LINE FRIENDS has collaborated with Illumination and Universal Brand Development to unveil a collection featuring Minions and Brown & Friends, inspired by one of the most successful animated franchises of all time.
Launched as part of the collaboration between these two powerhouse brands, the collection consists of essential fashion and tech accessories ranging from AirPods cases to phone grips to canvas tote bags, as well as to golf accessories and camping gear.
LINE FRIENDS is a global character brand that originally started from Brown & Friends, which were originally created for use as stickers for the leading mobile messenger app LINE and its 200 million active users worldwide. Since that time the company has emerged as a global creative studio by offering diversified content based on its wide array of intellectual property, including BT21, characters created together with the globally popular Korean boy band BTS.
“With our unrivaled creative capabilities, LINE FRIENDS once again captures the hearts of Millennials and Generation Z across the world with this collection jointly collaborated with long-standing partners Universal Brand Development and Illumination,” said LINE FRIENDS in a statement. “We anticipate that this phenomenal collaboration between Brown & Friends, originally created for use as LINE messenger stickers, and the beloved Minions will stir up fun and excitement for fans worldwide.”
Illumination, which has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures, is the creator of the world of Despicable Me. The franchise includes Minions, the fourth-highest-grossing animated film of all time and the most profitable film in Universal’s history, as well as the Academy Award-nominated Despicable Me 2 and Despicable Me 3, which collectively made more than $1 billion at the global box office.
As part of the marketing for the new line, the partners have posted billboards in New York’s Times Square, and released a viral video of the Minions’ mischievous takeover of Brown & Friends’ 10th anniversary celebration. Minions’ Stuart, Kevin and Bob surprise Brown and Sally with gifts that reflect each of their larger-than-life personalities. The reaction among Millennials and Generation Z fans worldwide immediately went viral after seeing Brown and Sally dressed in hip outfits of Minions’ signature overalls and goggles.
The Minions X Brown & Friends collection is available for global purchase through the official on- and offline stores of LINE FRIENDS in countries and regions including Korea, the U.S., Japan, and China, beginning today (June 22). LINE FRIENDS is also slated to drop some surprise digital content, including LINE messenger stickers and Instagram AR GIFs for this collaboration.
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