Postopia

Work on the website started at Skyworks in 1999 and continued until 2009.^[1] The site opened in 2001;^[2] its games featured tie-ins with cereal mascots and characters.^[3] As of a June 2001 Nielsen survey, the website attracted 260,000 unique users aged under 12.^[4]

The first version was developed by Scient. It was advertised on television and was featured in more than 17 million Post cereal boxes.^[5] The initial version was divided into four countries, each one with its own main character: Futuria, a futuristic city inhabited by inventors known as the Gadgetrons,^[6] led by Zander;^[7] the Ice Burbs, a wintry location dedicated to fashion and trends, its inhabitants being the Ice Breakers,^[8] led by Kiki;^[9] Space Nation, a space station located above Postopia and populated by a team of explorers known as the Galaxy Busters,^[10] led by Chelsea;^[11] and the underwater Wet World, inhabited by professional athletes known as the Water Loggers,^[12] led by Nick.^[13] In 2004, the site was made by Razorfish, with two million unique users visiting per month for up to 30 minutes a day each. Development was largely due to the implementation of broadband connections, a technological advancement pivotal for the development of interactive websites.^[14]

In November 2005, Skyworks started delivering USB-ported Dance Dance Revolution-inspired dancing mats. These mats were available from sister website NabiscoWorld.^[15] That same year, it was heavily targeted by a new Kraft policy to promote only healthier foods, which effected the website by the end of 2006.^[16] In 2006, Congress went after advergames for sponsoring unhealthy foods, prompting them to detach from their previous sponsors.^[17] The website attracted a million child users in the second quarter of 2006.^[18] In December 2007, Postopia received the most traffic from outside advertising on Nickelodeon's website (87%), Disney's website (74%), and RuneScape (67%).^[19] As of 2009, the average number of visitors per month had fallen to 264,000.^[20]

A 2011 study said that only a limited number of kids were aware that the games were made to advertise cereals—the study targeted the Honey-Comb-sponsored Be a Popstar.^[21][22] At the bottom of its homepage, it included a fine-print message explaining that the website contained commercial advertising related to its products.^[23] It also featured Postokens, with which users unlocked new levels or features to existing games using passwords found in cereal boxes.^[17]

The website was discontinued in 2011, likely as an effect of the reduction in child-based advertising online.^[24] Another cause was Kraft's sale of Post to Ralcorp, which hampered the creation of a new website.^[25] The website was replaced by PebblesPlay.com, an advergame website promoting Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles,^[26] Unlike what happened with Postopia, PebblesPlay did not generate the same amount of impressions.^[27]