Line Friends

Line Friends
Type Characters
Inception 2011
Manufacturer Naver Corporation
Available Yes
Website www.linefriends.com

Line Friends (stylized as LINE FRIENDS) are featured characters based on the stickers from messaging app Line. It was released in 2011 by Line Corporation, a Japanese subsidiary of the South Korean internet search giant Naver Corporation. These characters are used in various products, animation, game, cafe, hotel and theme park. The brand is currently managed by its subsidiary Line Friends Corporation since 2015.[1][2][3]

The original characters were created by Kang Byeongmok, also known as "Mogi" in 2011.[4][5]

Line Friends Store in Hysan Place, Hong Kong

Apart from its online store, physical stores have been opened in New York City (Times Square), Seoul, Tokyo (Harajuku), Bangkok (Siam Square), Shanghai, Los Angeles (Hollywood) and Hong Kong.[6][7]

Characters

LINE Friends/Brown & Friends

  • Cony, Brown, Moon and James (added in 2011)
  • Boss, Jessica and Sally (added in 2013)
  • Leonard and Edward (added in 2014)
  • Brown's younger sister Choco and her boyfriend Pangyo (added in 2016)[8][9]

BT21

Logo of the BT21 series.
BT21 series in apm Mall, Hong Kong Line Friends Store

BT21 is the first presentation from Friends Creators, a project formed to create new characters for the Line Friends series. A South Korean boyband BTS is the first artist of this project, and the main theme of this project is to show connection between BTS and Line Friends in terms of popularity in the world. It comprises 8 special characters by South Korean boyband BTS.[10]The character designs are based on the members of the group.[11] Videos of BTS designing BT21 are uploaded in BT21 YouTube Channel.[12]

  • Tata is a character that sometimes smiles. He is a curious, shapeshifting alien with a heart-shaped head and a blue body with yellow polka-dots. He was created by V.
  • Chimmy is a character that has his tongue out all the time. He is a passionate puppy who wears a yellow hoodie. He was created by Jimin.
  • Koya is a character that always sleeps. He is a blue, thinker koala with removable ears (they fall off when he is in shock). He was created by RM.
  • Mang is a character that loves to dance. His species is unknown due to the horse-faced mask with a heart-shaped nose he wears that hides his identity. He was created by J-Hope.
  • RJ is a character that loves to eat. He is a white, kind alpaca who wears a red scarf and He wears a grey parka when it’s cold. He was created by Jin.
  • Shooky is a character who is very savage. He is a naughty, little chocolate cookie who is scared and hates milk. He was created by Suga.
  • Cooky is character who loves his body "like a temple". He is a pink, tough bunny with one bold eyebrows and white heart-pattern tail who wants to be strong. He was created by Jungkook.
  • Van is Tata's giant space robot. Half of his body is grey with an "X" eye, and the other half is white with an "O" eye. He is BT21's protector, and was created by RM to represent BTS' fandom, A.R.M.Y.

On March 25, 2018, BT21 released a promotional video via their YouTube channel for a new project with Line Friends called PUZZLE STAR BT21, a puzzle game for mobile devices.[13] The game was released on April 2nd and reached 1 million downloads within two days.[14] On April 27, Mediheal announced a collaboration with BT21 via their Twitter[15] that launched on June 1, 2018.[16][17] BT21 collaborated with Converse, and on July 27, 2018, Converse launched a new version of Chuck Taylor All Star series on which BT21 characters are drawn. This special edition is available in offline stores in South Korea, China, Taiwan and HongKong as well as in online store.[18][19] On July 27, the first day of selling, all products were sold out within 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and 1 hour and half in Naver (corporation) online store, in Converse (shoe company) online store, and in Line Friends online store respectively. Also, on the same day, more than 100 people were waiting in line to get shoes from offline stores in South Korea.[20]On July 27, 2018, Hunt Innerwear released BT21XHunter Innerwear collaboration pajamas. These are available in both online and offline stores in South Korea.[21][22]

BT21 stickers are available in not only Naver and Line but also Facebook and Facebook messenger[23]

Each member of BTS (band) wore each one's character costume and performed the song "Anpanman" from Love Yourself: Her at 2018 BTS Prom Party.[24] This performance is also known as BT21's debut performance.[25] BTS members also uploaded their pictures wearing BT21 pajamas on BTS official Twitter.[26]

Animations

Two anime series, LINE OFFLINE and LINE TOWN, were produced in 2013, picturing the Line Friends as employees for the fictional Line Corporation.[27][28]

Line Offline

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.[29]

The episodes of Line Offline are not connected to each other. The idea behind the series is to represent the ordinary life of company employees (in this case Line's employees, that's why the series is called "Line Offline"), in which every small problem could lead to weird and funny situations that require some effort in order 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 they can be seen by users in Line Messaging App and used as emoticons).

Episodes

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"

Line Town

Characters

  • Cony (voiced by Aki Kanada in the Japanese dub and Sarah Hauser in the English dub) is a rabbit with a pleasant personality. She likes to go on a diet.
  • Brown is a bear who likes salmon a lot. He is silent, and has a crush on Cony. He becomes scary when he gets angry, and notes appears when he feels good.
  • Moon (voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa in the Japanese dub and Michael Pizzuto in the English dub) is a manjū-shaped-headed man who loves the moon. His interest is playing video games. He sometimes tricks his friends when he is bored. His father is an adventurer.
  • James (voiced by Yūto Kazama in the Japanese dub and Daniel Garcia in the English dub) is a narcissist with long, blonde hair. He is obsessed with his appearance, and is afraid of high places.
  • Jessica (voice by Sachi Kokuryu in the Japanese dub and Catherine Fu in the English dub) is a cat who is knowledgeable about fashion and loves to cook a lot. She is Cony's best friend.
  • Sally (voiced by Atsuko Enomoto in the Japanese dub and Catherine Fu in the English dub) is a chick who usually helps her friends. She often stays in the windmill tree hollow in the park. She likes karaoke.
  • Boss/Mister (voiced by Nobuo Tobita in the Japanese dub and Michael Pizzuto in the English dub) is an almost completely bald middle-aged man with glasses. He appears as many different identities in every episode.
  • Leonard (voiced by Megumi Han) is a little frog boy that looks up to Moon. He refers to Moon as an "elder brother". ("Longing For")
  • Edward is a green worm with a cap who often stays by Sally's side.
  • Cob Taro (voiced by Nobuo Tobita) is a cobra with a Mohawk hairstyle and an eye patch that escaped from the zoo and now has a part-time job at the burger shop.
  • Dorothy (voiced by Chie Kōjiro) is a hen who likes to take gossips. Cony fears her.
  • Mr. Kinoko (voiced by Mitsuru Ogata) is a beaver who owns a mushroom dish restaurant and can cook mushroom dishes very well. Kinoko is the Japanese word for mushrooms.

Episodes

Episode No. Title
1 "Birthday" / "Hole"
2 "Salmon-chan" / "Party"
3 "Pinch" / "Smile"
4 "Meet Again" / "Shadow"
5 "Divine" / "Art"
6 "Lottery" / "Quiz"
7 "Treasure" / "Brothers"
8 "Sleeping Habit" / "Diet"
9 "Bad Hair" / "Leader"
10 "Model" / "Hero"
11 "Mud Balls" / "Ill-Lying"
12 "Scoop" / "Typhoon"
13 "Camp" / "Audition"
14 "Desire" / "Babysitter"
15 "The Seventh" / "Devil Zombie" (Line Town Halloween Specials)
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"

Theme Songs

Opening
Ending

Products

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Line Friends Has Plans for Global Domination | License! Global". www.licensemag.com. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  2. ↑ FRIENDS, LINE. "LINE FRIENDS to Open First Official U.S. Store in New York's Time Square in July". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  3. ↑ "A popular messaging app inspired Times Square's latest tourist trap". Engadget. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  4. ↑ "스마트 폰 속 이모티콘, 세상 밖으로". 시사매거진 바이트. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  5. ↑ "'라인(LINE)'은 일본製일까 한국製일까". 프레스맨 (in Korean). Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  6. ↑ "How LINE captured Hong Kong hearts - Hysan Development Company Limited". Hysan Development Company Limited. 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  7. ↑ "Japanese Messaging App Tries to Crack the U.S.... With a Store for Plush Toys". Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  8. ↑ "Meet the newest member of the Line Friends family". Stuff. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  9. ↑ Tan, Alicia. "Messaging app Line introduces new character to its cute family". Mashable. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  10. ↑ "About Project". BT21 official website.
  11. ↑ "BTS' New BT21 Collab With Line Friends Blends Fashion, Emojis & K-Pop". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  12. ↑ "BT21". YouTube.
  13. ↑ "[BT21] PUZZLE STAR BT21 is coming!". YouTube. March 25, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  14. ↑ "LINE Friends' PUZZLE STAR BT21 hits 1 million downloads in just 2 days after its release!". INVENGlobal. April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Say Hello? Mediheal x BT21". Mediheal Twitter. April 27, 2018.
  16. ↑ "메디힐, 방탄소년단과 한번 더…`BT21 포인트 마스크` 출시(Medi-Heal, Bulletproof Boys and one more... Launched 'BT21 Point Mask')". MBN (in Korean). June 1, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  17. ↑ "방탄소년단 'BT21' X 메디힐, 마스크팩 출시 "글로벌 시장 시너지 기대"(Bulletproof Boy Scouts 'BT21' X Medi Hill, Mask Pack Released "Expected Synergies in Global Markets")". Zenith News (in Korean). June 1, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  18. ↑ "ConverseXBT21, BT21's first 2018 collaboration". Converse.
  19. ↑ cite web|url=https://m.post.naver.com/viewer/postView.nhn?volumeNo=16352269&memberNo=1972782&vType=VERTICAL%7Ctitle=★컨버스 X BT21 콜라보레이션 발매정보★(information about the new release of ConverseXBT21)|language=korean|work=Naver post|date=July 23, 2018}}
  20. ↑ "라인프렌즈 '컨버스 BT21 콜라보 신발' 1.5시간 만에 온라인 완판 ('ConverseXBT21 Chuck Tayler All Star' was sold out in 1 hour and 30 minutes)". eDaily (in Korean) (in Korean). July 29, 2018.
  21. ↑ http://www.elandmall.com/dispctg/initBrandShop.action?brand_no=1690000259&disp_ctg_no=1807355454
  22. ↑ "이랜드월드 헌트이너웨어, BT21 콜라보레이션 파자마 출시(Hunter Innerwear released BT21XHunter Innerwear Collaboration pajamas)". Newdaily(biz.newdaily.co.kr) (in Korean). July 17, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Stickers on Facebook! -Teaser". YouTube. July 27, 2018.
  24. ↑ "2018 BTS PROM PARTY -RE;VIEW & PRE;VIEW-". V Live (website). June 29, 2018.
  25. ↑ "[BT21] 2018 Debut Stage". YouTube. July 3, 2018.
  26. ↑ "BTS_Twt". Twitter.
  27. ↑ "Love LINE Friends? Then Check Out its Fun Little Anime Series! – Japan Info". Japan Info. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  28. ↑ "How Japan's Line App Became A Culture-Changing, Revenue-Generating Phenomenon". Fast Company. 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  29. ↑ "Messaging App Line's Kawaii Characters Get Their Own Cartoon Series In Japan – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
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