The Paint Brush (PB) is a special type of item that can be used to change the colour of a Neopet or Petpet. Within the Neopets community, the act of using a Paint Brush is called "painting a pet/petpet". The colour that a Neopet or Petpet becomes after being painted depends on what Paint Brush is used. Each Paint Brush can only be used once.
Paint Brushes are broadly divided into two groups: those that can be used to paint Neopets, and those that can be used to paint Petpets.
Unusable Paint Brushes[]
Sparkly Paint Brushes do not have magical properties like the usual ones; they are actually school supplies and cannot change your pet.
Paint Brush plushies also may not be used to paint pets. There is a common scam technique to try to sell a plushie version instead of the genuine Paint Brush.
There are currently three Paint Brushes that exist as items on the Neopets website that cannot be used at the Rainbow Pool:
- Glass Paint Brush - The Glass colour was replaced by Tyrannian on January 8, 2002.
- Lutari Island Paint Brush - No Neopets have ever been released in this colour.
- Stone Paint Brush - The Stone colour was replaced by Island on June 26, 2002.
There is also an unreleased Jelly Paint Brush in the Neopets database:
There is also a Paint Brush that no longer exists on the site:
- Unicorn Paint Brush - The Unicorn colour existed very early in the site's existence; when it was replaced with Red, the Paint Brush was also replaced with the Uni Gem.
Obtaining a Paint Brush[]
Paint Brushes are usually obtained via winning them from certain games of chance such as the Fruit Machine and Alien Aisha Vending Machine, buying some at the Hidden Tower, or by receiving them as part of a Jacko the Phantom Painter Random Event. Paint Brushes are also sometimes available as prizes for participating in plots or events (such as Advent Calendar or Altador Cup), or winning certain contests. Users also had a small chance of receiving a Paint Brush when they redeemed a gold key in Key Quest.
Excluding the four starter Paint Brushes that are included inside of Newbie Packs, all Paint Brushes are tradable. This means that Paint Brushes can be purchased from other users using the Auction House, Trading Post, or user shops. Because the demand for Paint Brushes within the Neopets economy is so high, users can often sell their Paint Brushes for tens of thousands or even millions of Neopoints.
Using a Paint Brush[]
To use a Paint Brush on a Neopet, the user must have the Paint Brush in their inventory and go to the Rainbow Pool. At the Rainbow Pool, if the Paint Brush can be used on one of the displayed Neopets, then a drop down box with the name of the Paint Brush will appear below that Neopet. The user must then select the Paint Brush from this drop down box and then click the Submit button to use the Paint Brush.
To use a Paint Brush on a Petpet, the user must have a Petpet attached to one of their Neopets. Next, the user must have a Petpet Paint Brush in their inventory and go to the Petpet Puddle. At the Petpet Puddle, if the Petpet Paint Brush can be used on one of the displayed Petpets, then a drop down box containing the name of the Petpet Paint Brush will appear below that Petpet. The user must select the Petpet Paint Brush from this drop down box and then click the Paint this Petpet! button to use the Petpet Paint Brush. Petpets that have been zapped by the Petpet Lab Ray cannot be painted.
Types of Paint Brushes[]
Petpet Paint Brushes[]
Trivia[]
- The first Paint Brushes were released on May 9, 2000.
- There are three colours that are only available by using a Paint Brush: Royal, Quiguki and Usuki.
- Interestingly, many colours that Neopets can only obtain by using the Lab Ray or Rainbow Fountain, such as Robot or Clay, are available to Petpets by using Petpet Paint Brushes.
New Colour Polls[]
- In 2002, during the month of May, TNT held a Paint Brush competition and let users vote on which Paint Brush they would like to see next. During the first round of this competition, users could vote for one of three new Paint Brushes: the Baby Paint Brush, the Tartan Paint Brush, or Mystery Island Paint Brush. The Baby Paint Brush received the most votes during this round and was declared the winner on May 15, 2002. During the second round, users could choose between the Tartan Paint Brush, the Mystery Island Paint Brush, and the Pirate Paint Brush. On May 21, 2002, the Pirate Paint Brush was declared the winner after receiving 194,375 votes. Even though the Mystery Island Paint Brush lost both rounds of the Paint Brush competition, it would still be revamped and released on June 27, 2002.
- On Elephante Day, 2017, no new Elephante colours were released. Instead, TNT announced a poll for three new colours: Candy, Marble, and Floral, with Candy being the winner, Marble being the runner-up, and Floral losing the poll.
- On January 19th 2018, another colour poll was released, with Steampunk being the winner, Toy and Origami being runners-up, and despite losing the poll, Burlap (then called Burlap Doll) was released following these colours as well.
- On February 26th, 2019, yet another colour poll was released, with Oil Paint (then called Oil Painting) being the winner, Mosaic being the runner-up, and Porcelain Figure and Wicker both losing the poll.