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January 16, 2019

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Youngsters embrace emoji economy

Source: Xinhua | 00:05 UTC+8 January 16, 2019 | Print Edition

The popular Cheer-up Duck emoji series on China鈥檚 social media platform WeChat has been spun-off into creative products which are sold online.

Hu Liwei is in his 20s and owns the IP for a number of the hottest WeChat emojis, including Cheer-up Duck.

He started his online Taobao store Twisted Melon (Waigua) in China鈥檚 prosperous southeastern city of Fuzhou in 2014, selling emoji-related products.

The most sought-after product in Hu鈥檚 store is a cross-body bag designed from Cheer-up Duck. The first three days of the bag鈥檚 pre-sale saw more than 5,000 orders, according to Hu.

Hu is one of a growing number of Chinese youngsters eying opportunities in the emoji economy.

Twisted Melon has more than 620,000 followers on Taobao and its annual sales volume has stabilized at around 30 million yuan (US$4.4 million), Hu said.

Low prices also help attract customers. Most of the products in Twisted Melon are under 100 yuan. There are more than 200 products in his store which range from bags and dolls to pajamas and headsets.

The majority Hu鈥檚 customers are students aged 15 to 25, the most active group in China鈥檚 online community.

For youngsters, emojis are not only symbols of communication, but also a way to distinguish their thoughts and personalities from others.

There are nearly 400,000 emoji-related products sold on Taobao, covering a wide range of products such as comics, toys, clothes and furniture.

In recent years, China has also witnessed a boom in animation, comic, game and novel products, sometimes known as two-dimensional culture.

China鈥檚 ACGN industries realize commercial returns by charging for content, IP licensing and spin-off products.

During last year鈥檚 annual shopping spree, sales of ACGN-related products on Taobao grew by nearly 90 percent over the previous year.

As cyberculture consumption rises in China, relevant intellectual property rights have been enhanced. Taobao provides IP licensing services between ACGN companies and Taobao stores.

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