Hasta La Creative!

Cartoon faces of bears, rabbits and cats are plastered on any imaginable product in the 4,600 square-foot Times Square store: plush toys but also slippers, coffee mugs, luggage tags, coin banks, mousepads, fans and tote bags. There are 11 characters in all, including Cony the rabbit and an alien named Moon who has a crush on Cony.

But the store itself is an unexpected marketing move for a very different product: Line, the Japanese messaging app established in 2011.

After taking over messaging in Japan, Line is trying to globalize its business and tap into the U.S. market. It hopes Line Friends, as the store is called, could be the in that it needs.

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