Today marks the closing of Club Penguin, a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) for children. Following a two year decline and numerous layoffs, the game has been replaced by a newer version, Club Penguin Island.

The premise of the original game was to allow kids a safe space on the internet to meet other kids and have fun. Players could make their very own penguin and customize it to their heart’s desire, ranging from skin color to hairstyle. These penguins would then explore various locations around the island which the game was set in, and play arcade style minigames or even join a spy organization. The game was free-to-play, but some additional features required a monthly membership fee.

Club Penguin was first launched in 2005 as an independent game by RocketSnail Games. Later, in 2007, the game was purchased by the Disney Corporation and attracted even more players, growing to over 30 million users. After its acquisition by Disney, the game began to advertise Disney films and television shows, such as “The Avengers” and “Shake It Up.”

Club Penguin became one of the first MMOs to have a stake in the real world when it launched a merchandise line at Target and Toys R Us stores. Stuffed animals, trading cards, toys, books and spin-off Nintendo DS games were sold, further adding onto the financial success of the game.

Additionally, the culture of Club Penguin enabled children to explore talents online. The game fostered the creativity of many children, allowing them to create Club Penguin music videos in which the user would record their penguin singing lyrics to popular songs and later edit the video and upload it onto YouTube. Numerous blogs dedicated to the Club Penguin, all run by children, were also started in order to help others find cheats or news about the game. In more recent years, the players of the game hosted demonstrations on servers in which they protested Donald Trump.

Following the announcement of the game’s closure, Club Penguin held a party honoring the game’s 11 years of being online. Its successor, Club Penguin Island, is somewhat keeping the original premise of the game but is updating it for the new generation. The new game is only accessible on mobile devices, unlike the original which could be accessed both on mobile and desktop. The graphics have also been changed, with penguins now being in three-dimension. Only time will tell if Club Penguin Island will be as successful as its predecessor. Until then, farewell penguins, and waddle on.