Tomorrow X Together to open pop-up store for 'Ppulbatu characters

Boy band Tomorrow X Together will open a pop-up store themed around its newly released official characters, Ppulbatu, from Thursday to Aug. 21.

Boy band Tomorrow X Together's official character, Ppulbatu [BIGHIT MUSIC]

Boy band Tomorrow X Together will open a pop-up store themed around its newly released official characters, Ppulbatu, from Thursday to Aug. 21.

The “Ppulbatu Wari Wari” pop-up store will open in The Hyundai Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul. The pop-up store will feature 18 different products including cushions and keyrings.

The Ppulbatu were launched on Thursday. The five characters — Choi Yong Meong, Hwang Choon, Bamgeut, Da-Go-Nyang and Hmm Nya Ring — were made from sketches the members drew themselves.

The characters’ name, Ppulbatu, comes from the Korean word, ppul, meaning horns, and “batu,” the last two syllables of the abbreviated Korean pronunciation of the group's name, “tubatu.”

The reference to horns derives from the boy band’s lead track “Crown" from its 2019 debut EP "The Dream Chapter: Star." The Korean title of "Crown" is “We Grew a Horn One Day.”

The backstory of the characters is that they are from a magic island on a quest to find MOA, the fan club of Tomorrow X Together. During their journey, the characters become stranded at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul.

Tomorrow X Together kicked off its Japanese dome tour “Act: Promise” at the Tokyo Dome on July 10 and 11. The boy band performed at the Kyocera Dome Osaka over the weekend and will continue the tour at the Vantelin Dome Nagoya on Aug. 4 and 5 and the Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka on Sept. 14 and 15.

The group topped the Oricon Charts with its new three-track Japanese single “Chikai" upon release on June 3. The single sold over 300,000 copies upon release, becoming the boy band's most successful Japanese single.

To find out more about Tomorrow X Together, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]