처돌이

Origin

Cheodori was originally the name of the mascot of the Korean fried chicken franchise Cheogajip Yangnyeom Chicken. It combines the brand name Cheogajip with dori, a common ending for boys' names, and the character had been part of the company logo since the 1980s.

How an old mascot became an internet meme was unexpected. The company made Cheodori plush dolls for the first time in 2016 as a promotional giveaway, but they drew so little interest that stock was left over. The turning point was a blogger's review, which included a line to the effect of "Cheogajip's chicken tastes cheo-dol-ass-da, but Cheodori didn't cheo-dol," a pun on cheo-dolda, a crude intensifier meaning to have gone completely crazy, and the mascot's name. Jo Jae-yun, head of Cheogajip's marketing team, explained in a 2019 interview with Kyunghyang Shinmun that "the phrase the blogger posted became an internet meme, and its popularity grew among people in their teens and twenties."

Spread

As a meme, Cheodori soon picked up a new meaning. Idol fandoms, playing on the sound of cheo-dolda, began calling someone who is madly into something a "___ cheodori." Attached to a singer's name or a food, as in "I'm a tteokbokki cheodori," it became a lighthearted way to own up to being obsessed.

The popularity showed up in sales. For a Children's Day promotion in May 2019, the company expected its first batch of 10,000 dolls to go over one to two weeks, but they sold out in a single day. Stores received more than 200 calls a day asking whether they had the dolls, and they were resold at a markup on secondhand sites. The company said it would immediately release a second batch with a new design and continue with limited-edition merchandise.

In January 2020 the company signed with character licensing firm Cogle Planet to launch official Cheodori merchandise. News1 reported that Cheogajip Yangnyeom Chicken's 2019 sales were up 15% from the previous year and spotlighted Cheodori as a character IP to rival Pengsoo and Ryan. It is a rare case of a character that sat in a logo for more than 30 years driving brand growth thanks to a single meme.

Usage

• Placed after something you love to declare yourself a die-hard fan, as in "a ___ cheodori" for an idol or "a mint-chocolate cheodori"
• A self-deprecating nickname: "I'm such a cheodori for that drama I've memorized every line"
• In its original sense, referring to the Cheogajip mascot and its plush merchandise

Because it comes from the crude expression cheo-dolda, it is used mostly in casual online conversation among friends rather than in formal settings.

Sources

• Kyunghyang Shinmun, "[Interview] Why did 'Cheodori' become a superstar? We asked Cheogajip Chicken" (May 7, 2019) — the character's use in the logo since the 1980s, unsold stock from the first dolls in 2016, how a blogger's review became a meme and team leader Jo Jae-yun's comments, the fandom use of cheodori, the May 2019 sellout of 10,000 dolls in a day, 200 daily calls and secondhand markups, plans for a second batch
• News1, "Cheogajip's 'Cheodori' finally comes out as merchandise... 'Pengsoo and Ryan, are you nervous?'" (January 10, 2020) — the Cogle Planet licensing deal and merchandise launch, 15% sales growth in 2019, assessment as a character IP