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BTS
BTS connects to HYBE, the company behind BTS, Weverse, albums, merch, memberships, tickets, and concerts.
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· Grace Kim
Arden Cho, original Cabbage Merchant join cast of live-action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’
Arden Cho has reportedly joined the cast of Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” as June the bounty hunter. June was first introduced towards the end of Season 1 of the original Nickelodeon series as a tracker hired by Zuko to hunt down Aang…
· Thy Nguyen
BTS Scalpers Sell Merchandise for Hundreds of Dollars, One McNugget Sold for $100K
BTS fans are scalping all types of merchandise online for hundreds of dollars and making money off of their idols. Scalping the merchandise: K-pop fans, especially ones in the BTS ARMY, are notorious for buying and selling collectibles to show their support for their favorite…
· Bryan Ke
Japanese Manga Artist’s Shiba Inu Money Design Sparks Adorable Merchandise
A Japanese illustrator and manga artist has gone viral after posting his illustrations of banknotes featuring the Shiba Inu. Ponkichi first shared his creation of a Shiba Inu banknote back in April 2019 with a 1,000 yen bill showing a Shiba Inu, which is considered Japan’s icon…
· Ryan General
Kelly Marie Tran Snubbed From ‘Star Wars’ Merchandise
Rose Tico, a major character in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, has been silently removed from Star Wars merchandise for the next film in the franchise. The character, played by actress Kelly Marie Tran, was the first woman of color in the Star Wars universe when she was introduced…
· Carl Samson
Obsessive K-Pop Fangirl Makes Her Dad Cry on TV After Spending Over $10,000 on Merchandise
A Korean student who repeatedly skipped school and splurged thousands of bucks in her obsession with a K-Pop group has her father bawling on national TV. Yuna, a middle schooler, is a fan of SEVENTEEN, a 13-member boy group from Pledis Entertainment.
· Rebecca Moon
Misprinted UC Irvine sweatshirt pulled from Costco becomes sought-after item among students
Less than a day after Costco pulled a misprinted UC Irvine sweatshirt from shelves, it has become a sought-after item for many of the campus’ students and alumni. The sweatshirts for the University of California, Irvine, which were being sold at three Costco locations in Orange…
· Michelle De Pacina
Filipino veteran, 60, dies after being assaulted, robbed while bringing in groceries to his Baltimore home
Victor Malabayabas, a 60-year-old Filipino veteran, died from his injuries following an unarmed robbery in Baltimore, Maryland, on Aug. 20. Malabayabas moved to the U.S. from the Philippines in 1996, and he served in the U.S. Navy for more than a decade. He is also remembered as…
· Daniel Anderson
Pokémon take over London as Ed Sheeran welcomes fans to World Championships
Ed Sheeran and a Squirtle plushie greeted fans in a video kicking off the Pokémon World Championships on Thursday. The event is being held in London, marking the first time it’s being held outside of North America and a return from a two-year pandemic hiatus. The championships…
· Daniel Anderson
‘I’m always going to be me no matter what country I’m in’: BIBI chats artist authenticity and Camp McDonald’s collab
South Korean singer-songwriter BIBI has been a busy bee this past year. Back in January, the Feel Ghood Music artist collaborated with former IZ*ONE member Yena on the track “Smiley.” In April, she joined 88rising for their superstar set at Coachella, where she performed “Best…
· Carl Samson
Google now lets US businesses label themselves as ‘Asian-owned’ on Search and Maps
Google launched a new attribute on Wednesday that allows businesses in the U.S. to identify themselves as Asian-owned. The update adds to existing business attributes, such as “Black-owned,” “Latino-owned,” “veteran-owned,” “women-owned” and “LGBTQ+ owned.” Owners can use…
· Carl Samson
At least 5 burglars wanted by police for targeting multiple shops in Oakland’s Little Saigon
Police in Oakland, California, are looking for at least five suspects responsible for ransacking seven shops at a mall in Little Saigon early Monday morning. Among the targeted businesses were Vietnamese restaurant V & J Fusion and laundromat International Coin Laundry.…
· Michelle De Pacina
Slow police response time blamed after 7 businesses in Oakland’s Little Saigon burglarized in under 2 hours
Burglars in California ransacked seven businesses at a strip mall in Oakland’s Little Saigon neighborhood on Monday. The burglars entered through the roofs of three businesses and shattered windows and popped the locks of four other businesses. Oakland police Chief LeRonne…
· Ryan General
UK government admits to forcibly deporting Chinese sailors who served the nation in WWII
An investigation conducted by the United Kingdom's Home Office revealed that Chinese sailors who served in the British Merchant Navy during World War II were forcibly deported. Based on the findings of the 22-page report, sailors who had married and had children with women in…
· Daniel Anderson
AB6IX concert review: Becoming an ABNEW and K-pop fan anew
K-pop boy group AB6IX concluded their latest tour "AB_New Area" at the beginning of July. In June, the four members kicked off their tour in Seoul before they headed off to Tokyo and six cities in the U.S. AB6IX’s Seattle show lasted around 80 minutes, with a 10-track setlist…
· Daniel Anderson
Seventeen announces immersive K-pop weekend in Las Vegas
K-pop boy group Seventeen announced yesterday a Las Vegas immersive event coming Sept. 9-12 this year. Dubbed “Clarity,” the event is set to take place at Resorts World Las Vegas. Besides Seventeen’s headliner performance, attendees can expect dance lessons, various parties,…
· William Yuk
Kê-tsiap: The surprising Asian origins of ketchup
The term “ketchup” stems from the Hokkien Chinese word for a preserved fish sauce: kê-tsiap. European merchants brought the sauce to Britain in the 17th century, where its ingredients were swapped to suit Western palates while retaining its umami flavor. After the sauce was…
· Michelle De Pacina
Texas teens die from fentanyl overdose weeks before high school graduation
Irene Sunderland and Grant Blodgett, two high school seniors in Texas, were found dead after a fentanyl overdose. They suffered from drug addictions for many years, according to investigators. Mandy, Irene’s mother, found her daughter dead in her bedroom surrounded by drugs on…
· Daniel Anderson
Golden State Warriors’ new entertainment division to release single from Got7’s BamBam, ‘Linsanity’ documentary
K-pop artist BamBam of Got7 will release a new solo single on Friday called “Wheels Up” to help launch the Golden State Warriors’ new entertainment division. BamBam made history as the first K-pop artist to perform at an NBA halftime show for the Golden State Warriors vs. Los…
· Celine Pun
Japanese Kirby superfan flexes her massive collection of plushies
A Kirby superfan who goes by @0418_kirby_ on Twitter shared their impressive collection of hundreds of Kirby products that took about five years to grow. Kirby recently became the second video game series to win a Grammy for Best Arrangement. A Kirby superfan took to social…
· Michelle De Pacina
Budget guru TikToker shares Costco ‘hack’ that allows customers to return years-old purchases
Tiktok user @bougiecheapskate shared a video about Costco Wholesale’s return policy that allows customers to return items even after the 90 day limit since their purchase. To demonstrate, she acted out a scenario as both a customer attempting to exchange a five-year-old coffee…
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BTS connects to HYBE, Weverse, memberships, merch, and tickets.
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Culture · platform
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll connects to Sony, the company behind the anime streaming app, plus the music, merch, and licensing around it.
Culture · franchise / licensing
One Piece
One Piece connects to Toei Animation and Bandai Namco through episodes, games, licensing, events, and collector products.
Culture · platform
Weverse
Weverse connects to HYBE, the platform where memberships, merch, content, and fandom access keep moving after the song.
Culture · destination / travel behavior
Tokyo Disney
Tokyo Disney connects to Oriental Land, the company that runs the resort and the spending around it.
Company · Korea · KOSDAQ:035900
JYP Entertainment
JYP is tied to groups that drive albums, tours, subscriptions, merch, and international fan activity.
Company · China · NYSE:MNSO
Miniso
Miniso turned character-IP collabs and blind-box impulse buys into a global store network — Sanrio, Disney, and Chiikawa merch you didn't plan to buy, plus its own TOP TOY chain.
Company · Japan · TYO:7974
Nintendo
Nintendo turns beloved game worlds into hardware, software, parks, merch, and repeat family spending.
Company · Korea · KRX:352820
HYBE
One of the layers behind BTS, SEVENTEEN, TXT.
Sanrio · Consumer · TYO:8136
Sanrio wants Hello Kitty to be more than merch.
If Hello Kitty already shows up in what you wear, gift, or collect, Sanrio now wants the same characters showing up in your next Switch play session too.
HYBE · K-pop · KRX:352820
A BTS comeback is not just songs. It’s albums, merch, tickets, and Weverse.
A BTS comeback can start with one stream on your phone, then turn into a fan-club sign-up, merch order, livestream ticket, and more time spent inside Weverse.
CJ ENM · Entertainment · KOSDAQ:035760
Before the first song drops, H//PE Princess already has a global Warner deal.
A debut deal matters less than whether the group turns into repeat listening, touring, merch, and fandom across markets.