This article needs to be updated.(October 2023) |
Type | Characters |
---|---|
Inventor | Kang Byeong Mok (South Korean Designer) |
Inception | 2011 |
Manufacturer | IPX Corporation Naver Corporation |
Available | Yes |
Website | www |
Line Friends (stylized as LINE FRIENDS) are featured characters, invented by South Korean designer Kang Byeong Mok, based on the stickers from diverse applications of the South Korean internet search giant Naver Corporation and the Japanese messaging app Line. Released in 2015, the characters are used in various products, animations, games, cafes, hotels and theme parks. In addition to its online presence, physical stores featuring Line Friends have opened in cities around the world. The brand has currently managed by its subsidiary Line Friends Corporation since 2015. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
In January 2015, in order to further enhance the character brand value, the independent business LINE FRIENDS International Cartoon Image Brand Company was established, which is a subsidiary of NAVER. LINE FRIENDS has so far launched various cooperative products with international brands around the world in more than 5,000 character products, animations, games, cafes, restaurants, theme parks and other fields, and has launched various cooperative products in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Chengdu and Nanjing. [6] Hong Kong, Bangkok, Taipei, Seoul, Indonesia and other places to open physical stores.
In addition to the 11 popular characters that LINE stickers currently have, LINE FRIENDS' latest project "FRIENDS CREATORS" has jointly launched a new series of cartoon images with Korean idol group BTS and Chinese idol Wang Yuan. Currently, there are four series of cartoon characters: BT21, [7] ROY6, [8] [9] WDZY and TRUZ.
The original Line characters were created by South Korean designer Kang Byeongmok, also known as "Mogi" in 2011. [10]
BT21 is the first presentation from FRIENDS CREATORS, a project formed to create new characters for the Line Friends series. Popular South Korean boy group BTS was the first artist of this project, [15] and the main theme of the project is to show the connection between BTS and Line Friends in terms of popularity in the world. It comprises eight special characters designed by BTS, [16] with seven characters representing individual BTS members and one character representing their fans, "Army". The character designs were based on original ideas and sketches by the group's members. [17] Videos of BTS designing BT21 were uploaded to the official BT21 channel on YouTube. [18]
The name "BT21" is a combination of the group's name BTS and the 21st century. Member Suga commented that the name should represent both BTS and the 21st century, so they would live for the next 100 years.[ citation needed ]
BT21 was officially launched by Line Friends in October 2017. [19]
In 2023, IPX Corporation had the rights to BT21, while Line Friends had less than before. Owned the rights to BT21, while Line Friends has some rights.[ citation needed ]
ROY6 is a character brand created by Chinese Millennial idol Roy Wang, in collaboration with the global character brand, Line Friends. [21] China's first and world's second FRIENDS CREATORS project, Roy Wang participated in every step, starting from initial sketches and storytelling to product planning. [22] Videos of Roy Wang designing ROY6 are uploaded on the ROY6 YouTube Channel. [23]
ROY6 was officially released by Line Friends in November 2018.[ citation needed ]
Blackpink member Jisoo designed the new character named ChiChi, in collaboration with Nexon's kart racing game KartRider Rush+ and Line Friends. ChiChi is a rabbit character based on Jisoo's nickname "Tuttle Rabbit Kim," which is well-known by fans. [24]
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Two anime series, LINE OFFLINE and LINE TOWN, were produced in 2013, picturing the Line Friends as employees for the fictional Line Corporation. [25] [26]
Line Offline is an animated series created by Shogakukan Productions, based on salaryman characters working at "Line Corporation". All 114 episodes last about three minutes. The series was aired from January 8, 2013, to October 1, 2013. [27]
The episodes of Line Offline are not connected. The idea behind the series is to represent the ordinary life of company employees (in this case Line's employees, hence the name "Line Offline"), in which every small problem could lead to awkward and hilarious situations that require some effort to restore the status quo.
Most characters from Line Offline are part of Line's universe (the characters who are shown in the animated series are also Line Friends, and can be seen by users in Line Messaging App and used as emoticons).
Episode No. | Title |
---|---|
1 | "Stare" |
2 | "Drowsy" |
3 | "Phone Calls" |
4 | "Complaints" |
5 | "Preso" |
6 | "Meeting" |
7 | "Snack" |
8 | "Sleepy" |
9 | "A Secret" |
10 | "Tired" |
11 | "Memory" |
12 | "Receipt" |
13 | "Lady Sally" |
14 | "Stomach Ache" |
15 | "Mask" |
16 | "Overtime" |
17 | "Fortunetelling" |
18 | "Magic" |
19 | "Physical Examination" |
20 | "Pressure" |
21 | "Surveillance" |
22 | "Diet" |
23 | "Security" |
24 | "Club" |
25 | "Souvenirs" |
26 | "Lunch" |
27 | "Bag" |
28 | "Battery" |
29 | "Cookies" |
30 | "Meeting" |
31 | "Dream" |
32 | "Cold" |
33 | "Stickers" |
34 | "Talents" |
35 | "Ice Cream" |
36 | "Office Lovers" |
37 | "Floating Tea Stalk" |
38 | "Trash Can" |
39 | "Garbage Can" |
40 | "Rice Ball" |
41 | "Tie" |
42 | "Summoned" |
43 | "Connie Glass" |
44 | "Mr. Moon Glass" |
45 | "The Manager Glass" |
46 | "Drinking Party" |
47 | "Mirror" |
48 | "Casters" |
49 | "Memory" |
50 | "Pranks" |
51 | "Security" |
52 | "Fart" |
53 | "Spilling Over" |
54 | "Original" |
55 | "The Ultimate Presentation Tip" |
56 | "I Don't Remember" |
57 | "Fortune" |
58 | "Intense! Haiku Club" |
59 | "The Boss Gives His All" |
60 | "Moon's Dirty Room" |
61 | "That Clinking Thing" |
62 | "Brown in the Restroom" |
63 | "Trashion Impossible" |
64 | "Ponnus Ponnu?" |
65 | "Prostration" |
66 | "The Cockroaches Strike Back" |
67 | "Loving the Centerfold" |
68 | "You're my Shangri-La" |
69 | "Love Those Masks" |
70 | "A Mixer with Flight Attendants" |
71 | "Ponnus Ponnu" |
72 | "Goodbye James, Part. 1" |
73 | "Goodbye James, Part. 2" |
74 | "Goodbye James, (Final Part)" |
75 | "Sally & the Dragon" |
76 | "Double Dragon" |
77 | "Outbreak" |
78 | "A Sticky Situation" |
79 | "Marital Fight" |
80 | "Welcome, Oil Baron" |
81 | "Sally's Psych Test" |
82 | "Consolation Party for Moon" |
83 | "Sally's Job" |
84 | "Curse of the Kokeshi Doll" |
85 | "A Saying He's Tempted to Use on Wednesday" |
86 | "Everyone's Wok" |
87 | "Umbrella of Kindness" |
88 | "You're not Going Home Tonight" |
89 | "Perfectionist" |
90 | "Moon's Secrets Exposed!" |
91 | "Just the Way Connie Is" |
92 | "Itching James" |
93 | "Boss! I Can't Hold It In!" |
94 | "Lovely Skin! Summer Makeup!" |
95 | "No Food was Wasted in the Making of This Episode" |
96 | "A Celebration for the Manager" |
97 | "Moon is Happy to Answer Any Question" |
98 | "Connie Does Her Best" |
99 | "A Trip to Hawaii for Two" |
100 | "Men Who Make Everyone Wet" |
101 | "Sally's Job 2" |
102 | "Who Wants to be a Zillionaire?" |
103 | "Oh Yeah! Let's Go to Atami!" |
104 | "A Heated Meeting" |
105 | "Intense Boss Story" |
106 | "The Marvelous Pudding That Always Sells Out!" |
107 | "The Private Life of a Capable Man" |
108 | "A Little-Known Horror Called Back Pain" |
109 | "A Little-Known Horror Called Money Issues" |
110 | "A Little-Known Horror Called Social Hierarchy" |
111 | "The Last Salaryman: Part One" |
112 | "The Last Salaryman: Part Two" |
113 | "The Last Salaryman: Part Three" |
114 | "The Making of The Last Salaryman" |
Episode No. | Title |
---|---|
1 | "Birthday" / "Hole" |
2 | "Salmon-chan" / "Party" |
3 | "Pinch" / "Smile" |
4 | "Reunion" / "Shadow" |
5 | "Divine" / "Art" |
6 | "Lottery" / "Quiz" |
7 | "Treasure" / "Siblings" |
8 | "Sleeping Habit" / "Diet" |
9 | "Bad Hair" / "Leader" |
10 | "Model" / "Hero" |
11 | "Mud Spheres" / "Ill-Faking" |
12 | "Scoop" / "Typhoon" |
13 | "Camp" / "Audition" |
14 | "Temptation" / "Babysitter" |
15 | "The Seventh" / "Devil Zombie" |
16 | "Friends" / "Salusa" |
17 | "Space (Part 1)" / "Space (Part 2)" |
18 | "Mister" / "Beach" |
19 | "Small" / "Big" |
20 | "Ice" / "Mr. Robot" |
21 | "Ninjas" / "Bottle Opener" |
22 | "Car" / "Jessica" |
23 | "Job" / "Insist" |
24 | "Where?" / "Train" |
25 | "Corn" / "Magic" |
26 | "Together" / "Playing Cards" |
27 | "Spies" / "Pirates" |
28 | "Judge" / "Broken" |
29 | "Once in Time" / "Happiness" |
30 | "Copies" / "Run Errands" |
31 | "Dorothy" / "Weather" |
32 | "Galaxy" |
33 | "Mr. Kinoko" / "Mountain Climbing" |
34 | "Musical" / "Evening" |
35 | "Good at Compliments" / "Apple" |
36 | "Cheerleaders" / "Part-Time" |
37 | "Stationary" / "Longing For" |
38 | "Can-Kicking" / "Upset" |
39 | "Father" (Line Town Christmas Special) |
40 | "Line Five" (Line Town Hero Special) |
41 | "Lake" / "Seed" |
42 | "Rickshaw" / "Dark Mr. Robot" |
43 | "Wild" / "Meatball" |
44 | "Beanstalk" / "Pie" |
45 | "Turnover" / "Hospitality" |
46 | "Line Five 2" (Line Town Hero Special 2) |
47 | "Secret" / "Deal With" |
48 | "Positive" / "Fake" |
49 | "Tiny" / "Son" |
50 | "Dice" / "Line Town" |
Line Rangers is an animated miniseries created to tie in with the Line Rangers mobile game, which featured the Line Friends characters. It originally premiered as shorts on the Line Global YouTube Channel in 2015. It was aired as a miniseries on Cartoon Network Korea [28] in July 2018. An English dubbed version went up on Amazon Prime [29] in North America on July 20, 2018. A Japanese dub which is broadcast on TV Tokyo.
On December 12, 2019, Netflix collaborated with Line Friends to create an original animated series based on the characters from Brown & Friends. All the episodes from the first season, including 3 special episodes based on seasonal occasions, such as Halloween and Christmas, released on December 29, 2022.
On May 15, 2023, it was announced that the fourth generation of the LINE Creators Support Program would inspire an anime television series adaptation that would premiere on CBC TV in 2024. [30]
Apart from its online store, physical stores have been opened in Hong Kong (Hysan Place), Chengdu (Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li), Nanjing (Katherine Park), Los Angeles (Hollywood Boulevard), and New York City (Times Square). [33] [34] [35]
The popularity of Line Friends in China surged in 2016. During that one year, six physical storefronts were opened. At one time, there were as many as twelve of them in different cities in China. As their segment of the market became increasingly crowded, however, Line Friends began to phase out its physical presence in China by closing down shops. As of May 2021, only the Chengdu and Nanjing stores remained open. [35]
On November 21, 2019, it was announced on the official Brawl Stars YouTube channel that Brawl Stars would collaborate with Line Friends, adding new skins based on Line Friends characters. [36]
Midori Days is a Japanese manga series by Kazurou Inoue. It was published by Shogakukan in the magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from September 2002 to July 2004, with its chapters collected in eight tankōbon volumes. The manga was licensed in North America by Viz Media. The series follows Seiji Sawamura, who one day finds his right hand replaced with a girl named Midori Kasugano and his attempts to return her to her real body.
The Glo Friends is an American animated television series that originally aired in 1986 as a segment of My Little Pony 'n Friends. Produced by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions in collaboration with Toei Animation, the 26 segments of Glo Friends played in rotation as a secondary series, alternating with MoonDreamers and Potato Head Kids. Glow Friends was later broadcast on the (CBN) Family Channel from 1989 to 1995 as part of the My Little Pony rebroadcast.
Cinnamoroll is a character series created by Sanrio in 2001, with character designs from Miyuki Okumura. The main character, Cinnamoroll, is a white puppy with chubby and pink cheeks, long ears, blue eyes, and a tail that resembles a Cinnamon roll. He starred in his own manga series, an anime movie, and various animation shorts.
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan is an American animated children's television series produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It began as a series of three interstitial shorts on Nick Jr. called Downward Doghouse. The first full episode was initially set to premiere in fall 2007 on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block in the United States, but it was pushed back to February 7, 2008, coinciding with Chinese New Year.
Ninja Hattori-kun is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Motoo Abiko which was serialized between 1964 and 1988. It was later adapted into a television drama that aired on TV Asahi from 1966 to 1968; an anime series by Shin-Ei Animation, airing on TV Asahi from 1981 to 1987; a video game by Hudson Soft; four anime films by Shin-Ei and a live-action film. A remake of the 1981 anime series was produced by Shin-Ei and the Indian animation firms Reliance MediaWorks and later Green Gold Animations which aired on TV Asahi and Animax from 2013 – 2015.
Mighty Cat Masked Niyander is a 2000 children's superhero anime series produced by Sunrise, loosely based on children's book of the same name by author Takashi Yanase. It is directed by Tsutomu Shibayama and written by Masaaki Sakurai and Takashi Yanase. It aired on both Nagoya Broadcasting Network and TV Asahi from February 6, 2000 to September 30, 2001, with a total of 83 episodes.
Zoobles! is an anime series, based on the toys of the same name by Spin Master and Sega Toys. Produced by Dong Woo Animation in Korea, the series is written by Tetsuo Yasumi, best known as the head writer of the anime adaptation of Happy Happy Clover with Japanese producer Mitsuko Ohya of Duel Masters in charge of production. Characters were designed by Nam Jong-Sik of Animal Yokochō and Kazuya Hayashi of Happy Happy Clover.
Robocar Poli is a South Korean 3D animated children's television series created by RoiVisual. The series released its first episode on Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) in 2011, and has aired for five seasons. Robocar Poli consists of 120 eleven-minute episodes.
Line is a freeware app and service for instant messaging and social networking, operated by the Japanese company LY Corporation, co-owned by SoftBank Group. Line was launched in Japan in June 2011 by NHN Japan, a subsidiary of Naver.
Curucuru and Friends is a 2006 stop-motion animated series animated by Ffango Entertoyment, primarily aimed for preschoolers. It is officially Ffango's first original stop motion animated series, directed by Jung Hye-On and written by both Yi Jeong-Geun and Jang Eun-Ju with character designs by Jin Hyo-Jung.
Hey Duggee is a British pre-school children's animated television series aimed at two to five-year-olds. Created by Grant Orchard, it is produced by Studio AKA, in association with BBC Studios. The show is narrated by Alexander Armstrong.
Ready Jet Go! is an animated educational children's television series produced by Wind Dancer Films. The series aired new episodes on PBS Kids from February 15, 2016 to May 6, 2019, although re-runs continue to this day. It was created by animator and Hey Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett, and is produced in cooperation with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The show teaches science and astronomy.
Digimon Universe: App Monsters is a Japanese multimedia project created by Toei Company, Dentsu and Bandai Namco Holdings, under the pseudonym Akiyoshi Hongo. The series' theme revolves around technological singularity and artificial intelligence, a theme shared with the Appmons and the dangers of technology when used unwisely.
Convenience Store Boy Friends is a Japanese multimedia project developed by Kadokawa's B's Log Comic magazine with collaboration by Lawson. The project started in 2015 and has already released mooks and bundles with drama CDs. It centers around a group of male high school students who always stop at a convenience store on their way home from school. An anime television series adaptation animated by Pierrot and directed by Hayato Date aired from July 6 to September 28, 2017 on TBS.
Poppy Cat is a British preschool television series|preschool animated television series, which first aired on 2 May 2011 and last aired on 5 February 2016. It is based on a series of books created by British illustrator and writer Lara Jones, and is a co-production of Coolabi Productions, King Rollo Films, Ingenious Media, and Cake Entertainment for Nick Jr. and Channel 5.
Friends is a LINE character-themed smart speaker developed by Naver Corporation and Line Corporation. The device is the second smart speaker that is powered by intelligent personal assistant Clova. Introduced in December 2017, Friends has a cylindrical shape and has the appearance of the characters in LINE Friends – Brown the bear and Sally the chick, providing two versions – Friends BROWN and Friends SALLY. The "Action" button, which activates the device, is placed on the nose of the character, while a LED indicator and other buttons such as volume and bluetooth settings are placed on the back. The LED ring are placed at the bottom of Friends.
Sadie Sparks is an animated comedy-fantasy television series that premiered on Disney Channel in the UK and Ireland on 20 April 2019. The series was created by Bronagh O'Hanlon and is a co-production between Brown Bag Films in Ireland and Cyber Group Studios in France.
Tomo-chan Is a Girl! is a Japanese four-panel manga series written and illustrated by Fumita Yanagida. It was serialized on the Twi4 Twitter account and Saizensen website, usually as a single-page four-panel strip, from April 2015 to July 2019. Kodansha published in eight tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation produced by Lay-duce aired from January to March 2023 and is co-produced by Crunchyroll with distribution outside of East Asia, with an English dub that premiered in the same day.