<s>
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
a	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
(	O
MMO	O
)	O
,	O
involving	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
that	O
contained	O
a	O
range	O
of	O
online	O
games	O
and	O
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
New	B-Application
Horizon	I-Application
Interactive	I-Application
(	O
now	O
known	O
as	O
Disney	B-Application
Canada	I-Application
Inc	I-Application
.	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
used	O
cartoon	O
penguin-avatars	O
and	O
played	O
in	O
an	O
antarctic-themed	O
open-world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
beta-testing	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
made	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
on	O
October	O
24	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
and	O
expanded	O
into	O
a	O
large	O
online	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
,	O
such	O
that	O
by	O
late	O
2007	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
claimed	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
had	O
over	O
30	O
million	O
user	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2013	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
had	O
over	O
200	O
million	O
registered	O
user	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
free	O
memberships	O
were	O
available	O
,	O
revenue	O
was	O
predominantly	O
raised	O
through	O
paid	O
memberships	O
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
access	O
a	O
range	O
of	O
additional	O
features	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
purchase	O
virtual	O
clothing	O
,	O
furniture	O
,	O
and	O
in-game	B-Application
pets	O
called	O
"	O
puffles	B-Application
"	O
for	O
their	O
penguins	O
through	O
the	O
usage	O
of	O
in-game	B-Application
currency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
success	O
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
led	O
to	O
New	O
Horizon	O
being	O
purchased	O
by	O
the	O
Walt	O
Disney	O
Company	O
in	O
August	O
2007	O
for	O
the	O
sum	O
of	O
350	O
million	O
dollars	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
additional	O
350	O
million	O
dollars	O
in	O
bonuses	O
should	O
specific	O
targets	O
be	O
met	O
by	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
specifically	O
designed	O
for	O
children	O
aged	O
6	O
to	O
14	O
(	O
however	O
,	O
users	O
of	O
any	O
age	O
were	O
allowed	O
to	O
play	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
features	O
included	O
offering	O
an	O
"	O
Ultimate	O
Safe	O
Chat	O
"	O
mode	O
,	O
whereby	O
users	O
selected	O
their	O
comments	O
from	O
a	O
menu	O
;	O
filtering	B-Application
that	O
prevented	O
swearing	O
and	O
the	O
revelation	O
of	O
personal	O
information	O
;	O
and	O
moderators	O
who	O
patrolled	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
later	O
shut	O
down	O
its	O
servers	O
on	O
March	O
30	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
at	O
12:01	O
AM	O
PDT	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
replaced	O
by	O
a	O
successor	O
,	O
titled	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Island	I-Application
(	O
which	O
itself	O
was	O
discontinued	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
being	O
shut	O
down	O
,	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
has	O
been	O
hosted	O
and	O
recreated	O
on	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
private	B-Application
servers	I-Application
using	O
SWF	O
files	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
old	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
private	B-Application
servers	I-Application
were	O
shut	O
down	O
around	O
May	O
15	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
after	O
Digital	O
Millennium	O
Copyright	O
Act	O
filings	O
by	O
the	O
Walt	O
Disney	O
Company	O
were	O
sent	O
on	O
May	O
13	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
initiated	O
by	O
concerns	O
about	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Online	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
alleged	O
child	O
sexual	O
abuse	O
and	O
child	O
pornography	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
divided	O
into	O
various	O
rooms	O
and	O
distinct	O
areas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
least	O
one	O
party	O
per	O
month	O
was	O
held	O
on	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Some	O
major	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
parties	O
were	O
its	O
annual	O
Halloween	B-Application
and	O
Holiday	O
parties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
large	O
parties	O
included	O
the	O
Music	O
Jam	O
,	O
the	O
Adventure	O
Party	O
,	O
the	O
Puffle	B-Application
Party	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Medieval	O
Party	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
seeds	O
of	O
what	O
would	O
become	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
began	O
as	O
a	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
web-based	B-Application
game	O
called	O
Snow	O
Blasters	O
that	O
developer	O
Lance	O
Priebe	O
had	O
been	O
developing	O
in	O
his	O
spare	O
time	O
in	O
July	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
used	O
as	O
the	O
inspiration	O
for	O
Penguin	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Penguin	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
1	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
similar	O
game	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
shortly	O
after	O
Experimental	O
Penguins	O
 '	O
removal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
January	O
2003	O
,	O
Penguin	O
Football	O
Chat	O
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Penguin	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
2	O
)	O
was	O
the	O
second	O
attempt	O
at	O
a	O
penguin-themed	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
was	O
created	O
on	O
FLASH	O
5	O
and	O
used	O
the	O
same	O
interface	O
as	O
Experimental	O
Penguins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
contained	O
various	O
minigames	O
;	O
the	O
premiere	O
title	O
of	O
RocketSnail	O
Games	O
was	O
Ballistic	O
Biscuit	O
,	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
would	O
be	O
placed	O
into	O
Experimental	O
Penguins	O
and	O
eventually	O
be	O
adapted	O
into	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
's	O
Hydro	O
Hopper	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lance	O
Priebe	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
co-workers	O
Lane	B-Application
Merrifield	I-Application
and	O
Dave	O
Krysko	O
,	O
started	O
to	O
formulate	O
the	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
concept	O
when	O
the	O
trio	O
were	O
unsuccessful	O
in	O
finding	O
"	O
something	O
that	O
had	O
some	O
social	O
components	O
but	O
was	O
safe	O
,	O
and	O
not	O
just	O
marketed	O
as	O
safe	O
"	O
for	O
their	O
own	O
children	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
spin-off	O
company	O
would	O
be	O
known	O
as	O
New	B-Application
Horizon	I-Application
Interactive	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
used	O
the	O
previous	O
project	O
Penguin	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
2	O
–	O
which	O
was	O
still	O
online	O
–	O
as	O
a	O
jumping-off	O
point	O
in	O
the	O
design	O
process	O
,	O
while	O
incorporating	O
concepts	O
and	O
ideas	O
from	O
Experimental	O
Penguins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Penguin	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
's	O
third	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2005	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
test	O
the	O
client	O
and	O
servers	O
of	O
Penguin	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
4	O
(	O
renamed	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Variants	O
of	O
Penguin	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
3	I-Application
included	O
Crab	O
Chat	O
,	O
Chibi	O
Friends	O
Chat	O
,	O
Goat	O
Chat	O
,	O
Ultra-Chat	O
,	O
and	O
TV	O
Chat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
from	O
Penguin	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
were	O
invited	O
to	O
beta	O
test	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
plan	O
was	O
to	O
release	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
in	O
2010	O
,	O
but	O
since	O
the	O
team	O
had	O
decided	O
to	O
fast-track	O
the	O
project	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
went	O
live	O
on	O
October	O
24	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
just	O
after	O
Penguin	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
servers	O
were	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
August	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Penguin	B-Application
Chat	I-Application
used	O
ElectroServer	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
would	O
use	O
SmartFoxServer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
started	O
with	O
15,000	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
March	O
that	O
number	O
had	O
reached	O
1.4	O
million	O
—	O
a	O
figure	O
which	O
almost	O
doubled	O
by	O
September	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
hit	O
2.6	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
time	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
two	O
years	O
old	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
reached	O
3.9	O
million	O
users	O
,	O
despite	O
lacking	O
a	O
marketing	O
budget	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
year	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
spokesperson	O
Karen	O
Mason	O
explained	O
:	O
"	O
We	O
offer	O
children	O
the	O
training	O
wheels	O
for	O
the	O
kinds	O
of	O
activities	O
they	O
might	O
pursue	O
as	O
they	O
get	O
older.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
three	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
co-creators	O
had	O
turned	O
down	O
lucrative	O
advertising	O
offers	O
and	O
venture	O
capital	O
investments	O
in	O
the	O
past	O
,	O
in	O
August	O
2007	O
,	O
they	O
agreed	O
to	O
sell	O
both	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
and	O
its	O
parent	O
company	O
to	O
Disney	O
for	O
the	O
sum	O
of	O
$350.93	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Disney	O
ultimately	O
did	O
n't	O
pay	O
the	O
extra	O
$350	O
million	O
,	O
as	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
missed	O
both	O
profit	O
goals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
point	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
purchased	O
by	O
Disney	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
had	O
11	O
–	O
12	O
million	O
accounts	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
700,000	O
were	O
paid	O
subscribers	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
generating	O
$40	O
million	O
in	O
annual	O
revenue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
late	O
2007	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
claimed	O
that	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
had	O
over	O
30	O
million	O
user	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
the	O
8th	O
top	O
social	O
networking	O
site	O
in	O
April	O
2008	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Nielsen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Disney	O
's	O
acquisition	O
,	O
Disney	O
Interactive	O
had	O
four	O
MMOs	O
to	O
simultaneously	O
juggle	O
:	O
ToonTown	B-Protocol
,	O
Pirates	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
the	I-Protocol
Caribbean	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
Pixie	B-Protocol
Hollow	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
,	O
with	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Cars	I-Protocol
set	O
to	O
follow	O
soon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lane	B-Application
Merrifield	I-Application
assured	O
GlobalToyNews	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
's	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
worlds	O
to	O
manage	O
,	O
but	O
we	O
have	O
really	O
strong	O
teams.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
his	O
roles	O
was	O
to	O
merge	O
the	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
studio	O
New	B-Application
Horizon	I-Application
Interactive	I-Application
in	O
Kelowna	O
(	O
renamed	O
to	O
Disneyland	O
Studios	O
Canada	O
)	O
with	O
Disneyland	O
Studios	O
LA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
Disney	O
purchase	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
continued	O
to	O
grow	O
,	O
becoming	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
larger	O
franchise	O
including	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
books	O
,	O
a	O
television	O
special	O
,	O
an	O
anniversary	O
song	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
app	O
MMO	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Disney	O
has	O
often	O
used	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
a	O
cross-promotion	O
opportunity	O
when	O
releasing	O
new	O
films	O
such	O
as	O
Frozen	O
,	O
Zootopia	O
,	O
and	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
having	O
special	O
themed	O
events	O
and	O
parties	O
to	O
celebrate	O
their	O
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
11	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
released	O
the	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Improvement	O
Project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
project	O
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
be	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
testing	O
of	O
new	O
servers	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
put	O
into	O
use	O
in	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
on	O
April	O
14	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
20	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
website	O
temporarily	O
crashed	O
after	O
the	O
company	O
let	O
the	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
domain	O
name	O
expire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2011	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
Club	O
Penguin'''s	O
minigames	O
,	O
Puffle	B-Application
Launch	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
iOS	O
as	O
an	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Merrifield	O
commented	O
:	O
"	O
Kids	O
are	O
going	O
mobile	O
and	O
have	O
been	O
asking	O
for	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
to	O
go	O
there	O
with	O
them.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
July	O
2013	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
had	O
over	O
200	O
million	O
registered	O
user	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
hired	O
singer	O
and	O
former	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
player	O
Jordan	O
Fisher	O
to	O
record	O
a	O
song	O
entitled	O
It	O
's	O
Your	O
Birthday	O
,	O
to	O
commemorate	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
's	O
8th	O
anniversary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
thumb|400x400px|This	O
message	O
was	O
provided	O
by	O
Aunt	B-Application
Arctic	I-Application
(	O
a	O
proxy	O
for	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
developers	O
)	O
in	O
the	O
last	O
issue	O
of	O
the	O
in-universe	O
newspaper	O
The	O
Penguin	O
Times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2015	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
revealed	O
that	O
Disney	O
Interactive	O
had	O
laid	O
off	O
28	O
members	O
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
's	O
Kelowna	O
headquarters	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
declining	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
2	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
closed	O
down	O
the	O
German	O
and	O
Russian	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
spin-off	O
mobile	O
app	O
,	O
Puffle	B-Application
Wild	O
,	O
was	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
and	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
the	O
same	O
day	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
allow	O
Disney	O
Interactive	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
closure	O
of	O
Disney	O
Interactive	O
in	O
2015	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
side-projects	O
wound	O
down	O
to	O
allow	O
a	O
streamlined	O
effort	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
core	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
experience	O
;	O
this	O
involved	O
the	O
layoffs	O
of	O
30	O
Disney	O
Studios	O
Canada	O
staff	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
30	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
announced	O
that	O
the	O
current	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
discontinued	O
on	O
March	O
29	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
to	O
make	O
way	O
for	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Island	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
became	O
popular	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
weeks	O
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
to	O
attempt	O
speedruns	O
to	O
see	O
how	O
fast	O
users	O
could	O
get	O
banned	O
from	O
the	O
site	O
;	O
the	O
fastest	O
world	O
record	O
was	O
a	O
tool-assisted	O
speedrun	O
(	O
TAS	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Days	O
before	O
the	O
shut	O
down	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
announced	O
that	O
on	O
the	O
final	O
day	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
operation	O
,	O
all	O
users	O
would	O
be	O
given	O
a	O
free	O
membership	O
until	O
the	O
servers	O
were	O
disconnected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiplayer	O
transmissions	O
stopped	O
and	O
twenty	O
seconds	O
later	O
on	O
March	O
30	O
,	O
2017	O
@	O
00:01:39	O
(	O
07:01:39	O
)	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
's	O
servers	O
were	O
officially	O
shut	O
down	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thank	O
you	O
for	O
playing	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
being	O
purchased	O
by	O
Disney	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
almost	O
entirely	O
dependent	O
on	O
membership	O
fees	O
to	O
produce	O
a	O
revenue	O
stream	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Advertising	O
,	O
both	O
in-game	B-Application
and	O
on-site	O
,	O
was	O
not	O
incorporated	O
into	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
although	O
some	O
competitors	O
chose	O
to	O
employ	O
it	O
,	O
including	O
:	O
Whyville	O
,	O
which	O
used	O
corporate	O
sponsorship	O
,	O
and	O
Neopets	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
incorporated	O
product	O
placements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
alternative	O
revenue	O
stream	O
came	O
through	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
an	O
online	O
merchandise	O
shop	O
,	O
which	O
opened	O
on	O
the	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
website	O
in	O
August	O
2006	O
,	O
selling	O
stuffed	O
Puffles	B-Application
and	O
T-shirts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2008	O
,	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
plush	O
toys	O
based	O
on	O
characters	O
from	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
,	O
were	O
made	O
available	O
online	O
(	O
both	O
through	O
the	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
store	O
and	O
Disney	O
's	O
online	O
store	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
retail	O
outlets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
one	O
of	O
its	O
major	O
rivals	O
,	O
Webkinz	B-Application
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
traditionally	O
relied	O
almost	O
entirely	O
on	O
word-of-mouth	O
advertising	O
to	O
increase	O
its	O
membership	O
base	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Child	O
safety	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
ages	O
of	O
6	O
–	O
14	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
major	O
concerns	O
when	O
designing	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
how	O
to	O
improve	O
both	O
the	O
safety	O
of	O
participants	O
and	O
the	O
suitability	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
children	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Lane	B-Application
Merrifield	I-Application
stated	O
,	O
"	O
the	O
decision	O
to	O
build	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
grew	O
out	O
of	O
a	O
desire	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
fun	O
,	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
that	O
I	O
and	O
the	O
site	O
's	O
other	O
two	O
founders	O
would	O
feel	O
safe	O
letting	O
our	O
own	O
children	O
visit.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
maintained	O
a	O
strong	O
focus	O
on	O
child	O
safety	O
,	O
to	O
the	O
point	O
where	O
the	O
security	O
features	O
were	O
described	O
as	O
almost	O
"	O
fastidious	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
an	O
Orwellian	O
dystopia	B-Application
"	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
was	O
also	O
argued	O
that	O
this	O
focus	O
might	O
"	O
reassure	O
more	O
parents	O
than	O
it	O
alienate[d].	O
 "	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
key	O
approaches	O
included	O
preventing	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
inappropriate	O
usernames	O
;	O
providing	O
an	O
"	O
Ultimate	O
Safe	O
Chat	O
"	O
mode	O
,	O
which	O
limited	O
players	O
to	O
selecting	O
phrases	O
from	O
a	O
list	O
;	O
using	O
an	O
automatic	O
filter	B-Application
during	O
"	O
Standard	O
Safe	O
Chat	O
"	O
(	O
which	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
generate	O
their	O
own	O
messages	O
)	O
and	O
blocked	O
profanity	B-Protocol
even	O
when	O
users	O
employed	O
"	O
creative	O
"	O
methods	O
to	O
insert	O
it	O
into	O
sentences	O
;	O
filtering	B-Application
seemingly	O
innocuous	O
terms	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
"	O
mom	O
"	O
;	O
and	O
blocking	O
both	O
telephone	O
numbers	O
and	O
email	O
addresses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
after	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
purchased	O
by	O
Disney	O
,	O
concerns	O
were	O
raised	O
that	O
this	O
state	O
of	O
affairs	O
might	O
change	O
,	O
especially	O
in	O
regard	O
to	O
potential	O
spin-off	O
products	O
,	O
although	O
Disney	O
continued	O
to	O
insist	O
that	O
it	O
believed	O
advertising	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
inappropriate	O
"	O
for	O
a	O
young	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
who	O
used	O
profanity	B-Protocol
were	O
often	O
punished	O
by	O
an	O
automatic	O
24-hour	O
ban	O
,	O
although	O
not	O
all	O
vulgar	O
language	O
resulted	O
in	O
an	O
immediate	O
ban	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
found	O
by	O
moderators	O
to	O
have	O
broken	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
rules	O
were	O
punished	O
by	O
a	O
ban	O
lasting	O
"	O
from	O
24	O
hours	O
to	O
forever	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
offense.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Research	O
shows	O
that	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
,	O
like	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
,	O
provide	O
children	O
with	O
opportunities	O
to	O
develop	O
literacy	O
and	O
communication	O
skills	O
while	O
having	O
a	O
powerful	O
impact	O
on	O
their	O
social	O
relationships	O
and	O
identity	O
formation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Coins	O
for	O
Change	O
was	O
an	O
in-game	B-Application
charity	O
fund-raising	O
event	O
which	O
first	O
appeared	O
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
campaign	O
,	O
a	O
set	O
amount	O
of	O
real-world	O
money	O
was	O
divided	O
among	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
causes	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
in-game	B-Application
currency	O
each	O
cause	O
received	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
donated	O
$	O
1,000,000	O
Canadian	O
dollars	O
to	O
charitable	O
projects	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
donated	O
$	O
300,000	O
towards	O
building	O
safe	O
places	O
,	O
$	O
360,000	O
towards	O
protecting	O
the	O
Earth	O
,	O
and	O
$	O
340,000	O
towards	O
providing	O
medical	O
help	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lane	B-Application
Merrifield	I-Application
said	O
:	O
"	O
Our	O
players	O
are	O
always	O
looking	O
for	O
ways	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
difference	O
and	O
help	O
others	O
,	O
and	O
over	O
the	O
past	O
five	O
years	O
they	O
've	O
embraced	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
give	O
through	O
Coins	O
For	O
Change	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
exciting	O
to	O
see	O
kids	O
from	O
191	O
countries	O
participate	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Disney	O
's	O
franchising	O
of	O
the	O
brand	O
began	O
with	O
its	O
acquisition	O
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Island	I-Application
web-based	B-Application
video	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
franchise	O
has	O
also	O
included	O
console	O
video	O
games	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
and	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
,	O
television	O
specials	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
books	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critical	O
reception	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
Brian	O
Ward	O
,	O
a	O
Detective	O
Inspector	O
at	O
the	O
Child	O
Abuse	O
Investigation	O
Command	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
stated	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
good	O
for	O
children	O
to	O
experience	O
a	O
restricted	O
system	O
such	O
as	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
before	O
moving	O
into	O
social	O
networking	O
sites	O
,	O
which	O
provide	O
less	O
protection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
terms	O
of	O
simple	O
popularity	O
,	O
the	O
rapid	O
growth	O
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
suggested	O
considerable	O
success	O
,	O
although	O
there	O
were	O
signs	O
that	O
this	O
was	O
leveling	O
out	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nielsen	O
figures	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2008	O
indicated	O
that	O
in	O
the	O
previous	O
12	O
months	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
traffic	O
had	O
shrunk	O
by	O
7%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
did	O
not	O
require	O
members	O
to	O
purchase	O
in-game	B-Application
products	O
with	O
real	O
money	O
(	O
instead	O
relying	O
on	O
a	O
set	O
monthly	O
fee	O
)	O
,	O
players	O
were	O
encouraged	O
to	O
earn	O
coins	O
within	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
which	O
to	O
buy	O
virtual	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
full	O
of	O
advertisements	O
for	O
their	O
paid	O
membership	O
that	O
repeatedly	O
encouraged	O
children	O
to	O
subscribe	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
gain	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
full	O
range	O
of	O
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
merchandise	O
was	O
sold	O
through	O
the	O
website	O
and	O
in	O
Disney	O
retail	O
stores	O
that	O
would	O
unlock	O
items	O
and	O
coins	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
argue	O
that	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
in-game	B-Application
money	O
as	O
possibly	O
helping	O
teach	O
children	O
how	O
to	O
save	O
money	O
,	O
select	O
what	O
to	O
spend	O
it	O
on	O
,	O
improve	O
their	O
abilities	O
at	O
math	O
,	O
and	O
encourage	O
them	O
to	O
"	O
practice	O
safe	O
money-management	O
skills	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
counter	O
this	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
added	O
guidelines	O
to	O
prevent	O
cheating	O
,	O
and	O
banned	O
players	O
who	O
were	O
caught	O
cheating	O
or	O
who	O
encouraged	O
cheating	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
spite	O
of	O
the	O
attempts	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
safe	O
space	O
for	O
children	O
in	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
,	O
concerns	O
about	O
safety	O
and	O
behavior	O
still	O
arose	O
within	O
the	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
language	O
in-game	B-Application
was	O
filtered	O
,	O
discussions	O
outside	O
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
were	O
beyond	O
the	O
owner	O
's	O
control	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
it	O
was	O
stated	O
that	O
third-party	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
forums	B-Application
could	O
become	O
"	O
as	O
bawdy	O
as	O
any	O
other	O
chat	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
within	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
had	O
a	O
unique	O
form	O
of	O
anti-social	O
behavior	O
and	O
cyberbullying	O
that	O
presented	O
as	O
angry	O
emoticons	O
,	O
relentless	O
throwing	O
of	O
snowballs	O
at	O
other	O
players	O
and	O
some	O
messages	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
get	O
through	O
the	O
filtered	O
chat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
worried	O
that	O
the	O
display	O
of	O
class	O
and	O
promotion	O
of	O
consumerism	O
within	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
fosters	O
the	O
notion	O
that	O
the	O
accumulation	O
of	O
wealth	O
and	O
possessions	O
are	O
the	O
direct	O
result	O
of	O
one	O
's	O
success	O
and	O
status	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
criticism	O
came	O
from	O
Caitlin	O
Flanagan	O
in	O
The	O
Atlantic	O
Monthly	O
:	O
in	O
relation	O
to	O
the	O
safety	O
procedures	O
,	O
she	O
noted	O
that	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
was	O
"	O
certainly	O
the	O
safest	O
way	O
for	O
unsupervised	O
children	O
to	O
talk	O
to	O
potentially	O
malevolent	O
strangers	O
—	O
but	O
why	O
would	O
you	O
want	O
them	O
to	O
do	O
that	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
place	O
?	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
views	O
of	O
the	O
strength	O
of	O
this	O
criticism	O
might	O
vary	O
,	O
the	O
concern	O
was	O
mirrored	O
by	O
Lynsey	O
Kiely	O
in	O
the	O
Sunday	O
Independent	O
,	O
who	O
quoted	O
Karen	O
Mason	O
,	O
Communications	O
Director	O
for	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
,	O
as	O
saying	O
"	O
we	O
cannot	O
guarantee	O
that	O
every	O
person	O
who	O
visits	O
the	O
site	O
is	O
a	O
child.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
20	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Disney	O
announced	O
that	O
Toontown	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
Pixie	B-Protocol
Hollow	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Pirates	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
the	I-Protocol
Caribbean	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
were	O
closing	O
directly	O
because	O
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
and	O
Disney	O
's	O
mobile	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
caused	O
major	O
controversy	O
between	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
and	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
three	O
games	O
,	O
especially	O
Toontown	B-Protocol
,	O
where	O
some	O
users	O
had	O
played	O
for	O
more	O
than	O
12	O
years	O
(	O
Toontown	B-Protocol
's	O
alpha	O
test	O
started	O
in	O
August	O
2001	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Private	B-Application
Server	I-Application
(	O
commonly	O
abbreviated	O
and	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
CPPS	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
game	O
that	O
is	O
not	O
part	O
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
,	O
but	O
uses	O
unlicensed	O
SWF	O
files	O
from	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
,	O
a	O
database	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
server	B-Application
emulator	I-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
similar	O
environment	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
the	O
official	O
game	O
's	O
existence	O
,	O
various	O
players	O
created	O
private	B-Application
servers	I-Application
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
,	O
and	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
its	O
closure	O
,	O
more	O
private	B-Application
servers	I-Application
were	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Rewritten	I-Application
,	O
a	O
popular	O
remake	O
,	O
launched	O
February	O
12	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
had	O
reached	O
a	O
million	O
players	O
as	O
of	O
October	O
12	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
though	O
discontinued	O
"	O
permanently	O
"	O
on	O
March	O
4	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Rewritten	I-Application
had	O
reached	O
eight	O
million	O
registered	O
accounts	O
on	O
December	O
2	O
,	O
2020	O
;	O
nearly	O
twice	O
as	O
many	O
as	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
had	O
14	O
years	O
earlier	O
in	O
December	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
,	O
private	B-Application
servers	I-Application
experienced	O
a	O
surge	O
in	O
popularity	O
,	O
with	O
between	O
6,000	O
and	O
8,000	O
new	O
players	O
signing	O
up	O
each	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
16	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
American	O
musician	O
Soccer	O
Mommy	O
collaborated	O
with	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Rewritten	I-Application
to	O
host	O
a	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
concert	I-General_Concept
for	O
her	O
new	O
album	O
Color	O
Theory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
May	O
21	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
collective	O
number	O
of	O
player	O
accounts	O
registered	O
on	O
all	O
private	B-Application
servers	I-Application
numbered	O
over	O
15	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
private	B-Application
servers	I-Application
essentially	O
copy	O
materials	O
copyrighted	O
by	O
Disney	O
,	O
there	O
has	O
been	O
much	O
controversy	O
as	O
to	O
whether	O
or	O
not	O
creating	O
and	O
hosting	O
them	O
is	O
legal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Disney	O
and	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
have	O
pursued	O
numerous	O
CPPSes	O
and	O
attempted	O
to	O
have	O
them	O
taken	O
down	O
with	O
DMCA	O
notices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
private	B-Application
servers	I-Application
have	O
become	O
vulnerable	O
to	O
DDOS	O
attacks	O
and	O
database	O
leaks	O
due	O
to	O
insufficient	O
security	O
measures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
21	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
login	O
data	O
of	O
over	O
1.7	O
million	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Rewritten	I-Application
users	O
were	O
stolen	O
after	O
a	O
data	O
breach	O
and	O
on	O
July	O
27	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
private	B-Application
server	I-Application
again	O
suffered	O
a	O
data	O
breach	O
with	O
over	O
4	O
million	O
accounts	O
stolen	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
previous	O
breach	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
14	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
all	O
private	B-Application
servers	I-Application
using	O
the	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
brand	O
were	O
given	O
DMCA	O
take-down	O
notices	O
after	O
allegations	O
emerged	O
concerning	O
child	O
predation	O
by	O
an	O
administrator	O
of	O
another	O
popular	O
private	B-Application
server	I-Application
,	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
Online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
statement	O
,	O
Disney	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
Child	O
safety	O
is	O
a	O
top	O
priority	O
for	O
the	O
Walt	O
Disney	O
Company	O
and	O
we	O
are	O
appalled	O
by	O
the	O
allegations	O
of	O
criminal	O
activity	O
and	O
abhorrent	O
behaviour	O
on	O
this	O
unauthorised	O
website	O
that	O
is	O
illegally	O
using	O
the	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
brand	O
and	O
characters	O
for	O
its	O
own	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
 [ ... ] 	O
We	O
continue	O
to	O
enforce	O
our	O
rights	O
against	O
this	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
,	O
unauthorised	O
uses	O
of	O
the	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
