When I joined the Toikido team, one of my first assignments was to explore the concept for BeepBoop. The initial idea was a Tamagotchi-style digital companion where the device itself was the pet, with the screen acting as its face and an “AI-powered” personality. My role was to develop a unique play pattern and clear point of differentiation from traditional virtual pets, while building a narrative foundation for the girls’ brand. I drew inspiration from TikTok, K-pop (with the proximity based singing feature), Asian pop culture, and emoji language to guide the brand’s direction.

My key innovation was integrating the toy’s controls into the character itself. Instead of visible buttons on the housing - similar to Tamagotchi - I designed a system where the buttons were hidden in the limbs and activated through play. Pressing or interacting with the BeepBoop’s legs triggered internal inputs, and different combinations produced unique reactions. The goal was to make interaction feel more like playing with a friend or pet rather than operating a device.

I also developed the story world: a futuristic Tokyo inspired city where BeepBoops are sold in vending machines. After an electrical surge awakens their AI, they come to life and venture into the real world together. Alongside the narrative, I created the characters, including MiaoMiao: inspired by Korean street cats, Mochi: inspired by Japanese sweets, Kirin: inspired by the Chinese mythical unicorn, and Tochi: inspired by my favourite superhero and Nintendo character - the Human Torch and Yoshi. Each hero character was created with their own spunky personalities inspired by characters found on TikTok and Roblox games for them to resonate as familiar friends in a modern day Gen A friendgroup.

The brand development work is culminated in a comprehensive brand bible with character pages, fully developed storyline arcs, key themes and narratives that was shared with master toy and animation partners.