‘Moo Deng’, ‘Butterbear’ or ‘Labubu’ - Some of the big BUZZes of 2024! Have any of your viral favourites made it onto the list?
Moo Deng
No one ever thought that this pygmy hippo at Thailand’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo would ever be a global sensation, making headlines across the world, including a parody on NBC’s Saturday Night Live!
The New York Times even named Moo Deng a style icon of 2024, alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig, Beyoncé and Adele. Google has even created a ‘Doodle’ in Moo Deng’s honour, while also featuring her in its “Year in Search 2024” as one of the most popular searches of the year.
Known for her big round eyes, plump cheeks and glowing moist skin, Moo Deng shot to stardom, after memes and illustrations of her went viral on social media. The animal has attracted more visitors to the zoo, including foreigners who have flown to Thailand just to see Moo Deng with their own eyes.
Ava the tiger
Following in the footsteps of Moo Deng, ‘Ava’ the golden tiger, at Chiang Mai Night Safari, became another online sensation in Thailand, for her beautiful eyes and elegant posture. Some even said that she is way too cute to be a tiger!
Chiang Mai Night Safari said that Ava is a Bengal tiger with a colour variation caused by a recessive gene, adding that “They are a rare breed, with only 50-100 of them in the world.”
Elephant pants
You may have forgotten how the Made-in-Thailand ‘elephant pants’ have suddenly become a craze, despite already being a must-have for foreign tourists.
Thanks to the “soft power” term that the Thai government loves to use, it has inspired other provinces to come up with animal-wear of their own, from crab and rooster pants to even capybara pants!
Elephant pants, however, became a hot topic NOT because the government promoted them, but after news of the infamous “Chinese-made” elephant pants selling like hot cakes in Thai markets. Sounds ironic right? This angered then-Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin, who condemned those sellers as opportunists.
Image Courtesy: Butterbear
Butterbear
From a lonely teddy bear mascot standing in front of its bakery, ‘Butterbear’ became a viral sensation, after a video of the mascot dancing on Thai Children’s day went viral on TikTok. Now, the mascot has become much more popular than the shop itself.
Since then, Butterbear has welcomed thousands of fans, waiting to meet this cute mascot, which will greet fans with playful performances every weekend at Bangkok’s EmSphere shopping mall. Its storytelling on social media was also a key factor in its success, showcasing the bear living an ordinary life, like a typical kindergarten student - going to school, finishing her homework and learning how to sing and dance.
Due to the immense popularity, Butterbear has released two singles, held a fan concert and even won endorsement deals like any other “idol”.
Image Courtesy: POPMART
Art toys
If you think toys are only for children, then the popularity of Labubu, Crybaby, Molly, and many more art toys may have proven you wrong. Thanks to Lisa of BLACKPINK, who has shown her Labubu bag charms on social media, Thai youngsters have been queuing up in front of art toy stores to collect their favourite characters.
Here’s the fun part though - most art toys often come in “blind boxes”. This means whichever toy you plan to buy, you will never know which character or which colour you will get until you open it. The “blind box” has become a trend for other products, as a marketing technique to create excitement and to “surprise” collectors as they open the package.
Image Courtesy: Emiebkk
Dubai Chocolate
If you have a sweet-tooth, you must have been tempted to try the viral Dubai Chocolate, thanks to the reviews on TikTok and Instagram.
Dubai Chocolate went viral for its unique creamy pistachio filling and crispy strings of Knafeh, a traditional pastry from the Arabic world - something unusual for chocolatiers, where fillings like caramel, mint or jam are much more common.
Many Thai dessert shops have hopped on to the hype, launching their own line of Dubai Chocolate, so that Thai customers don’t need to go all the way to Dubai to try the viral dessert. If you’re a chocolate-lover, this can be one of your new indulgent favourites but, if you are concerned about your sugar intake, then you should probably resist the temptation!
Image Courtesy: kt_kratae8, pinky_savika via TikTok
Asoka makeup
This Indian-inspired makeup trend took TikTok by storm, with beauty influencers and celebrities recreating their own challenges and interpretations of the look.
The Asoka trend involves the transitions of their step-by-step makeup, along with the song from the Bollywood movie “Asoka”, before revealing their Indian-style beauty as their final look. The trend itself has crossed cultures, where Thai influencers have also made their own renditions, called “Ayodhaya makeup”, flaunting traditional Thai beauty in traditional costumes.
Image Courtesy: LLOUD Official via Youtube
That ROCKSTAR phenomenon
I'm a rockstar, I'm a rockstar
It's not hype, hype, baby, make you rock-hard
Lisa of BLACKPINK’s solo comeback has created much hype among fans since the very first minute of its release, not only for its tune, that somehow strays away from the typical K-pop sound, but also for where the music video was filmed - Bangkok’s Chinatown.
After learning the news, many Thai youngsters flocked to Chinatown, already famed for its street food culture and nightlife, after the location was featured in the music video.
Image Courtesy: ROSÉ via Youtube
APT.
A-pa-teu, A-pa-teu, A-pa-teu, A-pa-teu
A-pa-teu, A-pa-teu, uh, uh-huh, uh-huh
It would be a serious crime if our buzz article does not include the viral “APT” song by Rosé and Bruno Mars! Rooted in a popular drinking game in South Korea, the song took the world by storm, which got people singing, dancing and learning how to play the game. APT is abbreviated from “Apartment” in Korean.
The song not only achieved a “perfect all-kill” - an achievement where a song tops all Korean music charts at the same time, but also grabbed top spots on global music charts, including US’s Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.
Image Courtesy: Idol Factory, CH3Thailand
Girl Love series
As Thailand officially welcomes marriage equality on January 22nd, 2025, more and more same-sex couples in Thai TV series continue to garner attention, many of which have spread across Asia. The main spotlight this year shone on ‘Girl Love’ series, after ‘Boy Love’ series had been popular for a few years.
Girl Love couples, particularly “Freen-Becky” and “Ling-Orm” have been receiving lots of love for their chemistry on screen, gaining a huge fan club very quickly. Following their success, they have also been making appearances here and there, including at film festivals and on fashion runways, solidifying their presence in the Thai entertainment industry.
Image Courtesy: GDH559, Netflix
The rise of Thai films and series
2024 was another golden year for Thai-produced films and series, with streaming platforms enabling much more visibility for non-English language entertainment.
Thai film “Lahn Ma”, also known as “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies”, became the highest-grossing Thai film of 2024 and the 11th-highest-grossing domestic film of all time. It also broke box office records in several countries around the world.
“Lahn Ma” is now getting closer to another prestigious recognition, as it is among 15 films shortlisted in the International Feature Film category at the upcoming 97th Academy Awards (Oscars), being the only Asian film on the list.
“Master of the House” became the first Thai series to reach number one on the Netflix Global Top 10 for non-English content, only two weeks after its official release in July. It also reached the Top 10 in 63 countries around the world.
Another thriller series “Don’t Come Home” reached number three on the same Netflix Global Top 10 list, and entered the Top 10 in 39 countries.
