Did Scientologists Try to Infiltrate Neopets?

Not a sentence I thought I’d ever say. . .

If you grew up in the early to mid-2000s, then you’re probably familiar with the virtual pet website Neopets. Launched in 1999 by University of Nottingham student, Adam Powell, along with his friend, Donna Williams, the site was originally designed to “keep university students entertained.” It didn’t take long for the site to expand beyond the walls of the campus, however, and by Christmas of that year, Neopets.com had exploded in popularity.

I myself was the proud owner of a light blue Poogle, spending every day after school glued to the computer taking care of my virtual pet, dressing him up and decorating his home, playing games to win Neopoints, and exploring the world of Neopia until my parents dragged me away at bedtime.

It was actually in a fit of nostalgia that I started doing some research on Neopets, and that’s how I came across this absolutely wild story. That is, for approximately five years, Neopets was run by Scientologist employees, all the way up to the CEO.

Shortly after the site started to gain some renown, well-known Scientologist entrepreneur, Doug Dohring, along with several other investors, bought a majority share in the company. In February 2000, he officially founded Neopets, Inc., beginning…