Global business firm RychmonstaR Inc. has signed an IP agency agreement with Korean indie developer Whoyaho Corp., securing exclusive agency rights in Japan for Tanghulu Master (フルーツ飴の達人) and its character IP. The deal was announced July 28.
Under the agreement, RychmonstaR will plan and execute Japan market IP business as exclusive agent — covering licensing partner development and contract management, merchandise (MD), social media channel operations, and collaboration and pop-up events.
The Game and Its Japanese Audience
Tanghulu Master is a mobile simulation game in which players make tanghulu (sugar-coated fruit skewers), school cafeteria food, and convenience store items, with ASMR mukbang (eating broadcast) content as the primary engagement hook. Released in September 2023 and continuously updated since, the game has accumulated a following among Generation Alpha players both domestically and internationally.
The Japan performance is the commercial foundation for this deal. Following the “parfait mukbang” update in August 2025, Tanghulu Master reached No. 1 on the Japan App Store free games chart — without a major marketing campaign. The organic ranking reflects a fanbase that formed around the game’s content rather than advertising spend, centered on the game’s protagonist Lulu (ルル), a tanghulu shop owner and mukbang streamer character around whom Japanese fan community activity has developed.
The game already circulates naturally under its Japanese title フルーツ飴の達人, with active fan hashtag communities. Trademark registration is the first IP protection step both companies plan to execute before expanding into licensing, merchandise, and event programming.
Why the Deal Structure Matters
RychmonstaR operates offices in both Seoul and Tokyo, providing the local infrastructure that IP licensing in Japan specifically requires. Japan’s character IP business ecosystem — involving specific partner types, retail channels, and event formats that differ substantially from Korean and Western norms — rewards partners with existing relationship networks and market knowledge. RychmonstaR’s stated positioning in that ecosystem is what makes the exclusive agency structure commercially logical for Whoyaho.
For Whoyaho, the deal converts an organic Japanese fanbase into a structured commercial opportunity without requiring the indie developer to build Japan-specific business operations internally. The agency model transfers those operational responsibilities to a partner with existing infrastructure while preserving Whoyaho’s development focus.
RychmonstaR CSO Choi Hyang-sook framed the opportunity in terms of the current IP landscape: “At a time when the world is focused on securing IP with global expansion potential, we are very pleased to have secured exclusive agency rights for Tanghulu Master IP, which has already proven its competitiveness in the Japanese market.” She added that Japan’s accumulated expertise in character IP business would serve as a foundation for building the IP into a globally long-lasting brand.
Whoyaho CEO Jeon Min-young noted: “We are very excited to be able to present various IP products and content to our fans in Japan through this partnership.”
Specific licensing partnership announcements and business execution plans are expected to follow sequentially from both companies.
