Hand-crafted Little Monster IP character recruitment Phase 1 officially wrapped! Congratulations to student Li Shuang on snagging the 2,000 RMB grand prize!

One month ago, the Little Monster IP Character Recruitment Program officially launched. We extended an open invitation to every creator: step away from polished perfection, embrace the ethos of "ugly-cute, lovably imperfect" and anti-refined aesthetics, and build a one-of-a-kind creature that belongs to the Little Monster brand.

The first phase of the campaign officially concluded on October 10. Over the past weeks, we received a steady stream of vibrant submissions from creators far and wide. Setting aside standardized aesthetic templates, you worked with unhurried brushwork and unrestrained imagination to shape a roster of monster prototypes brimming with narrative texture and strong commercial scalability. Behind every entry lies genuine creative devotion. On behalf of the Little Monster team, we extend our sincerest gratitude to every participant for your spark of inspiration and wholehearted effort.

After multiple rounds of careful review and rigorous shortlisting, one standout emerged. DA-JIN, designed by Li Shuang, rose above the field to claim the Phase 1 grand prize.

🏆 Phase 1 Award Announcement

Winning Creator: Li Shuang

Winning Work: DA-JIN

Reward: ¥2,000 Prize

DA-JIN’s victory reflects the strongest alignment with our current brand vision — yet falling short of selection in no way signals that your work lacked merit. Deliberations weighed heavily on our jury. We found ourselves torn time and again: some of you carved a quiet loneliness into your monster with loose, raw linework; others conjured an absurd yet soothing theatrical tension through bold, clashing palettes; still others tucked in private, unspoken little emotions only the creator themselves could decode.

Each submission shone like a beam of light in its own distinct hue, illuminating entirely different trajectories for the Little Monster IP. Ultimately, only one winner can be named — a constraint of the rules, never a verdict on creative worth. Every unselected spark has been carefully held onto by us, together piecing together the full, layered soul of Little Monster.

As a token of appreciation for your dedication, every participant of Phase 1 will receive an exclusive Little Monster commemorative apparel. We will dispatch confirmation emails to all submission inboxes. Please reply promptly with your mailing address and contact number upon receipt. Our team will verify valid details and arrange shipments in sequence.

(Official correspondence email: 📮 2335631012@qq.com — please watch out for messages from this address.)

Thank you, once again, for your participation and affection.

【Gallery of Other Entries】

To those who did not advance: please don’t be disheartened. Your creative stage picks up right where this one left off.

📣 Phase 2 Creation Portal Is Now Open

All creators are invited to build upon the winning IP DA-JIN​ for secondary reinterpretation: design multiple outfit sets, varied poses, and expressive facial looks, and deliver at least 4 differentiated character concepts. Through your lens, endow this blocky little monster with richer everyday vignettes and shifting emotional shades.

⚠️ Copyright Notice: Intellectual property of all shortlisted artworks vests in the Little Monster brand. Please refrain from distributing the illustrations without authorization. We appreciate your respect for these creative boundaries.

Being strange is never a flaw — it is a vitality wholly your own.

Thank you to every creator willing to grow, imperfectly, alongside Little Monster. We look forward to discovering more vivid, untamed, laughing-and-pouting versions of DA-JIN through your hands in Phase 2.