical theme). Each playground (except for Goofy Speedway & Acorn Acres) connects to two or more neighborhood streets that contain Cogs and Cog buildings. The difficulty increases with each neighborhood passed. The "difficulty" of Cogs is determined by their level. The higher the level, the more health they have and the stronger their attacks.

Cogs

The Cogs were created when Scrooge McDuck touched his employee Gyro's newest creation, a robot, that said "Do Not Touch!". This might have been one of the first models of cogs. Scrooge woke up the robot. This robot went to a console and started pressing buttons until the panel exploded, in turn creating the cogs, all with the same aim, to take over toontown. According to the story of Toontown, the Cogs are joyless robots who only think of business and never joke, bent on forever changing Toontown to a gray place where no fun exists. Cogs come in four types: Bossbots (wear brown suits, symbol is a tie), Lawbots (wear blue-grey suits, symbol is a gavel), Cashbots (wear green suits, symbol is a dollar sign), and Sellbots (wear maroon suits, symbol is a bar graph). Cogs come in varying strengths, ranging from the "Level 1" Cogs (which have 6 hit points), to strong "Level 12" Cogs (which have 200 hit points). Bossbot HQ also accommodates "v2.0" Cogs, which are regular Cogs that become "Skelecogs" when its outer shell is destroyed (Skelecogs are incomplete cogs). Other types of cogs are goons, which are like patrols but can be stunned when jumped upon.

Occasionally, Cog "invasion" take place in which the only Cogs that appear are the invading type of Cog unless in a Factory, Mint, DA Office, and Golf Courses. An invasion is either randomly chosen or can be summoned by a toon as a reward for defeating the C.J. Skelecogs may have a special event for one; but goons do not have invasions.

There are also four cog bosses, the VP, CFO, CJ, and CEO.

Cog buildings

Cog buildings are a feature in Toontown where one to four toons work together to defeat a series of Cogs .These Cogs range in difficulty from level one, to level twelve. Cog buildings are created when Cogs enter Toon buildings, located on streets, and take them over. When a building is taken over by a cog, any toon in the building is kicked out and must defeat the building to go back in. The type of Cog that takes over the building (Bossbot, Lawbot, Cashbot, or Sellbot) determines the outer look and the types of Cogs that are in the building. The standard Cog office building then replaces it, and elevator doors at the entrance open up. Above the elevator are several lights, which denote the number of floors or stories the building has, up to a maximum of five and minimum of one. When a light appears on one of the circles, it means that some toons have already entered the building, also if the light is only shining on one of the circles that tells you what floor or story it is in. Up to four Toons may enter, and it is suggested not to go alone, during which they go through the floors and defeat Cogs. After doing each floor, there is a 90 second intermission for the toons to decide if they want to keep moving on or if they want to leave. They can skip this intermission if all of the toons enter the elevator. If a toon didn't make the decision in time, then the door closes and the toon is teleported to the nearest playground. This is not recommended because the toon will not gain any experience for the cogs they previously defeated. (Toons only get credit when they defeat the cogs on the last floor.)After moving up floor by floor, with each floor becoming harder, the top floor is reached, and the Toon(s) face the "boss" of the building, which is generally the highest level Cog in the building. After the boss is defeated, the toons gain credit for the cogs they destroyed along with any other Cogs on that floor, then the building is then replaced by the old Toon building. "Portraits" of the Toons who saved the building are displayed inside. If the toons did not successfully conquer a floor(In other terms, if they go Sad.) Then they are sent to the nearest playground and the building remains at the same place and the Elevator doors on the outside of the building open back up for any toon to try the building again. They lose all gags, including Any Pink Slips and SOS cards that were used. A Toon can also earn either a bronze, silver, gold, or spinning star above their head by defeating a set number of Cog buildings in the same district. The buildings are counted by the number of floors it has. For example, a four story building counts as four points or floors. You must must defeat the following: 10 floors for a bronze star, 20 for a spinning bronze star, 30 for a silver star, 50 for a spinning silver star, 75 for a gold star, and 100 for a spinning gold star. Toons who have saved a building that is again taken over by the cogs get a message that the cogs have taken over the rescued building. Buildings also get affected by invasions. Buildings are uncommon in Toontown Central to make it easier for the newer toons, But some toons would rather like the challenge of a building, so most toons usually hurry up into a building in Toontown Central. You would most likely find cog buildings in other areas, such as Minnie's Melodyland, Donald's Dreamland and Donald's Dock. However, many cog buildings have been seen in the districts Nutty Summit and Nutty River on Silly Street. Toons have also used "Cog building summons," given to them by defeating the CJ, to request a cog building.These summons are very rare and only exclusive toons earn them. Unless there are Cog buildings in the streets of Toontown Central, you must be a paid member to enter a cog building.

Cog Field Offices

Field Offices are a type of Cog building released in early 2011 that feature more variety than a typical Cog building. On the first floor of Field Offices, Toons participate in a mini-game in which they throw water balloons at Cogs (Mover And Shaker Cogs)in a maze-like course. Once the challenge is completed by defeating the cogs, the Toons proceed to a second floor in which they battle the Cogs using gags, similar to what is done in normal Cog buildings which contain usually a Mr. Hollywood as a boss. Once defeated, the Toons are rewarded with an SOS Toon card (a one-time-use special ability that can be summoned during a future Cog battle), like those awarded by defeating the Vice President in the Sellbot HQ but not as strong, with the max strength of 2 stars and a minimum of 0.^[12]

Note The Cogs in Field Offices are only Sellbots and require payed membership to enter.in less theres one in ttc which is super duper rare more rare then cog buildings but have happend before.

Cog HQs

You need a subscription (purchased from the Toontown website that relates to your country) to venture into Cog HQ's extra features, such as the Factory and VP in Sellbot HQ (SBHQ), etc. As players reach the mid- to higher-level content in the game, they are assigned Toontasks related to the four 'Cog Headquarters' in the game. The HQs are large areas that are permanently controlled by Cogs and headed by a giant-sized Cog boss. As many as eight Toons can battle together to defeat a Cog HQ boss. Some have special areas, places like a Factory, DA, Mints, etc. These locations allow toon players to get the requirements they need to defeat Cog Bosses, such as Merits. When in Cog HQs, Toons can start Boarding Groups, where the leader can invite Toons to get into the elevator with them. Other members can also invite members. Once four or eight (depending on whether elevator leads to HQ subareas or boss battles) Toons are on the Boarding Group, the leader can click a GO button or enter the elevator. All Toons in the Boarding Group board at the same time and may not leave unless the leader leaves. This new feature eliminates a problem termed 'shuffling'.If you have maxed out on all Cog HQ's for your disguise then you can go back and fight the bosses again and if you succeed, then you can get an extra laff point up to 5 times from each Cog HQ.

Sellbot HQ At the end of Oak street of Daisy Gardens lies Sellbot HQ (abbreviated SBHQ) which was released on December 19, 2004. It is controlled by the Senior Vice President (VP). The courtyard usually accomidates level 4-6 cogs Which usually consist of Cold Caller, Name Dropper, Glad Hander, and Mover and Shaker cogs. Two-Faces are roaming there occasionally. Players must collect Sellbot suit parts by defeating the Factory Foreman (the Skelecog at the final battle of the factory) of the Sellbot Factory, then earn enough merits for a promotion to fight the VP. Merits can be earned by defeating Sellbots anywhere in Toontown, but more are earned by a successful run through the factory. The VP battle, in which up to eight toons participate, consists of three rounds: Cogs (similar to those found in buildings), Skelecogs (cogs that weren't fully manufactured), and the Pie Round with the VP. For the first round, the toons split into two teams of up to four each, and they battle regular Cogs where all eight toons cumulatively defeat. Eventually, most of those cogs are as low levels as level 1 and consist of any Sellbot cog, but usually Mr.Hollywoods, the Minglers, and Two-Face cogs. When these are defeated, there is an intermission. The second round is conducted the same way, except that the toons now face Skelecogs who are very high level, at least 8. In the third and final round, the toons work together to knock the VP off of the launch pad he is standing on. After the VP is defeated, a toon shopkeeper is freed. The reward for defeating the VP are two "SOS cards", a one-time-use special ability that can be summoned during a future Cog battle such as, "toons always hit" or, "Cogs always miss" and so on. Not all shopkeepers give those 2 SOS cards. They also give gag-up SOS cards such as Lure, drop, sound, etc. There is also a Sellbot factory for lower level toons where you can earn Cog disguise part, 10 successful runs are required to make a successful suit. Sellbot HQ is unique because no Toontasks must be completed to obtain a cog suit.

Cashbot HQ In the corner of Toontown at the end of Pajama Place (Donald's Dreamland) is where Cashbot HQ lies.(abbreviated CBHQ) which was released on February 17, 2005. It is controlled by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The Train Yard accomidates level 7-9 Cashbot Cogs which on a regular basis consist of, Tightwad, Number Cruncher, Money Bags, and Bean Counter cogs. The CFO battle has the prerequisites of a complete Cashbot "Cog suit" plus a set number of Cashbot "Cogbucks". Toons may go into the three Cog mints (the coin mint, the dollar mint, and the bullion mint) or fight Cashbots outside of Cashbot HQ to get more Cogbucks. Cog suit pieces are earned by completing specific tasks in Donald's Dreamland. The CFO battle consists of a round of Cogs ranging from any Cashbot cog. Then, the Toons battle the CFO in the main vault where they usually split into teams. 4 toons are usually operating the crane while the other toons stun the goons for the toons to pick up with the crane and throw at the CFO. Occasionally the toons usually swap out places by their own choice so all the toons can have a chance to control the crane. Goons will drop treasures when they are successfully stomped on and the toons pick those up if they are low on Laff Points. If the toons made a successful run through the CFO, then the reward for completing this battle is a "Toons of the world spend wisely!" phrase or a "Toons of the world gag up!" phrase or a "Toons of the world Toon-up!" phrase, a one-time-use special ability. These phrases allow the player saying them and those around them within earshot to earn special bonuses such as refill on gags, more laff points, and jellybeans, even during a battle or anywhere. After time these prizes may vary. For example, if you have a Toon-Up phrase, the more successful runs, the bigger the boost.

Lawbot HQ At the end of Polar Place (The Brrrgh) is where Lawbot HQ resides. (abbreviated LBHQ) It was released on April 25, 2006. The Courtyard accomidates level 8-10 Lawbot Cogs, usually consisting of Spin Doctors, Ambulance chasers, or Back Stabbers. The Subareas consist Of 4 Lawbot DA offices. Office A, Office B (Must have 83 Laff points to board) Office C (Must have 86 Laff Points to board) And office D (Must have 96 Laff Points to board) You can Obtain Jury Notices from all of these, or just fighting Lawbot Cogs themselves. It is controlled by a boss called the Chief Justice (CJ). Before fighting the CJ, Toons complete a set of tasks given in The Brrrgh by Professor Flake to earn a Lawbot Cog suit. After that the player earns a set number of Lawbot "Jury Notices" for each Lawbot defeated. The battle consists of a Cog round, usually consisting Big Wigs and Legal Eagle cogs. followed by a cannon round to seat Toons on a jury. The more toons in the Jury stand when time runs out, the bigger the scale is tipped in your favor. (8/12 toons are needed to have at least a balanced scale.) It is then followed by a round to throw "evidence" books into a scale of justice while avoiding books being thrown by Cogs. There are two jobs that can be performed when battling the CJ. Stunning the prosecuting Cogs with evidence or throwing evidence into the pan to promote victory. If all cogs are stunned at one time, then the Evidence weight is doubled for 20 seconds and everyone is rewarded a 10 point laff boost. The reward for defeating the CJ is an ability to summon a specific Cog, Cog building, or Cog invasion. But you can't stock up on invasions for the same cog. Cog Invasions are extremely rare, and advanced toons only have the power to summon them. Cog buildings work the same way.

Bossbot HQ Deep in Chip and Dales Acorn Acres is where Bossbot HQ lies.(abbreviated BBHQ) It was released on March 6, 2008. It is controlled by a boss called the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The Country Club does not accomidate any cogs, but there are 3 golf holes which accomidate level 10-12 Bossbot Cogs which hold Corporate Raiders and The Big Cheese cogs, Head Hunters are also included, but are uncommon. Bossbot HQ is the only location that hold Version 2.0 Cogs. The golf holes include 'The Front Three which has 3 rounds, 'The Middle Six' which has 6 rounds, and 'The back Nine' which has 9 rounds. You can obtain Stock Options with these. The player must collect a Bossbot Cog suit from Shep Ahoy and "Stock Options" to fight the CEO. The player collects suit parts by doing a series of tasks from Donald's Dock. After the suit is acquired, Toons receive Stock Options by destroying any Bossbot Cog. The battle consists of two Cog fighting rounds, one within the kitchen and one inside the CEO's banquet dining room. After the first round of Cogs is defeated, the Toons must act as waiters in white Cog suits for the Cogs as a means of avoiding being caught. The Toons serve the "Corporate Raiders" or "Big Cheeses" oil cans three times, after which the Cogs explode. After the Toons are discovered by the CEO and stripped of their disguises, they must fight the second round of Cogs; the ones who did not explode during the meal. Should the Toons have successfully destroyed every Cog in the previous round, it only consist of one high level cog. Afterward, they must water blast the CEO to cause damage or shoot golf balls at the CEO to slow him down. Defeating the CEO rewards the players with "Pink Slips," which "fires" Cogs and destroys them in one shot with a cannon. Rewards can range from 1-3 Pink Slips.

Non-combat activities

Toontown offers several non-combat activities for players. The activities allow players to earn jellybeans, additional laff points, and other bonuses to use in the main game.

Trolley games

Trolley games are short, arcade-like minigames that someone can play solo or with up to three other Toons. They are called trolley games because someone must hop on a trolley car in the playground to begin playing them. Toons earn jellybeans (the in-game currency of Toontown) based on how well they score in the games. Multiplayer games earn jellybeans for every player equally based on the highest score. Some games can played by two or more players only, such as the Tag game. On Trolley Track Thursdays, players can use points to vote which game to go to from how many jellybeans they got from the last game. Trolley Tracks also have free jellybeans to give out. August 2008 was named "The Month of the Trolley Games" for a marathon of four new trolley games released weekly.

Fishing

There are fishing ponds in every playground, on every street of Toontown, and at every player's estate. But you need membership to access ponds outside of Toontown Central Toons can catch fish via a simple game, then sell them for jellybeans to a NPC Pet Shop clerk. Seventy different species of fish currently exist in the game, and players earn a laff point and a trophy for each 10 new species that they catch. Several species are ultra-rare and/or can be found only in particular ponds. Every Wednesday is "Bingo Wednesday". Toons on each pond share a bingo and try to complete it by catching different fish species before a timer runs out and win up to 10,000 jellybeans.

Gardening

Toons can grow and maintain a garden of flowers, statues, and "gag trees" at their estates. The gags picked from gag trees have higher-than-normal damage capability. Different species of flowers can be grown by planting different combinations of jellybeans. There are forty types of flowers, and a player earns a laff point and a trophy for each ten species grown. Bloomed flowers can be sold for jellybeans. To sell flowers go to the wheelborrow located at your estate.

Kart Racing

Toons can race against each other in Goofy Speedway, an area that consists of six different race tracks (along with their reversed versions) plus a shop that sells cars and car accessories. You can get cars like the Roadster and the Toon Utility Vehicle. Similar to Nintendo's Mario Kart games, racers can collect and use items (pies, anvils, speed-boost, banana peel) on each other during the race. Thirty racing trophies can also be earned, and for each ten the Toon earns another laff point. Every Monday, the Grand Prix is held, in which Toons can win many more tickets than usual as well as special trophies. There is also a triple-sided scoreboard featured showing the recent best time scores with certain toons and their names.

Miniature Golf

Located at Chip 'n Dale's Mini Golf, members can play miniature golf to earn trophies that can be redeemed for laff points (one for every ten trophies up to a total of three). There are three courses with their specific colors: "Walk in the Par" (green), "Hole Some Fun" (yellow), and "The Hole Kit and Kaboodle" (red), each progressively more difficult than the last. Toons are able to access MiniGolf from Chip 'n Dale's Acorn Acres, which is located in the playground of Donald's Dock. While not technically being a part of Toontown, the Bossbot HQ is a country club in which you may battle cogs on golf courses.

Toon Parties

In 2009 Toontown introduced Toon Parties, a non-combatant gathering with friends. These half-hour parties can be public (anyone can come) or private (only invited Toons). Special effects for the party include a jukebox, Party Catch, a dance floor, trampolines, cannons, fireworks, decorations,Cog-o-war, and tug-o-war. To host a party or go to a party, there are party gates in every playground except Goofy Speedway and Chip 'n Dale's. Parties cost at least a minimum of 100 Beans for a Mandatory Party Clock, Toons can add any other accessories to it for a certain amount of beans. (Parties can cost over 2500+ Jellybeans varying on what you buy.)

Doodles

Doodles are the main pets in ToonTown that a toon can buy at a Pet shop (about six doodles are located in every estate). They appear as cute little furry pets, and the player can buy new tricks for them in Clarabelle's Catalog. You can train them at your estate to give you "laff points." You can also SOS your doodle during a battle if you need some toon-up.

Doodles can also learn tricks such as "Jump!" or "Play!" These tricks, when done by the doodle, give your toon laff if you were not completely healed. All doodles are different: some become bored, lonely, tired, or perhaps all three. Therefore, Doodles quite often need attention from their owners.

Doodles that were purchased in more advanced playgrounds, such as Donald's Dreamland, The Brrrgh or Minnie's Melodyland are more likely to learn tricks faster then those bought in Toontown Central, Donald's Dock or Daisy Gardens. Those advanced playgrounds also have more accurate and "decorated" doodles, which are also more expensive. Most Ubers or advanced toons have these types of doodles. Unlike all other playgrounds, Toontown Central lets you purchase doodles whether you're a member or not. For all other playgrounds you must be a paid member. Every Toon starts out with the phrase "Jump!" under "Pets". If you say the phrase your Doodle may do the trick; if not, a question mark rises above their head. A doodle can be called to do a trick in a cog battle to toon-up the toons there, including you.

Each trick gives a different amount of laff, depending on which one is used and how well trained the doodle is. When the doodle is fully trained, the information bars go to full and the amount it toons up doubles.

List of tricks and laff points they give (all give double when mastered):

• Jump (5 Laff)
• Beg (6 Laff)
• Play Dead (7 Laff)
• Roll over (8 Laff)
• Back flip (9 Laff)
• Dance (10 Laff)
• Speak (11 Laff)

Accessories

A feature, released in mid July of 2011, allows players to dress up their Toons with "Add-ons," or accessories, such as glasses.

ToonFest

Disney Online organizes an annual real-life gathering for Toontown fans called ToonFest, not to be confused with an unrelated cartoon festival called Toonfest (officially "Walt Disney's Hometown Toonfest") held annually in Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, Missouri.^[13] Disney Online's ToonFest includes themed activities and games, trivia and costume contests, previews of upcoming features, and developer Q&A panels. The first gathering, ToonFest 2006, was held at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California, ^[14] while ToonFest 2007 was held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.^[15] There hasn't been a ToonFest since ToonFest 2010, although it is rumored they might have another one for their 10th anniversary in late 2012.

Online safety features

Chatting

Toontown players using SpeedChat.

Since this is an online world where kids and adults interact, Disney implemented several unique features in Toontown to keep children safe from inappropriate conversations or behavior. First and foremost, there is open chat implanted in the game, called SpeedChat Plus, restricted to only pre-approved words from a dictionary. Everyone who has Speedchat Plus activated is able to see what was typed. If a player types a word that is not in the dictionary, it is italicized (and shows up in red in the chat window) and the player must select a replacement. If it is entered anyway, it shows as an animal noise to non-true friends, and may show to true friends depending if it is vulgar or not. Parents have the ability to restrict the True Friends or Speedchat Plus capability of their children's toons via a set of parental controls. The players who don't enable SpeedChat Plus communicate with each other entirely via "SpeedChat" — a pre-defined, safe list of phrases that are accessed via a series of drop-down menus. The menus are designed to cover most communication needs (plus several silly phrases), but players can add additional SpeedChat phrases to their menu by purchasing them from the Cattlelog.

There are also House Rules applying to type chat. Any infraction or violation could result in a possible termination or suspension of services, or simply a warning. This can be also caused with the proper use of the report button. Toontown also has an ignore button and any false reports might result in an account hold or service interruption.

To communicate beyond the restrictions of SpeedChat, there is "True Friends" chat. If two or more players already know each other outside the game world (e.g. real-life friends, relatives, or online friends from another game or website), they can become True Friends with each other after completing a one-time process involving a six-digit secret code always starting with TT. True Friends can communicate with each other in Toontown via a free-form chat window. These messages are automatically filtered to remove vulgar language and other words that Disney has deemed inappropriate, as well as place names such as states. Furthermore, these chat messages are viewable only by players who are True Friends with the message sender; other nearby players see these messages as gibberish animal sounds (barking, meowing, etc.). A "Friends List" is provided in the game, which allows a player to track the status of his True and non-True friends, up to a maximum of fifty.

Naming a Toon is also controlled to prevent names that contain inappropriate language or real-life personal details (such as age and hometown). Most players use the built-in Toon name generator, which allows them to construct a name by clicking on one or more pre-approved "toony" words ("Super Pinky", "Princess Rainbow Twinkletoon", "Sir Funnymonkey", "Super Skids Fizzlefink", "Crazy Z.Z. Electroslam", "Fat Fireball", "Huckleboom", "Princess Peach," etc.). If a player chooses to submit a custom name, they must wait for someone at Disney to approve it. Custom names that are rejected are sometimes approved if they tried again. Names are not unique; multiple Toons can have the same name and the same look.

In keeping with the friendly, cooperative spirit of Toontown, the game designers intentionally left out some of the less-friendly features that are sometimes found in other MMORPGs.^[6] For example, Toontown contains no PVP battles, hence one player cannot "kill" another. Players are also unable to sell or trade items with other players; however, players can purchase gifts for other players through the Cattlelog. As with any multiplayer game, certain actions can be considered annoying or otherwise unwanted. Toontown also has a certain section of words for toons to reflect a negative state of mind, such as "You stink!", "Stop that!" and "Don't be mean!".

Speed Chat Plus (SC+) is a new feature that replaces the traditional Speed Chat. With generic Speed Chat, a player could only use a limited number of phrases. With Speed Chat Plus, the player can use all words in the Toontown-approved "dictionary". This allows players to form logical sentences, while prohibiting words that aren't approved by Toontown. This includes derogatory terms, profanity, most numbers (protecting children by making it difficult to exchange personal information), and various words that Toontown feels are either negative or allow exchange of personal information. Prohibited words are displayed in red or italics (depending on whether the toon has any True Friends) while typing, to remind the player that that word can not be used. However, Toons often use words similar to a number, like one is won, two is to, three is tree, and four is for.

Report Button

Toontown has a report button where Toons can report other Toons who break the Disney House Rules. A reported Toon will be sent to a moderator who will review the Toon. True reports will place a ban to the Toon. False reports will be reviewed and the toon who reported so will get a warning, or a temporary suspensions for abuse of the Report Button. There are five options in the report button which are Foul Language, Sharing/Requesting Personal Info, Rude or Mean Behavior, Bad Name, and Hacking. A Toon with a bad name will not be placed on ban however will be forced to change to an appropriate name while having a name chosen by the Toon council. If the problem precedes, then the toon can use the Ignore Button to block further conversation with the toon, or they can teleport to another location. Problems can also be sent over the phone to Toontown Online.

Awards

Toontown Online has won several awards, including:

• Computer Gaming World, 2003 MMORPG Game of the Year
• Webby Awards, 2003 People's Voice Award, Kids Category
• Parents' Choice Foundation, 2003 Silver Honor
• Children's Software Review, 2003 All Star Software Award
• WiredKids, 2005 Safe Gaming Award
• 2008 Webby Awards "Webby Worthy Selection"

References

1. ^ "Toontown FAQ (PC Requirements for Windows)". Disney. http://toontown.go.com/help/technical/windows-pc. Retrieved 2 July 2011. 
2. ^ "Toontown FAQ (PC Requirements for Mac)". Disney. http://toontown.go.com/help/technical/mac. Retrieved 2 July 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Disney's Toontown Online To Launch June 2003" (Press release). The Walt Disney Company. 2007-05-08. http://corporate.disney.go.com/wdig/online_releases/2003/2003_0505_wdig.html. Retrieved 2007-01-11. 
4. ^ "What is the appropriate age for Toontown?". Toontown Online FAQ. The Walt Disney Company. http://play.toontown.com/faq/overview_age.php. Retrieved 2007-01-13. 
5. ^ ^{a b c} Goslin, Mike (2004-01-28). "Postmortem: Disney Online's Toontown". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20040128/goslin_01.shtml. Retrieved 2007-02-02. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Mine, Mark; Shochet, Joe; Hughston, Roger (2003). "Building a massively multiplayer game for the million: Disney's Toontown Online" (PDF). Computers in Entertainment (ACM Press) 1: 15. doi:10.1145/950566.950589. http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=950589&coll=GUIDE&dl=GUIDE&CFID=67018641&CFTOKEN=45613358. Retrieved 2006-04-03. 
7. ^ "ESRB Rating: Toontown Online". ESRB. 2007. http://www.esrb.org/ratings/search.jsp?titleOrPublisher=toontown%20online&searchType=title. Retrieved 2007-11-06. 
8. ^ "Animating Toontown With Mike Goslin". Design Mentor Training, Vol. III, No. 2. 2005. http://www.sessions.edu/resources/newsletter/archive/vol3/No2_2005/pag4.asp. Retrieved 2007-02-02. 
9. ^ Shields, Mike. (2007-07-09). "Disney Moving Toontown to Ad Model" Mediaweek, via mediaweek.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
10. ^ "What is a Free Account?". The Walt Disney Company. http://play.toontown.com/faq/member_services/free.php. Retrieved 2008-05-04. 
11. ^ "Sony Online Entertainment's Platform Publishing Label Bringing Disney's Toontown Online To Retail This Fall" (Press release). The Walt Disney Company. 2005-08-25. http://corporate.disney.go.com/wdig/online_releases/2005/2005_0825_disney.html. Retrieved 2007-02-02. 
12. ^ "Field Offices". Disney. http://toontown.go.com/help/players-guide/field-offices. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 
13. ^ "Ziggy Artist, Other Cartoonists, Gather For Tribute at Disney Birthplace" (Press release). Walsh Public Relations. 2005-09-12. http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_press_release.php?rID=8202. Retrieved 2007-08-30. 
14. ^ "Thousands of 'Toons' to Gather at Disney Studios in Burbank for FirstEver 'ToonFest'; Disney Channel Stars Among Attendees at August 26th Fan Event Dedicated to Disney's Toontown Online" (Press release). Disney Online, a division of the Walt Disney Internet Group. 2006-08-25. http://www.smartbrief.com/news/iab/industryBW-detail.jsp?id=90A8C966-D4F7-434C-8BF7-E4B912A3755B. Retrieved 2007-08-30. 
15. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online Hosts ToonFest 2007" (Press release). Disney Online, a division of the Walt Disney Internet Group. 2007-08-04. http://www.forbes.com/businesswire/feeds/businesswire/2007/08/04/businesswire20070804005025r1.html. Retrieved 2007-08-30. 

External links

• Toontown Online USA official website (English)
• Toontown Online BR official website (Portuguese) - Will be closed as of 31 August 2011
• Toontown Online FR official website (French) - Closed as of 30 September 2009
• Toontown Online JP official website (Japanese) - Closed as of 31 August 2010
• Toontown Online UK official website (English) - Coupled with Toontown USA as of 1 August 2010
• Toontown Online SEA official website (English) - Closed as of 15 February 2009
• Toontown Test Server (English)
• Disney's Toontown Online guide at StrategyWiki