TV Series 'Tinyping' Character Hatchuping Goes to the Movies
Pink Pink Children's Squad Appears in Theaters
'Pasanping' Goods Open Run and Stage Greeting Scalping
"My daughter loves 'Tinyping.' She is Hatchuping, her mom is Haengunping, but I am suddenly Secret Juju," said actor Jo Jung-suk recently on a variety show. 'Hatchuping' and 'Tinyping' are animation characters so popular that anyone with young children knows them. They are also called Deunggol Ping, Basan Ping, and Geodeol Ping because they mercilessly drain parents' wallets.
The original is KBS2 animation Catch! Tinyping. Catch! Tinyping is a native animation produced by SAMG Entertainment, and it is extremely popular with nearly 800 million views on YouTube. Subsequently, Twinkle Twinkle Catch! Tiny Ping (2021) and Superstar Catch! Tiny Ping (2024) were produced in succession.
'Tiny Ping' is a compound word of Tiny (small) + Pixie (fairy), referring to a small fairy species. Tinyping includes over 100 characters such as Hatchuping, Bitnaping, Saekomping, Dalkomping, Angdaeping, Ahyuping, Holoping, Musyeoping, Ddokddokping, Hwanaping, and more. Among them, Hatchuping is the most popular. Hatchuping, fully decked out in pink, ends every sentence with 'chu~.' For example, instead of saying 'I'm happy,' Hatchuping says 'I'm happychu~.'
The story of Hatchuping, a main character appearing in all Tinyping series, was made into a theatrical film titled Love of Hatchuping. This is the first time a Tinyping story has been made into a movie. Released on the 7th, Love of Hatchuping depicts how Hatchuping met Princess Romi of the Emotion Kingdom. Princess Romi and Hatchuping become 'lifelong friends,' and together they save a handsome prince. The princess breaks the curse on the prince who was under a spell. The story of another Tinyping, 'Trupping,' and the prince is also intriguing. Originally, Trupping was the prince's partner. One day, the king, the prince's father, expelled Trupping secretly, saying he was 'rootless.' Disappointed that the prince did not look for him, Trupping turns into a purple monster.
These days, at theaters, it is not uncommon to see the 'Pink Squad' coming to watch Love of Hatchuping. Children dressed like 'Princess Romi' in pink shoes and pink dresses holding their 'eomppa' (mom and dad) hands stand out. The era of children passionately waiting for the prince to save the princess has passed, and it is impressive to see children excited about the 'princess on a white horse' who saves the prince.
Before the release, 50,000 people attended preview screenings. According to the Korea Film Council's integrated box office system, Love of Hatchuping attracted 57,439 viewers on its opening day, ranking second at the box office. It even surpassed Revolver (directed by Oh Seung-wook), starring Jeon Do-yeon. On the 8th, an additional 35,186 viewers came, bringing the cumulative audience to 142,344. Considering the 7th and 8th were weekdays, the weekend turnout is expected to be even stronger.
There is a clear reason to go to the theater. The three major theater chains (CGV, Megabox, Lotte Cinema) are actively competing to attract audiences for Love of Hatchuping. CGV gives a Catch Tinyping mini figure to viewers, and CineQ offers a first-come, first-served photo card event. Some Cine Shop locations sell various goods such as dolls, magic wand sets, and crown sets. Concession sales are also strong. CGV sells Hatchuping mood lamps as part of a set with popcorn and drinks, Megabox offers a Love of Hatchuping combo including a magnet bucket, and Lotte Cinema presents a baby Tinyping doll keyring with a children's combo.
For screenings featuring stage greetings with characters in costume before and after the movie, 'picketing' (picket + ticketing) continues. Seats for stage greeting screenings sell out as soon as they open, with a seat occupancy rate reaching 99%, showing high popularity. There are even scalped tickets. Recently, posts offering illegal tickets at several times the face value appeared on online secondhand trading sites. In response, distributor Showbox requested, "We will arrange stage greetings at various locations and theaters," asking people not to engage in illegal transactions.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
