Hukahuka Studio Makes a Fresh Start as ‘UOCO,’ Expanding Its Character IP Business

[Financial News] The character design studio Hukahuka Studio is consolidating its name under the lifestyle brand UOCO and expanding its business.
On the 5th, UOCO Co., Ltd. announced that it would bring Hukahuka Studio and the lifestyle brand UOCO together under a single brand and expand its lifestyle business using character intellectual property (IP).

The reorganization aims to bring together under one brand businesses that had been divided across character design, products and content. The company will maintain the creative sensibility and character universe Hukahuka Studio has built while unifying its identity so consumers can recognize the brand more easily.
Founded in 2018, Hukahuka Studio has built a distinctive story world around its original character IP, ‘Muuu’s Forest Bakery.’
Its signature characters include Muuu, a baby bear; Peo, a cat; and Mallangi, a character based on a pet dog.
The studio has collaborated with various brands, including Kyobo Book Centre, Etude and Photoism, and has reached consumers with digital content through Kakao emoticons. It also sells character-themed stationery, fashion accessories and household goods. Its products are available through KakaoTalk Gift, Zigzag, Ably, Olive Young, Musinsa and Ten by Ten. Offline, it showcases its products at around 50 retailers nationwide, including YES24, Arc N Book and Hanwha Aqua Planet.

The company is also pursuing overseas expansion. UOCO was invited to take part in an exhibition held in Shanghai, China, this year, and signed a licensing partnership agreement with XENZIAO, a Chinese art IP agency. On this basis, it plans to seek opportunities to use its characters in China and increase collaborations with overseas brands and creators.
Going forward, the company will expand collaborations with outside artists as well as develop its own character merchandise and content. It is also considering expanding beyond its existing stationery, fashion accessories and household goods into areas such as food and beverage (F&B) and spatial design. The plan is to develop the characters not merely as illustrations placed on products, but into a brand experience connecting products, content and spaces.
UOCO CEO Yu Da-eun said, “This integration is not just a name change; it is a starting point for extending the creative values and story world Hukahuka Studio has built into broader fields,” adding, “We will grow into a lifestyle brand where characters and design naturally become part of everyday life.”

[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter