Pucca
Encyclopedia
Pucca is a media franchise from the South Korea
n company Vooz Co., Ltd. and currently owned by The Walt Disney Company
. The main character, Pucca, is the 10-year old niece of three Chinese
noodle
house owners. The noodle house, known as the "Goh-Rong", is located in Sooga Village, a small village in the mountains. Pucca is in love with the 12-year-old ninja
, "Garu" (가루 kaɾu). Pucca always seems to beat him in combat and unintentional competition, simply by sheer wit.
The franchise has become widely popular across the world, with TV animation in cartoon channels in Europe, Central and Latin America, along with books, fashion lines, video games, and other accessories. The television show is in its second season, with a total of 117 episodes having been made throughout the history of the series. A collection of children's books have also been written in the Pucca universe, along with a number of photo books and translations into other languages. Pucca has also been featured during the New York Fashion Week
in the US and has various clothing lines being produced in South Korea. The video game, Pucca Power Up, was released in 2011 for the Nintendo DS
.
. Jetix'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 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 show in television, Jetix began branching out into accessories and toys in order to bring in further revenue from the, now, 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.
Pucca was also licensed out to Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) 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". 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.
. 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
.
! Title
! Written By
! First Released
!Translation
|-
| Pucca und Garu: Wir gehören zusammen
| Martin Stabno
| 31 October 2005
| Pucca and Garu: We belong together
|-
| Pucca: Das bin ich
| Martin Stabno
| 31 October 2005
| Pucca: This is me
|-
There is also an ongoing manhwa
series in Korea of Pucca and Garu traveling around the world through an enchanted board game. Their fellow travelers include friends Abyo, Ching, Ssoso, and villains Tobe and the Vagabond Ninja Clan. It has been translated into Chinese, Spanish, and German.
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
console.
There is a game for the iOS called Pucca's Restaurant which was developed by Mob Crete. The game lets players play as Pucca as she prepares food and serves it to her customers, growing her restaurant as the game continues.
The game title, Pucca Power Up, was announced by Rising Star Games
was released in May 13, 2011 for the Nintendo DS
. The game is being made with a partnership between the pre-mentioned game company and the franchise's creator, Vooz. It is set for a release in the UK and, likely, in Australia, but no general European release was initially announced. Later, Rising Star Games announced that the release would be for the entire PAL region
, with the game arriving in the UK first. The game was released in Europe on May 13, 2011 and in North America on September 13, 2011.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n company Vooz Co., Ltd. and currently owned by The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
. The main character, Pucca, is the 10-year old niece of three Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
noodle
Noodle
The noodle is a type of food, made from any of a variety of doughs, formed into long thin ribbons, strips, curly-cues, waves, helices, pipes, tubes, strings, or other various shapes, sometimes folded. They are usually cooked in a mixture of boiling water and/or oil. Depending upon the type, noodles...
house owners. The noodle house, known as the "Goh-Rong", is located in Sooga Village, a small village in the mountains. Pucca is in love with the 12-year-old ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
, "Garu" (가루 kaɾu). Pucca always seems to beat him in combat and unintentional competition, simply by sheer wit.
The franchise has become widely popular across the world, with TV animation in cartoon channels in Europe, Central and Latin America, along with books, fashion lines, video games, and other accessories. The television show is in its second season, with a total of 117 episodes having been made throughout the history of the series. A collection of children's books have also been written in the Pucca universe, along with a number of photo books and translations into other languages. Pucca has also been featured during the New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
in the US and has various clothing lines being produced in South Korea. The video game, Pucca Power Up, was released in 2011 for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
.
History
Originally, Pucca was a "animated online e-card service" made in 2000 by the company Vooz. The popularity of the e-card increased so rapidly in both Korea and the rest of Asia that it was licensed by Jetix in 2004, who also acquired television rights for the service. Vooz went on to continue working with Jetix, 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 MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. Jetix'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 after the success of the initial shorts, with Studio B Productions
Studio B Productions
DHX Media Vancouver is a Canadian animation studio based in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada.-Studio B Productions original shows:*The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers...
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 show in television, Jetix began branching out into accessories and toys in order to bring in further revenue from the, now, 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 hoped that Pucca would act as a challenge to the Disney Corporation.Pucca was also licensed out to Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) in 2009. Utilizing this, WBCP started a promotional activity on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
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". 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 WeekNew York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
. Titled the PUCCA Capsule Collection, it was revealed at Curve Boutique on Robertson Boulevard
Robertson Boulevard
Robertson Boulevard is a street in Los Angeles that also passes through the incorporated cities of West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Culver City....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. 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
Wonder Girls
Wonder Girls is a South Korean girl group. Its producer and manager is singer-songwriter Park Jin-Young and the Wonder Girls is signed to his talent agency, JYP Entertainment. Each of the five original members were selected through auditions...
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
EXR (clothing)
EXR KOREA Co., Ltd. is a clothing designer and retailer, based in South Korea.EXR was founded as a subsidiary of SungWoo Hightech in 2001. Thanks to the successful product positioning in the niche market of sportswear industry, EXR has become one of the premium clothing brands in Korean fashion...
.
Flash animation
In the initial period, Pucca was an online animated series made with Macromedia Flash by original company Vooz Co., Ltd.. Many of its greeting cards and flash episodes center around Pucca's comical attempts to steal a kiss from Garu and the competition at times between the two characters. There is little to no dialogue in these flash cartoons so that fans all over the world can enjoy them.DVD releases
| Title | Label | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Pucca: Funny Love | Pinnacle Vision | 2 July 2007 |
| Pucca: Kung Fu Kisses | Shout! Factory Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label... Warner Home Video Warner Home Video Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979... Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures... |
18 March 2008 |
| Pucca: Ninjas Love Noodles | Shout! Factory Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label... Warner Home Video Warner Home Video Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979... Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures... |
18 March 2008 |
| Pucca: Spooky Sooga Village | Shout! Factory Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label... Warner Home Video Warner Home Video Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979... Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures... |
16 September 2008 |
| Pucca: Secret Samurai Santa | Shout! Factory Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label... Warner Home Video Warner Home Video Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979... Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures... |
28 October 2008 |
| Pucca: Sooga Super Squad | Shout! Factory Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label... Warner Home Video Warner Home Video Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979... Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures... |
3 March 2009 |
Books
| Title | Publisher | First Released |
|---|---|---|
| Pucca's Most Wanted | Vooz | 18 November 2004 |
| Pucca and Garu: First Meeting | Vooz | 18 November 2004 |
| Pucca: Hands Off My Dumplings! | Vooz | 19 May 2005 |
| Pucca's Fishy Tail | Vooz | 19 May 2005 |
Photo Frame books
| Title | Publisher | First Released |
|---|---|---|
| Pucca Photo Frame Book 1: Various Kissin Ways | Vooz | 13 January 2005 |
| Pucca Photo Frame Book 2: Making Sweet Music | Vooz | 13 January 2005 |
Key Chain books
| Title | Publisher | First Released |
|---|---|---|
| Chopstick Dance with Pucca | Vooz | 17 March 2005 |
| Ninja Training with Garu | Vooz | 17 March 2005 |
German translations
{| class="wikitable"! Title
! Written By
! First Released
!Translation
|-
| Pucca und Garu: Wir gehören zusammen
| Martin Stabno
| 31 October 2005
| Pucca and Garu: We belong together
|-
| Pucca: Das bin ich
| Martin Stabno
| 31 October 2005
| Pucca: This is me
|-
There is also an ongoing manhwa
Manhwa
Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons . Outside of Korea, the term usually refers specifically to South Korean comics. The term, along with manga, is a cognate of the Chinese manhua...
series in Korea of Pucca and Garu traveling around the world through an enchanted board game. Their fellow travelers include friends Abyo, Ching, Ssoso, and villains Tobe and the Vagabond Ninja Clan. It has been translated into Chinese, Spanish, and German.
Video games
There is a WiiWareWiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
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
BigBen Interactive
Bigben Interactive is a French video game publishing and accessory development company. It is based in Lesquin, France.The company had a part based in the United Kingdom, which was responsible for the distribution of some of the later Dreamcast games in Europe in fall 2001 and early 2002, including...
. 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
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
console.
There is a game for the iOS called Pucca's Restaurant which was developed by Mob Crete. The game lets players play as Pucca as she prepares food and serves it to her customers, growing her restaurant as the game continues.
The game title, Pucca Power Up, was announced by Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games is a video games publisher formed as a joint business venture between Scandinavian distributor Bergsala and Japanese video game publisher and content developer Intergrow....
was released in May 13, 2011 for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. The game is being made with a partnership between the pre-mentioned game company and the franchise's creator, Vooz. It is set for a release in the UK and, likely, in Australia, but no general European release was initially announced. Later, Rising Star Games announced that the release would be for the entire PAL region
PAL region
The PAL region is a television publication territory which covers most of Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe...
, with the game arriving in the UK first. The game was released in Europe on May 13, 2011 and in North America on September 13, 2011.
External links
- Vooz Co., Ltd. The animation company behind Pucca Funny Love and other Korean flash cartoons. Has English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese menus.
- Pucca Club
- Pucca on tv.com
- Pucca's Official Fanpage on Facebook