O-SEAN GOODS LETTER · ISSUE No.01
Toy Story & Muhan Company collabs,
a merch maker's read on June trends
Fri, Jun 19, 2026
Hi, this is O-SEAN. That first image probably caught you off guard..? (My inner voice,,, no,,, wait,,, it actually ties into what's coming up!^^) From here on, we want to cover everything about merch. Let's kick off the June issue!
This week alone, 21 pop-ups opened all at once in Seongsu. And on June 9, the Mom's Touch × Muhan Company collab — office-worker memes turned straight into merch — kicked off.
In this issue we broke down that talked-about collab through a merch maker's lens. We've also packed in the June pop-up schedule and the data that shows whether collabs like these really turn into sales. Keep it as a reference you can pull straight into next month's planning meeting.
by O-SEAN Editor
This month's merch, at a glance
- 01Collab Focus · Mom's Touch × Muhan Company, the talked-about collab
- 02Goods Pick · the hottest merch right now
- 03Pop-up Insight · pop-ups open now & coming in July
- 04Month Insight · do collabs really turn into sales?
- 05O-SEAN's TAKE · turning this trend into our own merch
the talked-about collab
On June 9, a collab dropped that moved 'office-worker memes' straight onto your desk. Borrowing Manager Park and Section Chief Jung from Infinite Challenge's 'Muhan Company,' it turns everyday office moments into merch. Through a merch maker's eyes, the lineup is pretty clever.
Lineup · burger set + 3 signature merch items
Each set comes with a different signature item, so you pick by taste.
- Skull squeeze ball · the Infinite Challenge skull icon as a squishy. A stress-relief desk toy.
- Approval tin case & LED keycap keyring · a keyboard-keycap-shaped keyring carrying Muhan Company lines, packaged in a tin case.
- Acrylic monitor stand · 'Furious Manager Park' and 'Sulking Section Chief Jung,' 2 random types. Clip it on top of your monitor to broadcast your mood that day.
Runs Jun 9 – Jul 20, a 6-week limited release. Popular sets sell out fast — enough to spark 'open runs.'
Why did this land so well?
Four things stand out. First, the 'Muhan Challenge kids' have grown up into office workers, so building the lineup around office-worker empathy hit the target dead-on. Second, every item lives 'on your desk.' The squeeze ball, keycap keyring, and monitor stand all stay at your seat and get used daily, so once received, they become long-running media.
Third, releasing the monitor stand as '2 random types' created the 'you don't know which you'll get' fun and a reason to rebuy. Fourth, the monitor stand's line was designed to be swappable. Swap in a caption that matches your mood, and a one-time buy becomes merch you keep playing with.
Not a pretty character, but 'a single line that feels like it's watching your work life' put on merch. That's the style of empathy-driven merch that works right now — and a perfect fit to carry over into company events and employee kits.
Toy Story 5
When Toy Story 5 opened on June 17 (No.1 at the box office on day one), merch poured out. Same IP, completely different strategy by channel — a textbook case for anyone placing orders.
Daiso · character merch + everyday items, around 40 SKUs
Working with Disney Korea, Daiso released around 40 SKUs. Beyond character merch like keyrings and pouches, the standout is how many passport cases, coin purses, bathroom slippers, umbrellas, and socks — everyday essentials — are in the mix.
CGV · exclusive posters for premium screens
Exclusive posters for IMAX, 4DX, and other premium-screen audiences. A device that nudges viewers toward higher-value premium seats.
Megabox · 5-piece limited set to drive rewatch
An original ticket given first-come after the screening (1 per seat, up to 4 per item). Stacking Dolby posters and movie titles layer by layer drives rewatching. The Megabox original-goods limited set comes as 5 pieces: a Dolby poster, original ticket, original slide, movie title, and deco pack.
coming up soon
We picked spots worth visiting now, or opening soon. (As of June 19)
- Good Smile Korea summer pop-up · Jun 26 – Jul 2, JS Gallery at Hongdae Station. Buzzing over tier-based perks (Miku keyring, camera merch).
- Demon Slayer 'Total Concentration' exhibition · a large IP exhibition set to open Jun 27 at S-Factory, Seongsu. Pencil it in as a July outing.
How 2026 pop-ups move
Domestic pop-ups topped 3,000 in 2025. A pop-up is no longer about checking out new products — it's a weekend outing and a playground for brand experience. This year's keywords are three: immersive world-building spaces, the return of Gen X (heritage), and IP collabs.
On the ground, one more shared device stands out. Nearly every pop-up runs 'spend over X → first-come / lucky-draw merch.' That this isn't just for fun but an actual sales lever — we unpack that in the very next section.
really turn into sales?
The collabs and pop-ups above are clearly flashy — but to get sign-off, you need numbers. We gathered material that shows not 'this looks fun' but 'this becomes sales.'
1. Limited and collab merch explode early demand
The three-way 'Tokushima Ramen' collab between 7-Eleven, Harim, and Eastar Jet topped 300,000 units in just 3 weeks, landing as a bestseller. The key is FOMO — the fear of missing out. Limit the period and quantity, and demand piles up early. It's no accident the picks above are all 'first-come, limited, draw.'
2. IP lifts foot traffic and dwell time
IPark Mall Yongsan turned its lowest-traffic floor into an IP and fandom-content space. Q1 IP-content sales then rose 203% year-on-year (well above the prior year's 134% annual growth). Bandai Namco's Tamagotchi pop-up drew over 10,000 people a day, and its initial stock sold out on day one. IP brings people in and keeps them around, pulling along other spending in the process.
3. Cases where the collab itself drove sales growth
In one campaign, consistent storytelling-style collaboration lifted sales 38–43% year-on-year over the run, by some reports. The Korea Creative Content Agency also noted that 'character collabs led directly to sales increases.' Pop Mart is living proof — a single series featuring Labubu accounted for about a quarter of global 2025 sales (100 million units).
4. Why it works · 'empathy' and 'keeping it'
As Mom's Touch × Muhan Company (No.1) showed, today's merch weapon is 'a single line that knows your day.' Behind the forecast that the kidult market could grow to 11 trillion won lies 'spending that expresses who you are through merch.' Merch you keep on your desk and use daily (desk decor) gets used long after it's received and naturally shows up on social. Reach comes along — without the ad spend.
In short, collab and limited merch are a card that goes after early demand spikes, foot traffic, dwell time, sales growth, and organic exposure all at once. But the effect only shows up in 'a combination that fits.' A collab far from the brand's identity may grab buzz but won't turn into sales — that's the shared caveat.
*Figures are per each outlet's or agency's reporting and may vary by industry and timing.
Turning this trend into our own merch
The swappable line on the Mom's Touch monitor stand is a great hint. Put the line your team uses most in Slack on a keycap keyring or monitor stand, and your employee kit's relatability and keep rate jump.
Pick merch that lives on the desk and gets used daily — mood lights, keycaps, acrylic stands. It stays in use and brings natural social exposure, creating reach without ad spend.
Want this trend in your own brand's version?
From planning to assembly and production, O-SEAN will build it right.
Talk to us about on-trend merch*Collab schedules and contents are per each brand's official announcements (e.g., Mom's Touch official SNS) and may change. Effect figures are per each outlet's or agency's reporting and may vary by industry and timing.
See all magazine issues