K-Pop groups have begun to release original mascot characters that are often designed by the members themselves. What comes along with the adorable characters is the variety of merchandise that range from emojis on your phone to plushies and more! It is a subtle and cute way to represent your favorite group and bias. Let’s check out some groups that have their own cute characters!

ITZY: Creative Academy

Girl group ITZY released a collaboration with character company LINE Friends to design characters that represent personalities that ITZY would want in a lifelong friend. The character’s include Lia’s sloth Lya, Chaeryoung’s 900-year-old nine-tailed fox Chung-ee, Yuna’s cat-rabbit friend Cabbit who has a magical cloud named Moon-gae that can travel anywhere, Ryujin’s hoodie-wearing monkey Tuk, and Yeji’s bear-cat Het. They have just released the emojis on the Line app, but this is just the beginning of seeing these adorable characters.

DAY6: Denimalz

Boy rock band DAY6 also released a set of characters to represent each member. Sungjin is represented by the bear named Bang, Jae is represented by the chicken Jje, Young K is represented by the fox Ke, Wonpil is represented by the pink bunny Pil, and Dowoon is represented by the dog Don. There has been a variety of keychains and plushies that have been released for the Denimalz characters and they have even been featured in their music video, "Where the sea sleeps(파도가 끝나는 곳까지)."

YG Ent: Krunk

YG Entertainment’s official mascot is a blue bear with swag named Krunk. Krunk made his official debut with solo artist Lee Hi in her music video “It’s Over.” From there, his popularity exploded and he has been seen sporting styles from different YG artists such as BIGBANG and BLACKPINK.  He also has his own social media, a café in Japan, and a pop-up store with a wide assortment of goods such as plushies, pens, and sunglasses. Krunk even has his own YouTube channel called YG KRUNK where he does reaction videos, dance covers, cooking videos, and even has his own music video. 

MONSTA X: TWOTUCKGOM

These adorable bear characters were created by boy group MONSTA X. Each member helped create one of these bears to represent themselves. Shownu’s bear is named Nunugom, former member Wonho’s bear is named Bebegom, Minhyuk’s bear is named Minggom, Kihyun’s bear is named Hamgom, Hyungwon’s bear is named Zizigom, Joohoney’s bear is named Honeygom, and I.M’s bear is named Danygom. MONSTA X has released numerous adorable merchandise for TWOTUCKGOM and even has a jewelry line of earrings, bracelets, and necklaces that includes a birthstone for each member. Along with the merchandise, MONSTA X has also created various specials on the TWOTUCKGOM Youtube Channel, such as puppy playdates, an office concept, and making café drinks with each member.

BTS: BT21

BT21 was created as a collaboration between boy group BTS and LINE Friends. BTS created a group of characters called BT21 that dream of becoming Universtars. Each member designed and created a story for the eight characters. RM created a gifted sleepyhead koala named Koya, Jin created a kind alpaca named RJ, Suga created a prankster cookie named Shooky, J-Hope created a mysterious dancing pony with a mask named Mang, Jimin created a pure-at-heart puppy with a yellow hoodie named Chimmy, V created a curious alien with shapeshifting abilities named Tata, and Jungkook created a tough pink bunny named Cooky. The group together created VAN, a guardian robot that represents their fans, ARMY. The unique and charming design of these characters has made their popularity worldwide as stores all over the world carry BT21 products and they have had collaborations with other brands such as Sketchers and Uniqlo. 

Do you have a favorite character? What group do you want to see with their own adorable mascots?