K-Pop is still as popular as ever, with groups like Newjeans and Aespa releasing music that manages to catch mainstream attention wordwide for a hot minute. Along with these iconic releases, is the equally iconic merch.
South Korea has a penchant for anything cute and cuddly, so it is no surprise that the biggest K-Pop groups have released their own plushies. There are online circles dedicated to Kpop merch, and Kpop plushies come up a lot.
I’m writing this around Christmas time, so this could be a good reference for an unsure parent. Just pick the group you’re familiar with and see if the collections suit your taste.
B21
B21 is a collboration between BTS and LINE. LINE is the biggest IM applications within Korea. These would be considered official BTS plushes to fans. They come in miniature or standard (20-50CM) sizes. They can be found easily at Miniso.
AESPA
Aespa is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning. The group is known for popularizing the metaverse concept and hyperpop music in K-pop.
Aespa plushies sell out fast so you may only find them online on pre-order. Keep an eye out!
ZEROBASEONE
Zerobaseone is a South Korean boy band formed through Mnet’s reality competition program Boys Planet and managed by WakeOne. The group consists of nine members: Kim Ji-woong, Zhang Hao, Sung Han-bin, Seok Matthew, Kim Tae-rae, Ricky, Kim Gyu-vin, Park Gun-wook, and Han Yu-jin.
Zerobaseone have an adorable miniature collection, and even a newer ‘school’ version of their original iconic plushes. Check it out!
NEWJEANS
This one might not need an introduction…
NewJeans is a South Korean girl group formed by ADOR, a sub-label of Hybe. The group is composed of five members: Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein. Mainly produced by Min Hee-jin, they are known for their ‘girl next door’ image and musical stylings reminiscent of the 1990s and 2000s.
Two lovely collections exist, the Powerpuff collection (Designed after their 2023 release with album art featuring the powerpuff girls), and the more agnostic bunny collection.
DAY6
Day6 is a South Korean pop rock band under the label JYP Entertainment. The group debuted on September 7, 2015, with the EP The Day, which peaked at No.2 on Billboard’s World Album Chart a week following its release. The band consists of four members: Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil, and Dowoon.
Smaller collection from Day6. A miniature collection in collaboration with Denimalz!
ATEEZ
Ateez is a South Korean formed by. The group consists of eight members: Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho. They debuted on October 24, 2018, with the EP ‘All to Zero’.
Each member has their own plush. They are 20cm tall, making them ideal for display on shelves, desks, or sofas. I like Wooyonyangs, personally!
MONSTA X
Monsta X is a South Korean boy group formed through the reality survival program No.Mercy under Starship Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney, and I.M. Originally a seven-member group, former member Wonho left the group in October 2019
MONSTA X have an adorable collection called MONMUNGCHI; miniature plush personas of each member. They come in traditional sitter size with miniature editions on the way.
STRAY KIDS
Stray Kids is a South Korean boy band that JYP Entertainment formed through the eponymous 2017 reality television show. The band has eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. For undisclosed personal reasons, Woojin left the band in October 2019
Another very popular group. Their plush collection was released under SZKOO and comes in a traditional 20cm/8inch sitter size.
EXO
Exo is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai and Sehun. They are noted for releasing music and performing extensively in Korean, Mandarin and Japanese
This collection is unique in that these plushes are more human-like than the others which tend to be animal caricatures. Adorable nonetheless.
