Summer Camp Island's placement in time has been a large topic of debate over the show's longevity. This page will go through the approximate placement of all major events.

Early History/Prehistory

"Barb and the Spotted Bears", a three-part arc in ?Season 5 about ?Barb, reveals a lot of information about the world in Summer Camp Island in prehistory. In the episodes, plant and animal life are flourishing by at least the third day of the planet's existence, and new animals are coming to life with each new day.¹ The first episode of the arc is also when Barb is born, making Barb the oldest character in the show (though it's possible that celestial bodies like the ?Moon, ?Sun, and ?Alien Planet are older). Barb also has a number of relatives, born a few days after her, including Helen, Patrice, Sandy, and Rose, who are seen in The Great Elf Invention Convention.

Before the Camp

When Susie is in England

After an indeterminate amount of time, ?Susie is born in 1613, and two years after her, her sister ?Mildred is born. Susie turns 15 in 1628 and ends up drinking a ?potion of immortality, as does her sister.² Susie also ends up having her ?gibbous rite, performed by ?Miss Mary. Shortly after, Mildred terrorises the city of London,³ which is referenced a number of times throughout the show. Susie then heads on a ship to America, and Mildred heads on a ship to the ?Frozen North in a failed attempt to follow her.

When Susie is in America

Arriving in what is assumed to be Boston, Massachusetts or New York City, Susie lives in America for an indeterminate amount of time, eventually becoming the magic advisor to the city's mayor.⁴ It is revealed that witches (and magic) were an integral part of society at the time, despite the initial outrage to witches after Mildred's terrorising. However, because of the Industrial Revolution (which, in real life, takes place from 1760-1840), witches began to be put out of their jobs because of new inventions and machinery; ?Mallory, a witch and friend of Susie, was fired from her job in place of a hydraulic crane. It can be inferred that the dissolution of magic from the world began around 1840, given that machinery such as the hydraulic crane was invented in 1835~38, and that industrialisation came to America slightly later than the Old World.

The dissolution of magic happened due to the decreasing dependence on magic for tasks in the modern world, and ended up causing witches (among other magical creatures) to forget they are magical, along with losing their powers. Magic, sensing it was unwelcome, began to retreat to the ?island. Susie then attempts to round up all the witches she can for an emergency evacuation to the island, where magic is still able to be used; however, only ?Ramona ends up joining her in the evacuation.

On the Island, Before the Camp

Susie and Ramona arrive on the island, where they meet Barb. They then go into ?Frozen Time and defeat the ?Jabberwocks plaguing the island using their combined magical powers. They are greeted by the Prophecy ?Alien, who tells them that they've saved the island from losing its magic and that they will eventually save all of magic.⁵ Between the events of ?Ghost Baby Jabberwock and ?Meet Me in Massachusetts, a multitude of witches come to the island (including Mallory, Susie's old friend), all of them embracing their magic as an almost-full ?coven. This is also the time that other magical creatures such as the ?Monsters come to the island. In Ghost Baby Jabberwock, Ramona is first eight, then fifteen years old (due to a Jabberwock taking her youth away), but in Meet Me in Massachusetts, she is much older, implying that it's been many, many years between the events of the two episodes. In "Meet Me in Massachusetts", ?Betsy joins the coven, becoming the thirteenth and final witch.

After completing the ritual foretold by the Prophecy Binder, it is revealed that Ramona and Susie must be split, with Ramona staying in Frozen Time and Susie staying in the present. Susie, enraged, attempts to give up her immortality and give the power to save magic to Betsy and ?Alice. Betsy and Alice are turned immortal, and just as Susie is about to give up her magic, Ramona pulls her back. Honouring the prophecy, Susie stays in the present, and Ramona permanently enters Frozen Time.⁶ A while after, the events of the "Betsy and Ghost" arc take place.

Right Before and During Camp

In ?Witches in the City, Susie, Betsy, and Alice go to New York to find the magical creatures there, who will eventually become the campers of the island. It should be noted that New York in this time is pictured to be in the late 1990s to early 2000s, as evident by the style of dress of many citizens, and the existence of both a VHS Repair shop and a store named Compact Disc 2000. As the witches find the magical creatures scattered across New York, these creatures — all of them seemingly ordinary children — are sent invitations to come to a summer camp. The island is then set up as a summer camp, and the witches of the coven (apart from Susie, Betsy, Alice, and Ramona) mysteriously disappear. The end of Witches in the City aligns directly with the beginning of The First Day.

The First Day and subsequent "modern" days on the island are thought to take place in the (heavily dilated⁷)summer of '97 at the absolute earliest. This is due to a few lines in the Season 6 episode "?Miracle Rabbit", wherein Oscar tells the titular ?Miracle Rabbit:

"Everyone has a robot pet that you keep on your keychain. Mine died 'cause I put it through the wash."

And later:

"Miracle Rabbit, I promise I will tell you everything an 11-year-old knows about the '60s, '70s, '80s, and todays."

The latter line determines that the show takes place in the 1990s, and the former line indirectly references Tamagotchi, a line of virtual pet toys that was released to the US in 1997.

Trivia and Other Dates

• In Computer Vampire, the game Fruit Farmer has text below the title saying "©SCI 1991"
• In ?Glow Worm (episode), Oscar has a flashback to a time earlier in his life, and in one scene a calendar appears. The calendar is dated to April and starts on a Monday, meaning it's either in 1991 or 1996. Considering how old he looks in the scene, it's most likely 1996.
• Hedgehog and Oscar were born around 1986-1988, given the starting year of the summer camp was 1997-1999, and that they are both 11 years old when arriving.^{[Citation needed]}
• The source for Susie being born in 1613 comes from extrapolation: a scene in season 5 shows a border stone denoting London's city limit. This stone is dated to 1628, and as the scene takes place when Susie turns 15, it can be inferred that Susie's birth date must have been 15 years before 1628.