Pucca

Pucca (뿌까 ) is a South Korean media franchise from the South Korean company Vooz. The titular protagonist, Pucca, is the niece of three Korean men who run a noodle restaurant called Goh-Rong in Sooga Village, a small village in the mountains. Pucca is also in love with the ninja Garu (가루 ), and Pucca always seems to beat him in combat and unintentional competition simply by sheer will. Since taking the first step in Flash animation in January 2000, it has focused on character goods business and has gained great popularity in Korea, France, Southeast Asia, and other countries. In the ‘2020 Overseas Korean Wave Survey’, it is a global character that has maintained the top spot in preference for Korean animation characters for five consecutive years.

History
Pucca was originally an "animated, online E-card service" made in 2000 by the company, VOOZ. The popularity of the E-card increased so rapidly in various Asian countries that it was licensed by Jetix Europe in 2004, who also acquired television rights for the service. VOOZ went on to continue working with Jetix Europe, making the original two and a half minute long animated shorts, which were then aired on both the Jetix website and as in-between full cartoon show shorts on the Jetix television channel. Pucca shorts were also often featured on the channel for MTV. Jetix Europe's director of international licensing, Richard Woolf, stated that "the possibilities with Pucca were immediately apparent, especially because you were left wanting more after watching the original shorts".

More episodes were ordered by Jetix Europe after the success of the initial shorts, with Studio B Productions in charge of making them. The new episodes became more fleshed out to depict Pucca as being a real television series, with more extensive plot being involved and some of the non-speaking characters gaining voices, along with the length of the episodes being extended to seven minutes in total. The new episodes were shown on many of Jetix's worldwide channels.

After the success of the TV show, Jetix began branching out into accessories and toys in order to bring in further revenue from the new franchise. These new products included "apparel, accessories, housewares, giftware, and stationery" focused largely on attracting younger teenagers. Since then, the age demographic has expanded to include younger children through the creation of various toy lines and older teenagers through the publishing of video games set in the Pucca universe.

Licensing
In 2008, Pucca was licensed out to the Access Licensing Group that involved a "merchandising license agreement in North America". This would allow the ALG to begin making Pucca products for sale in the US, and it was presumed that Pucca would act as a challenge to The Walt Disney Company. Ironically enough, the televised adaptation aired on Toon Disney's subsidiary network, Jetix.

Pucca was also licensed out to Warner Bros. Consumer Products in 2009. Utilizing this, WBCP started a promotional activity on Valentine's Day in France and Italy, where "flowers and Pucca press packs were sent to key journalists". A greater amount of advertising has also been started throughout the regions at various trade shows and there are currently plans to expand this to include shows in Germany and Spain.

Advertising in magazines has also become more prolific through WBCP, with a "full-page Pucca ad published in Italian Vanity Fair". Despite giving away Pucca toys through Burger King and other efforts, the market for Pucca items has been slow to advance in the UK, but has been placed under a "period of intensive consumer research that will determine the long-term marketing strategy for the brand" both there and in other markets that have been slow to accept the Pucca franchise.

Fashion
Warner Bros. Consumer Products also exhibited Pucca merchandise during the 2010 New York Fashion Week. Titled the PUCCA Capsule Collection, it was revealed at Curve Boutique on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles. A number of Hollywood celebrities were in attendance for the show, along with the founder of Pucca, Boo Kyoung Kim. A number of different designs from various high-profile fashion designers were exhibited at the showing for the PUCCA Capsule Collection.

A new clothing brand, titled "EXR Loves Pucca", has started in Korea. The Wonder Girls are acting as models for the brand, which will also involve 17 other fashionistas that will be designing the clothing line. The line is a collaboration project between the Pucca franchise and the Korean clothing company EXR.

Flash animation
In the initial period, Pucca was an online animated series made with Macromedia Flash by original company Vooz. Many of its greeting cards and silent Flash episodes center around Pucca's comical attempts to steal a kiss from Garu and the usual competition between them. In March 2004, Jetix Europe acquired the series' television and home video rights for Europe and the Middle East.

TV series
Two animated adaptations were made for the franchise – one simply called Pucca, and the other subtitled Love Recipe. The first series featured Tabitha St. Germain as Pucca, Brian Drummond as Garu, among several other Canadian voice actors. The second series had an American dub instead, with Pucca and Garu's voices remaining unchanged as they rarely speak.

Video games
There is a WiiWare game called Pucca's Kisses Game, which is an action-platformer about Pucca trying to chase Garu around perilous levels and obstacles just to catch Garu and kiss him. This game was developed by Otaboo, and was published by BigBen Interactive. Pucca's Kisses Game was released in Europe and Australia on February 4, 2011, and in North America on February 14, 2011, for 800 Wii Points. On February 14, 2011, the game was re-released in Europe as a retail disc entitled Pucca's Race for Kisses for the Wii.

A Nintendo DS video game titled Pucca Power Up was released by Rising Star Games on May 13, 2011. It was made with a partnership between the pre-mentioned game company and the franchise' creator, Vooz. Later, Rising Star Games announced that the release would be for the entire PAL region, with the game arriving in the United Kingdom first. The game was released in Europe on May 13, 2011, and in North America the same year on September 13.