If you’ve been near Jamsil lately, you may have noticed the 50 foot tall gummy bear overlooking Seokchon lake. Well, not might have – it’s impossible to miss! Thousands of people swarmed Lotte World Tower this weekend with the hopes of snapping a shot of Bellygom. But, what is Bellygom, and why is it bombarding us in all sizes, all over Seoul?
Bellygom Encounter: Dinga Cake
Now, for those who don’t know, the landscape in Korea during winter is ugly. There is no other way to describe it. It’s bitterly cold, and everything is dead – including my soul. There are little to no holiday decorations, no fairy lights to brighten the mood. And, worst of all, when it snows, it lasts like two days before turning into gray polluted slush on the side of the road. Disgusting!
And so, when two giant pink bears pop-up in your neighborhood, offering a hint of color and a glimpse of joy, it’s the most noticeable thing in the universe. My first encounter with Bellygom was during a bleak winter’s night stroll past Dinga Cake in the Hongdae area of Seoul.
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After encountering Bellygom during my walk, I told my colleagues we HAD to go there to investigate further. And so, after work one evening we had an up close encounter. It was the biggest teddy bear I had ever seen in my life!!! Honestly, I was a bit too enthusiastic. I ran up to hug it, and crashed into it with a bit too much force and nearly knocked the thing over. Thankfully it just tottered and jiggled – which was super cute!
Bellygom at Lotte World Tower
The thing was 15, maybe 20 feet tall, and I assumed that was as big as it got. That is, until I saw the Bellygom on display at Lotte World Tower.
From April first, to twenty-third, you can find a 50-foot tall Bellygom and display in front of Lotte World Tower. However, when I arrived I was thrilled to find that the biggest teddy bear ever was not alone. In fact, there were about half a dozen giant teddy bears.
My favorite? The one with a human inside! While my friends and I were waiting in line to take a picture with a box of giant Krispy Kreme donuts, a huge commotion erupted. We looked behind us to find a human-sized teddy bear wobbling its way towards us.
Actually, I had some trouble deciding if it was terrifying or adorable.My friends and I ended up losing our spot in line for pictures with the giant donuts, because the human Bellygom decided it was HIS turn to take pictures. Thankfully, the staff gave us free donuts, which magically made what little frustration we had at losing our spot disappear.
Future of the Giant Pink Bear
Bellygom seems to be gaining exponential popularity, becoming Seoul’s latest trend with more and more people recognizing it. The bear is actually a character developed by the Lotte Group, first beginning as an NFT. Although I originally assumed the character had to do with gummy bears, it actually is not directly associated with any food products.
Instead, the company seems to be using the character to sell merchandise, as well as advertise Lotte’s subsidiaries. In the future, we can expect to see more crossovers between the adorable Bellygom, and other Lotte-owned brands.
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Category: Trend
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