"ASIA WILL HUDDLE": Pudgy Penguins Teams Up With LINE FRIENDS As Pax And Polly Head East!

Pax and Polly are grabbing their passports and heading east as Pudgy Penguins teams up with one of Asia’s biggest character brands that’s story looks a lot like what the Huddle hopes to accomplish!

On Monday, Pudgy Penguins took to the timeline and announced an all new partnership with LINE FRIENDS, the cute and cuddly character brand that has become massively popular across markets including China, Japan, and South Korea.

“Something is coming @LINEFRIENDS,” Pudgy Penguins wrote along with a photo of a surprised Pax and Polly looking a a small frog named “Leonard.”

 

For those unfamiliar with LINE FRIENDS, the brand began as a collection of stickers on Asia’s popular LINE Messenger app in 2011. Since then, its cute characters and instantly recognizable aesthetic have grown far beyond the screen, becoming a major character brand and collaborating with names like BTS, Starbucks, Nike, and more.

“If you’re outside Asia, you might not realize how big a deal LINE FRIENDS is,” Pudgy Penguins Business Development Lead Hedge tweeted. “18 countries. 70M+ global social reach. $4.2B in sales. Stores in Seoul, Tokyo and Shanghai. ASIA WILL HUDDLE.”

 

That growth from digital stickers to stores, merchandise, collaborations, and recognizable characters is a path that should sound familiar to the Huddle.

 

As the Gazette’s previously reported, Pudgy Penguins has spent the past several years working to turn their digital native mascots Pax and Polly into a worldwide consumer brand, making LINE FRIENDS a particularly fitting partner for these fat flightless birds!

 

“Seeing Pudgy pop up with a brand this iconic in Asia is kinda surreal,” Pudgy Pegnuins Asia Lead Symphony tweeted. “From Web3 PFPs to global character IP collabs… the penguins really are going everywhere.”

 

The Gazette will continue to follow this cute collab and will let you know when more information about the partnership becomes available. Stay tuned for updates!