Hey Flipnote fans! Today's a special day for us: not only is it Christmas Eve, but it's also the anniversary of the release of Flipnote Hatena, eleven years ago. To celebrate, let's take a look back at how Flipnote Studio has changed our lives. We asked you to tell us your stories, and you certainly gave us a lot to think about!
We've selected some responses from:
SしurやieDoo, Some Kid, kittee, mudpie, Sena, PICKLE, Merp, and one person who didn't leave their name.
How did Flipnote Hatena affect your life?
SlurpieDoo: Flipnote Hatena opened me up to animation, character design and to the wonderful community of the internet. Thanks to it, I now have evolved far more than I could have ever imagined in the art domain and am pursuing a career in animation.
Kittee: I only used Hatena for 3 years (starting in 2010) but they felt like very long 3 years because of all the fun I had. I was too young to understand social media (for context I was 9 in 2010) but it was still very worth it. Flipnote Hatena is probably my greatest source of childhood nostalgia and inspiration even though the website was pretty humble. I probably had the best time in 2012. My name was DuskSnivy. I wasn’t famous or anything, but the name still feels so iconic to me.
Sena: I was really young when I first got access to Flipnote Hatena. I was so amazed by all the great animations that I couldn't believe they were all animated by people! Many (Flipnote insider) memes were popular too at that time, or certain songs or music videos! It inspired me to start animating myself, and even if I wasn't as good as them, I still didn't give up! Many animators offered tips and tricks which helped me and many other people. Today, I'd say it's been my core inspiration and motivation to become an actual, dedicated animator!
Merp: Flipnote Hatena had been with me ever since my freshman year of high school. It helped me a lot during my rough days, I was able do some flute and song covers on it, and it was one of gateways of learning animation and improving my art style! Without Flipnote Hatena I wouldn't be who I am today. I truly thank all the great friends I made on it through the years!
How has Sudomemo affected your life?
Puddletoast: I started using Sudomemo in 2014, just before my birthday. I still wasn't the best at drawing or animating, but I was improving on my own. Over time I made friends on the site like LovelySkyla, Redhead and so many more. Sudomemo's creators have been such an inspiration to me. They've helped me develop my style and my way of animating. I'm now up to 129 followers, and I never thought I would've got here if I didn't get the second chance at animating that Sudomemo provided. Thank you Sudomemo!
Mupdie: When I first started animating in 2017 I was actually obsessed with making Flipnotes, watching Flipnotes, and really anything Flipnote related. Throughout the years, the community of Sudomemo has always been so supportive. I made new friends and continued to grow as an artist myself. Now I have a strong interest in digital art and animation.
Anonymous: I made some of my first friends in life off of Sudomemo. I wasn't a very liked kid back in primary school, yet I'd always look forward to getting on my DS after school. Even though my animations weren't the best back then, nor are they now, everyone still supported me and made me feel one with the community. For me, joining Sudomemo was the first time I felt included, the first time I had experiences with others my age, and it was a new beginning, it really shaped the person who I am today, and I wouldn't trade the experiences for the world, thank you for making a lovely community that accepted me for who I am, and looked after me in my darkest times.
PICKLE: I use it almost daily to just look around and get inspired by people! Seeing people create and make things has helped me improve my art and writing tenfold! Sudomemo has helped me get through a lot of rough patches by being a good, inspiring and fun distraction, where I can bring my characters to life and show them to other people, get input and generally interact with others. I'm very proud to have been on the site as long as I have been, and it's honestly the website I'm most active on! I hope to continue to enjoy the site as much as I do for as long as I can <3
Merp: Sudomemo was a pure blessing to find! I can't remember how I found Sudo at first but once I was able to get on it I was happy to be able to put in my Flipnotes again! Sure I had to start from zero again but I'm happy to show more of how much my style has changed since Hatena! Made some new friends and became more expressive on the platform!
Thank you everyone for your responses. We got a lot of them and had to cut some out - but we did appreciate reading each and every one of them.
Merry Christmas, and Happy Flipnoting!
- Team Sudomemo