A pink rabbit has captured the hearts of Japan's Generation Z. The character 'Esther Bunny' topped the list of 'most favorite characters' in a 2025 survey of Japanese high school students, surpassing the beloved national character Hello Kitty. It also ranked highly in major trend surveys, including Shibuya trends.
At the 'Character Licensing Fair and Board Game Con 2026' held on July 16, Kim Hyun-kyung, CEO of KB Vision, stated, "Korean characters can compete effectively in Japan." Esther Bunny currently has licensing agreements with over 300 companies worldwide, including 130 in Japan. Approximately 80% of KB Vision's royalty revenue comes from overseas.
KB Vision operates similarly to a character planning agency, discovering promising character IPs and collaborating with various sectors, including food, fashion, cosmetics, convenience stores, banks, cinemas, and hotels, much like K-pop agencies do with idols.
This year's 25th 'Character Licensing Fair' highlighted the saying, "One well-developed character is worth ten companies." The event featured 186 companies with 443 booths, showcasing the potential of content intellectual property (IP) across diverse industries such as gaming, animation, broadcasting, food, and beauty. Characters have evolved from mere content to core assets that create new business value.
At the center of this IP expansion is the Korean Content Agency (KCA), which facilitated business consulting, licensing, distribution, and international expansion for participating companies and buyers. KCA supported small content companies and creators lacking distribution networks and business experience, demonstrating its role in enhancing the competitiveness of K-content throughout the event.
K-Character Industry Thrives as Targeted Strategies Prevail
One of the standout booths at the fair was from global character IP producer Olabowex, which attracted long lines of young men, unlike other booths dominated by female visitors. They were there to purchase goods featuring 'Remini,' an animal character inspired by members of the girl group Lissenne. A 26-year-old male attendee remarked, "It's great to collect the goods and keep memories of Lissenne."
As Lissenne's popularity has surged, so has the appeal of Remini. Chae Hee-sang, an executive at Olabowex, noted, "The popularity has exceeded our expectations, creating a very positive atmosphere within the company. Nowadays, most famous idols use characters as sub-characters."
KB Vision's booth, featuring over 20 character IPs including Esther Bunny, Heungnam Brothers, Shuya, and Momolei, also drew attention. Kim Hyun-kyung emphasized, "In an era where preferences are increasingly fragmented, it's essential to initially target a specific audience before broadening the base." Esther Bunny has expanded collaborations with Japanese beauty brands based on its fanbase of young women, leading to partnerships with professional baseball teams like the Hanshin Tigers, aligning with teams' strategies to attract young female fans to the stadium.
Building a fanbase is crucial for international expansion. Kim stated, "You need at least 10,000 Instagram followers to develop a targeted strategy, and without validation in Korea, it's challenging to enter overseas markets." The character 'Kim Ham-jji,' which reflects the struggles of office workers, recorded sales of 100 million won on its first day at a popup in Shinsegae Gangnam, a result of resonating with the office environment.
As competition in the character market intensifies, emerging creators are also focusing on differentiation. Designer Kim Ji-hyun, participating in the 'Rookie Project' booth, showcased 'Little Sandwick,' aimed at preschool children. He explained, "I created a video with a math country concept to align with the edutainment trend."
“In the AI Era, We Seek More Human Connection” – Board Games Embrace Characters
The Board Game Con, held alongside the Character Licensing Fair, attracted family audiences. This joint event featured 28 companies showcasing over 600 types of board games, aiming to create synergy between characters and board games.
Korea Board Games, one of the participants, recorded its highest performance last year with 60 billion won in domestic sales and 2.2 billion won in exports. Over 50 types of games, including 'Coffee Rush,' were exported to 50 countries.
They are particularly expanding collaborations with various IPs such as Kakao Friends, Tiny Ping, Jadoo, Kart Rider, Everyone's Marble, and Fireworks Baseball. Oh Han-woong, head of marketing at Korea Board Games, stated, "The Cookie Box collaboration with Tiny Ping attracted both existing board game fans and Tiny Ping fans simultaneously." Recently, they have also been pursuing partnerships with overseas online streaming services.
Oh added, "The board game market has been growing every year for over a decade, and in the AI era, the trend of seeking human connection will only strengthen."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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