Neopets, the late 1990s online game/fad, generated legions of loyal millennial fans. As they eventually moved into adulthood, their digital creatures sat unattended. Until COVID-19 lockdowns reminded users just how fun a community it was. Madeleine Morley covered the revival — and its fans — for The New York Times.

COVID-19 had Americans rediscovering numerous throwback pleasures, especially those enjoyable alone: solitaire, crossword puzzles, and online gaming including a revival of fads like Neopets.

The pastime was a popular Internet community of creatures and their human caregivers, born of a market that also produced Tamagotchi, a handheld version of the same concept.

It was an instant success, boasting 25 million users by the mid-2000s.

The pandemic caused many former players to wonder whatever happened to their long-abandoned zoos of oddball animals. In finding out, they discovered that although the site still exists, its look and feel have been updated.

Which didn’t sit well for fans seeking that full-on throwback experience.

Some, like Neshaminy High School alum Steph Skrot took matters into her own hands. She tweaked the coding, returning the layout to its early configuration through the use of browser add-ons.

She used Neoboards, the site’s messaging function, to pass the technique on to other fans.

“We have just had to take changing the layout into our own hands,” Skrot wrote.

More on Neopets, its continued interest, and its dedicated fans is at The New York Times.