Korean Character Merchandise 2026: Beyond Kakao Friends

Korean character merchandise goes well beyond Kakao Friends. The biggest other names are Line Friends and BT21 (run by IPX), EBS's penguin Pengsoo, Zanmang Loopy (the meme version of Pororo's beaver friend), and webtoon stars like Mangu bear. Some, like Line Friends, have official stores abroad. Most of the newest releases are sold only in Korea, through brand shops, Olive Young collaborations and Seoul pop-ups.

This guide covers who owns each character, where the official goods are sold, and how to buy them when you live outside Korea.

Quick facts

Item	Value
Biggest Korean character brands	Kakao Friends, Line Friends / BT21, Pororo and Zanmang Loopy, Pengsoo
Line Friends owner	IPX (formerly Line Friends Corporation)
BT21	Created with BTS, launched October 2017
Pengsoo	EBS character, first appeared March 20, 2019
Zanmang Loopy	Made by ICONIX as an alter ego of Loopy from Pororo the Little Penguin
Mangu bear (망그러진 곰)	Webtoon character by creator Yurang, about 700,000 SNS followers (January 2026)
Official store that ships abroad	Line Friends Square US online store advertises international delivery, but not to the EU/EEA (October 2026)
Where new Korean releases appear	Brand shops in Korea, Olive Young collabs, Seoul pop-ups

Checked on October 15, 2026.

Why are Korean characters so popular?

Korean characters grew out of three places: messenger stickers, children's TV and webtoons. Kakao Friends and Line Friends began as emoticons in chat apps. Pororo and Pengsoo came from TV. Newer favorites like Mangu bear started as Instagram comics.

They share a pattern. A character becomes a meme, adults start buying keyrings and plush, and then the brand opens shops, runs pop-ups and partners with stores like Olive Young. Collaborations are a large part of the business. Olive Young alone ran a Sanrio collaboration in July 2025, a Mangu bear collaboration in February 2026 and a Pokémon collaboration in May 2026.

For buyers abroad, this matters because the newest goods are usually Korea-first. Global shops, where they exist, carry a smaller and later selection.

Which Korean characters have the most merchandise?

Line Friends and BT21: who owns them now?

Line Friends are the characters from the Line messenger app: Brown the bear, Cony the rabbit, Sally the chick and friends. According to Wikipedia, they were created in 2011 by designer Kang Byeong Mok, based on stickers for Naver and the Japanese app Line.

The company behind them now operates as IPX. Korean startup outlet Venture Square describes it as "IPX (formerly Line Friends)." The Line Friends name lives on as the character brand and the name of its stores.

BT21 is IPX's best-known line. It was created with BTS, whose members designed the eight characters, and launched in October 2017. Koya, RJ, Shooky, Mang, Chimmy, Tata, Cooky and Van appear on everything from plush to stationery. In June 2025 IPX appointed a licensing agency to manage BT21 in the UK and the wider EMEA region, according to Licensing Magazine, so licensed BT21 goods also turn up from local brands in Europe.

IPX has created other lines with K-pop artists. Its US store lists TRUZ, minini (with artist versions such as IVE's minive), and collaborations with ATEEZ, i-dle, NCT DREAM and NewJeans.

Where to buy Line Friends and BT21 goods

• Line Friends Square stores in Seoul are the in-person option.
• The Line Friends Square US online store (linefriendssquare.us) says it delivers internationally. When we checked in October 2026, its banner also said EU/EEA shipping had been discontinued.
• Licensed products from other brands are sold through Korean retailers and, for BT21, through local licensees abroad.

If the US store carries what you want and ships to your country, buy there. Korea-only releases, store exclusives and items sold only at Seoul locations are where a Korean buyer helps.

Kakao Friends: the biggest name

Kakao Friends come from KakaoTalk, Korea's main messaging app. Ryan, the maneless lion, joined on January 22, 2016 as the eighth member, according to Kakao, and the brand ran a "10 Years Together" campaign for his anniversary in 2026. Choonsik, the stray cat Ryan adopted, first appeared in 2020 and now leads many new collections.

Kakao releases goods in themed collections that sell through and are replaced. The official online shop is a Korean domestic store. For details on what it sells and how ordering works, see our Kakao Friends store guide.

Pengsoo: EBS's 210 cm penguin

Pengsoo (펭수) is a giant penguin created by EBS, Korea's educational broadcaster. According to Wikipedia:

• Debut: First appeared on the children's show Tok! Tok! Boni Hani on March 20, 2019.
• Channel: Its YouTube channel, Giant Peng TV, went from 37 subscribers in May 2019 to 2 million on January 29, 2020.
• Persona: A self-described 10-year-old EBS trainee, listed at 2.1 m tall.
• Business: About ₩10 billion in revenue over nine months across 2019 and 2020.

Pengsoo merchandise has been made mostly by licensed partners: clothing, stationery, phone accessories, plush and household goods. Many of those licensing deals date from the 2019 to 2020 peak, so current availability varies by product. Search for 펭수 on Korean marketplaces and check the seller and license notice before buying. EBS moved to protect its copyright in March 2020.

Pororo: the "children's president"

Before the meme version of Loopy, there was the original show. Pororo the Little Penguin premiered on EBS in November 2003 and has run for nine seasons and 312 episodes, according to Wikipedia. It was made by Ocon Studios and ICONIX, and its cast includes Pororo, Crong, Loopy, Eddy, Poby, Harry and Petty.

Some quick facts that explain how big it is in Korea:

• Exports: Shown in more than 140 countries by 2018.
• Brand value: A 2006 survey ranked Pororo second in character brand worth, behind only Hello Kitty.
• Nickname: It earned the nickname "children's president."
• Public role: Pororo became a mascot for Seoul public transportation in 2015.

Pororo goods are aimed at young children: plush, bath toys, tableware, backpacks, books and ride-on toys. For children's products, check the age label and materials notice on the Korean listing, and remember that toys with batteries or sound modules need extra checks before air shipping.

Zanmang Loopy: Pororo's beaver goes viral

Loopy is the pink beaver from Pororo the Little Penguin, the Korean preschool series made by ICONIX. Zanmang Loopy (잔망루피, roughly "cheeky Loopy") is the grown-up, meme version.

According to KOCCA's content directory, ICONIX describes Zanmang Loopy as an alter ego of Loopy that grew from memes shared by young adults who grew up with Pororo. It became an independent content brand, and a 3D comedy series aimed at adults was listed as in production in 2025.

The character is now used in local tie-ins. In August 2025, ICONIX partnered with Suncheon City for a "Zanmang Loopy Summer Vacation" event from August 15 to September 14 at Suncheon Bay National Garden, with a pop-up selling six limited collaboration goods, according to Herald Economy.

Where to find Zanmang Loopy goods

Most official Loopy goods are sold through licensed products at Korean retailers, department-store pop-ups and Korean marketplaces. Search 잔망루피 rather than "Loopy," which also brings up other characters. Check that listings are official licensed products.

Mangu bear and other webtoon characters

Webtoon and Instagram-comic characters are the fastest-rising group. The clearest example is 망그러진 곰 (Mangeureojin Gom), often shortened to Mangu bear, by creator Yurang.

In February 2026, Olive Young ran a month-long collaboration with Mangu bear: 119 products with 21 brands, including beauty items in character packaging, plush keyrings and tumblers. CJ's newsroom said the character had about 700,000 followers on its official social accounts, and that the products were sold in stores and on Olive Young's domestic and global online malls. Purchase gifts such as a cushion blanket set and pouch were first come, first served.

Other Korean character brands sit between fashion and stationery:

• Wiggle Wiggle sells colorful character-style lifestyle goods and runs its own collaborations. See our Wiggle Wiggle guide.
• Earpearp is known for illustrated phone and earbud cases. See our Earpearp guide.
• Webtoon series release official goods for their characters. See our webtoon merchandise guide.

Where do Korean character goods sell?

Channel	What you find there	Ships abroad?
Character brand shops (Korean online)	Full current collections	Usually Korean addresses only
Line Friends Square US online	Line Friends, BT21, artist lines	International delivery, not EU/EEA (October 2026)
Olive Young collaborations	Character-packaged beauty, keyrings, gifts with purchase	Some items on Olive Young Global
Seoul pop-ups (Seongsu, Hongdae)	Event-only goods, capsule toys	No
Korean marketplaces (Coupang, Naver, Gmarket)	Licensed goods from many sellers	Varies by seller
Resale apps	Sold-out items	No

Large character collabs keep growing. Olive Young's May 2026 Pokémon collaboration covered about 230 products from 61 brands. That is not a Korean character, but it shows how Korean retailers use character IP to drive limited releases, and Korean characters get the same treatment.

How do you buy Korean character goods from abroad?

	Buy direct	You buy, we ship (package forwarding)	We buy for you (HaulKorea)
Korean account and 본인인증 (bon-in injeung, identity verification)	Needed on most Korean shops	Needed	Not needed
Korean payment	Usually needed	Usually needed	PayPal, once
Official global stores	Yes, where one exists	Not needed	Not needed
Several shops in one box	No	Usually	Yes
Photos before shipping	No	Depends on the forwarder	Yes

Start with an official global store. For Line Friends and BT21, check the Line Friends Square US store first. For an Olive Young collab, check Olive Young Global.

Use a Korean buyer for the rest. Brand shops in Korea, marketplace sellers and many collab items need a Korean account and payment.

Step-by-step order with HaulKorea

1. Find the product in Korean. Search the Korean name: 라인프렌즈, 펭수, 잔망루피, 망그러진 곰. Korean names find more official listings than English ones.
2. Copy the product link and note the character, size and quantity. Many items come in versions for each character, so name the one you want.
3. Add more stores. Character fans often buy from several shops. Send all the links and we can ship them together. See our guide to combining orders from Korea.
4. Check the total. We show one total including international shipping, and you pay once by PayPal.
5. We buy and receive the items at our warehouse in Korea.
6. Check the photos. We photograph the goods, including tags and boxes, before shipping.
7. We ship one box. If the final weight costs less to ship, we refund the difference. No second charge.

Duty and tax are not included in our total. The recipient pays any duty, tax and carrier clearance fee in their own country. In the US, CBP ended duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value shipments from all countries on August 29, 2025, so a small box of keyrings can still be charged.

What are the Korean names to search for?

Searching in Korean finds far more official listings than English. Copy these into a Korean store's search bar:

Character or brand	Korean name	Romanization
Kakao Friends	카카오프렌즈	Kakao Peurenjeu
Ryan / Choonsik	라이언 / 춘식이	Raieon / Chunsigi
Line Friends	라인프렌즈	Rain Peurenjeu
Pengsoo	펭수	Pengsu
Pororo	뽀로로	Ppororo
Zanmang Loopy	잔망루피	Janmang Rupi
Mangu bear	망그러진 곰	Mangeureojin Gom

Add a product word to narrow it down: 인형 (inhyeong, plush), 키링 (kiring, keyring), 스티커 (seutikeo, sticker), 파우치 (pauchi, pouch).

Which Korean character goods are worth buying from Korea?

These categories tend to be Korea-only or Korea-first:

• Themed collections. Kakao Friends and other brands release named seasonal lines that sell through and are replaced.
• Keyring dolls (키링 인형, kiring inhyeong). The most common collectible format for nearly every Korean character.
• Olive Young collab beauty sets. Character packaging on regular skincare, often with a gift.
• Stationery. Stickers, planners and memo pads, which are light and cheap to ship.
• Pop-up goods, if they are later released online.

Items that are bulky but light, such as large plush and cushions, cost more to ship than their size suggests, because international rates often use volume weight. Small items ship more efficiently.

What should you watch out for?

Unlicensed copies. Popular characters attract copies, especially on open marketplaces. Pengsoo's broadcaster EBS moved to protect its copyright in 2020. Buy from official shops or sellers that state the license.

Character versions. One listing often contains many characters. Check the option name, not just the photo.

Plush sizes. Korean listings give plush size in centimeters, and words like "medium" or "big" vary between brands. Check the centimeter figure in the product details, and compare it with something you own, before you order.

Purchase gifts. In Olive Young collabs the gift is first come, first served and may run out while the product stays on sale.

Batteries. LED figures, mini fans and light-up toys contain batteries, which have air shipping limits. Ask us before you order.

Food tie-ins. Snacks with character packaging are food, and food has import rules in every country. Ask us before you order.

Returns. Returning goods from abroad is slow and often not worth the shipping. Choose carefully.

FAQ

Is Line Friends Korean or Japanese?

The characters were created in 2011 by a Korean designer for stickers used by Naver and the Japanese messaging app Line. The character business is now run by IPX, a Korean company formerly called Line Friends.

Does BT21 have an official online store that ships abroad?

The Line Friends Square US online store sells BT21 and says it delivers internationally. In October 2026 it showed a notice that EU/EEA shipping was discontinued. Licensed BT21 goods are also sold by local partners in some regions.

What is Zanmang Loopy?

It is a meme-style alter ego of Loopy, the beaver from Pororo the Little Penguin. ICONIX turned it into its own content brand after Loopy memes spread among young adults. Search 잔망루피 on Korean sites to find official goods.

Where can I buy Pengsoo merchandise?

Pengsoo goods are made by EBS's licensed partners and sold through Korean retailers and marketplaces. Availability varies by product. Check for license notices to avoid unofficial copies.

What is a keyring doll?

A keyring doll (키링 인형, kiring inhyeong) is a small plush, usually palm-sized, with a ring or clip for a bag. It is the most common collectible format for Korean characters. New themed collections almost always include a set of them, one per character.

Are pop-up store goods sold online later?

Sometimes, but not always. Some brands move leftover pop-up stock to their online shop after the event, while others keep certain items in-person only. Follow the character's official social account, where restocks and online releases are usually announced.

Can HaulKorea buy from several character shops at once?

Yes. Send links from each shop, and we can receive them at our Korean warehouse and ship them in one box. Earlier items wait until the last one arrives.

Who pays duties on character goods?

The recipient pays any duty, tax and carrier clearance fee in their own country. Our total covers the items, Korean delivery and international shipping only.

Start your character haul

Check whether an official global store carries what you want. If the item is only on a Korean shop, a marketplace or an Olive Young collab page, send us the links with the character name for each one, and we will show you one total before you pay.