[Hipple Hot Item] "All-Night Rescue for Jeong Daeman" Slam Dunk Popup Spectacle

Staying Up All Night to Get the 'Choeae' Uniform
Early Morning Open Run Without Hesitation
Youth and Adults Each into Their Own Memories

"I arrived at 7:30 but still couldn't get Jeong Dae-man?"

On the afternoon of the 30th of last month, at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul. Outside the department store entrance on the second basement floor connected to the subway, people equipped with camping chairs and knee blankets were waiting in a winding line for something. As soon as you entered the department store, the 'The First Slam Dunk' pop-up store they were waiting for appeared with dazzling lights. Inside the department store, some people were also lining up, but this line was for those who had already waited several hours and were about to enter. To enter, you needed a 'waiting for waiting' process. By entering your name and phone number through a QR code handed out by staff, you received a waiting number and an estimated wait time. Before 1 PM, the waiting number was in the 790s, and the entry order was 489th. The estimated wait time showed 2445 minutes.

Visitors are waiting in line to enter the 'The First Slam Dunk' pop-up store currently underway at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul.

After receiving the notice that 'You can enter today, but some products may be sold out,' I waited for my turn at a nearby cafe. People carrying paper bags full of Slam Dunk goods were sharing their pop-up stories. They said they came for the 'open run' at 7:30 AM, long before the pop-up opened, but were disappointed because they couldn't get their favorite character, Jeong Dae-man's uniform. Then, they excitedly shared opinions about each character's traits and charm, the pros and cons of the Slam Dunk movie, comic books, and animation, and how their perception of the characters changed from their school days to now. Their faces were constantly smiling.

After waiting about two and a half hours, I was able to enter. The limited edition uniforms for popular characters were already sold out. When I asked a staff member, they said, "Jeong Dae-man's uniform sold out in less than 20 minutes after opening," and "Some customers stay up all night to buy the limited quantity goods sold daily." I recalled those already lining up outside the department store. To do an 'overnight wait,' just considering that the distribution of waiting numbers starts at 8 AM, you would have to wait nearly 20 hours.

After entering past 3:30 PM, limited edition uniforms and figures, as well as keyrings and various stationery and household items made into goods, were sold out.

After 3:30 PM, not many of the 200 or so products introduced at the pop-up remained. Not only uniforms but character figures, keyrings, and various stationery items were already sold out for the day by the afternoon, and the empty display shelves were filled only with eyes full of regret. Even the hand picking up the last figure showed a hint of disappointment.

A distinctive feature of this pop-up was that teenagers browsing phone cases and passport wallets presented by accessory startup Smith & Leather, and middle-aged and older visitors checking out clothing and miscellaneous goods from casual brand Aca White, were reminiscing about their memories in the same space. For those who carry countless famous lines and memorable matches from Slam Dunk in their hearts, it would be nice to revisit the work at this point in time and buy or just look at souvenirs worth remembering. However, if there is a specific must-have good, you should be prepared for an open run. On busy weekends when visitors flood in, waiting may close early, so visiting in the morning is safer. The First Slam Dunk pop-up continues until the 7th at the Iconic pop-up space on the second basement floor of The Hyundai Seoul.