More than toys
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Larva character figurines, left, and Wingcle Bear key holders, right, are displayed at Toc, a shop dedicated to Korean born fictional character merchandise in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. / Courtesy of Toc
Brand characters
becoming cultural icons
By Chung Ah-young
A Hello Kitty doll clad in hanbok (a Korean traditional costume) is a popular souvenir among foreign tourists visiting Korea. However, Hello Kitty is a Japanese brand. Why can’t Korean fictional characters be sold here?
The Korean character merchandise industry is striving to nurture homegrown brands to compete against Hello Kitty and Mickey Mouse. As part of these efforts, two Korean fictional character shops - Cuvid and Tocharacter (Toc) - opened recently in Gwanghwamun and Bukchon last month with support from the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). The shops are the government-supported businesses after it previously opened four shops dedicated to homegrown character products offering everything from toys to apparel.
Toc, a character shop in Samcheong-dong, Seoul
Lim Chea-hwa, director of Toc, said that the shop is attracting a wide range of consumers including foreign tourists as it diversifies on items inspired by various homegrown fictional characters.
“Recently many consumers are showing a preference for Korean born characters over foreign ones because their quality has improved dramatically. Look at Pororo and Robocar Poli. They can rival other foreign characters,” she said in an interview with The Korea Times.
“In the past, character goods were dominated by fakes while originals couldn’t find a market. But now although there are some copycats, more and more consumers are choosing originals over fakes because of the quality. That is changing the industry’s landscape,” she said.Lim, who has worked in the character merchandise industry for some 10 years, said the Korean fictional character creators should feel proud of themselves so that they can continuously nurture the characters as cultural brands.
Lim said that consumers are increasingly becoming interested in the quality of children’s toys and thus they don’t want to buy cheap fakes. “Also the government’s support to foster the industry is helping us produce more quality products. I think all these factors can contribute to the development of the industry and now is the time for a leap forward,” she said.
Wingcle Bear key holder
After past trials and errors, the director now owns her company, BB Factory, where she is a designer along with her husband, and manufactures some licensed merchandise goods such as Larva and Wingcle Bear.
The shop houses some 600-800 items from some 20 fictional and animation characters along with several photo zones of big size Larva figurines, currently the bestselling animation items. Larva, the animation series featuring two slugs - Red and Yellow, is the most popular character in the shop. Diverse sizes of Larva toys show how the characters are gaining popularity among a wide range of age groups.
Along with the toys, the shop specializes in various fashion items such as jewelry and accessories inspired by fictional characters.
Among various items from stuffed dolls to stationery products, she is now concentrating on developing accessories inspired by characters such as Pucca and Wingcle Bear.
“Basically, dolls and stationery items are the most common character items that can be sold steadily to consumers. But I think the accessories are really attractive items that can
target adult women who are interested in character brands and fashion alike,” she said.
Robocar Poli toys
It is not easy to make fictional characters into sophisticated accessories such as key holders, necklaces or mobile phone ear caps because of the tricky processing of the materials. Its Wingcle Bear key holder appeared as PPL (Product Placement) in a KBS drama, “You Who Rolled in Unexpectedly,” focusing attention on the item. “The character accessories have enormous potential because they can be exposed on various channels such as TV dramas and shows targeting adults,” she said.
Not all characters, however, can be successful when they are made into accessories. They should be adorable such as Wingcle Bear, which can be loved by people of all generations for many years just as Hello Kitty has been and continues to be.
It costs a lot of time and money but they can be a competitive tool for Korean character merchandising particularly overseas. “You can see a luxurious Hello Kitty item designed by a famous jewelry brand. Why not Wingcle Bear? We can make it. Someday foreign tourists will want to buy our homegrown fictional characters as souvenirs,” she said.
Lim points out that to nurture Korean born characters as cultural brands, manufactures and creators should have a philosophy about them rather than seeking short-lived best sellers. “They will start with the aim of earning profits. But as they engage in the industry for a long time with affection, they will come to know how to develop and love it. Then they can create characters that can be loved for a long time. This shop will be a place connecting such dreams,” she said.