Hello. APBADAs is a character brand created by Amorepacific to communicate more intimately with Gen Z and millennial audiences. Rather than delivering messages unilaterally, we approach audiences first through the characters’ perspectives and share emotions with them. Though clumsy yet cheerful, cute yet delicate, the APBADAs resemble “us”—people who live each day a little more breezily and warmly.

Q. APBADAs features characters with distinct personalities and stories. Could you introduce us to the APBADAs universe and its main characters?

The APBADAs universe begins with Dolpoong’s small dream as he lived peacefully in the waters off Chaguido Island in Jeju. Dolpoong harbors a wish to see the aurora, but realizes that his thick tail makes it difficult to cross the ocean. Following Jiryak’s advice, he decides to take a plane and comes to Seoul. To afford the plane ticket, he starts working multiple side gigs — what we call 'N-jobs'. This entire setup forms the opening scene of the APBADAs universe.

‘Mini APBADAs’ was designed to showcase more charming and fresh appeal while maintaining the original characters’ identities. One day, all seven characters—Dolpoong, Kkumi, Ttugi, Bokjaeng, Ori, Gerter, and Jiryak—were discovered as adorable ‘mini versions,’ opening up a new universe.

Visually, we made changes with more baby-like, round appearances and pastel-toned color schemes compared to the original characters. We plan to introduce the new stories that these Mini APBADAs friends will unfold one by one, so please stay tuned!

When planning APBADAs, we focused on making them feel like friends who could exist in our world. We carefully ensure that each character’s personality and relationships naturally permeate into content and merchandise.

Additionally, we aim to create merchandise that’s so cute and charming that just looking at it brightens your mood and makes everyone want to own it. We hope they’re perceived not simply as cute characters, but as beings who resonate with people in their daily lives.

I often ask myself from the APBADAs characters’ perspective: “What might happen to them this time?” After thinking about everyday scenes or amusing situations, I consider what the APBADAs friends might be doing in those moments, and interesting ideas tend to emerge! When I develop these scenes one by one, the theme’s direction becomes clear.

With the ongoing heatwave, I wanted to create images that could convey coolness and laughter. I hoped that the small, adorable Mini APBADAs friends could transmit positive energy, even if just for a moment, and prepared this collaboration with that sentiment in mind.

APBADAs believes that “one’s own beauty” exists in the daily moments of living joyfully. Different friends come together, make mistakes, laugh, and sometimes comfort each other. These small moments accumulate one by one to create APBADAs’ unique story. We want to convey that it’s okay to be imperfect, and you don't have to be special to be beautiful.

I hope APBADAs can develop into a brand that energizes more people through its unique cuteness and warmness. We aim to continue presenting new stories, illustrations, and captivating merchandise, ensuring our beloved characters remain cherished for a long time.

You can check APBADAs’ stories first on the official Instagram account. At Amorepacific’s in-house cafe ‘Camellia,’ you can enjoy Dolpoong-shaped butter cookies, Dolpoong face-shaped ciabatta, and two beverages featuring Mini APBADAs stories for a limited time in August. Mini APBADAs photo cards will also be available as giveaways in blind packs.
APBADAs merchandise is available at the APBADAs brand section on Amoremall and the Amore Yongsan offline store. Please visit them if you’d like to see the characters in person!