What is Kakao Friends?
These lovely colorful characters are part of KakaoTalk, also known as KaTalk, which is the most used messaging app in South Korea. They were created by Kwon Soon-ho and introduced in the app in November 2012.
These little friends, have been appearing in blocks of series, first we have:
Muzi series
Muzi (Danmuji)
Apeach (Peach)
Con (Crocodile)
Jay-G (Mole).
Credit to rightful owner
Frodo series
Frodo (Dog)
Neo (Cat)
Tube (Duck)
Credit to rightful owner
Ryan series
Ryan (Lion)
Choosik (Cat)
Credit to rightful owner
Niniz series
Penda Jr. (Panda)
Scappy (Rabbit)
Kero & Berony (Pinguins)
Cob &Bbanya (Crow and Hippo)
Jordy (Dinosaur)
Angmond (Seal)
Credit to rightful owner
Since its release on the app, they have become a sensation among Koreans, and gradually increasing their fans all around the world.
Due to their amazing success, Kakao friends’ characters have a whole variety of products on their store, from simple things as plushes and apparel, all the way to food and electronics.
The brand is so big it has done collaboration with world renown brands like Vans, Cotton On and Nike.
Vans
Credits to the rightful owner
Nike
Credits to the rightful ownerLet’s Get Some Information About KakaoTalk
As stated above, it is most known as KaTalk among its users. The messaging app is owned by Kakao Corporation and was launched on March 18, 2010.
It is the most used app to communicate in South Korea, and since its release, by 2017 they had acquired 220 million users registered on the app and 49 million of them were active each month.
As technology keeps upgrading each year, companies need to do the same with their services to deliver the best possible experience to their users; KakaoTalk app, was firstly introduced for smartphones (Android and IOS) but as of today it can be downloaded on Windows and MacOs as well.
What Makes It Unique In Comparison To Others?
Well, they actually have a lot to offer to their users, among the services they offer with the app, you can find free chats (you will just need an internet connection), emojis (including our Kakao friends like Ryan or Apeach), KakaoShopping, Kakao Channel (Business platform), Kakao Mail, Themes (customizable UI), Kakao Wallet, and Kakao Lab, in which users test new features before they are released on the actual app.
Credits to the rightful ownerIf you were wondering if you can use the app outside of Korea, the answer is yes! You can also enjoy these lovely characters.
Their goal is to connect the whole world, and become the leading messaging app everywhere.
Credits to the rightful ownerDepending on which platform you would like to uses it, all you have is to visit the corresponding app store or visit Kakao Corporation site, choose your desire platform and it will redirected to the corresponding site to download it, once done, you just need to create a Kakao account and you are all set.
Credits to the rightful ownerTips you should know when using KaKaoTalk
Searching
With KaTalk it is not necessary you open your phone’s browser to search for something you might want to show a friend, instead you can simply add the hashtag symbol (#) before the word you want to search on your search box inside the chat and Voila! You will get the result right away.
File Manager
You will have a dedicated space called Talk Drive where all your shared pictures and archives will get stored for you to have easier access and not worry about searching for a specific one on the thousands of photos you might have on your phone.
Credits to the rightful ownerCalendar
Another great feature we can find on the app is the calendar, inside you chat you can find a calendar which will let you create an event and set a reminder with the date and time, and it will be sent to each person on the chat.
Credits to the rightful owner
Shopping
KaTalk offers the possibility to have a chatbot from a specific brand in which you will be able to check prices, offers and order.
You just need to be sure that what you want to buy can be shipped outside Korea, not every brand has that possibility.
Credits to the rightful ownerOverall KakaoTalk is well built, it offers amazing and interesting services that other competitors don’t. You can be updated with the most recent news on your favorite K-Pop groups or K-dramas, among other things.
It’s worth checking. As Korean culture keeps growing it's just a matter of time this messaging app will be known by everyone.
Will you join us and our Kakao Friends on this app? Give it a try!
Author - Aldo.
