Flipnote Studio, a seemingly innocuous piece of software for the DSi has remained surprisingly popular since its release in Japan in 2008. This fun little app allows anyone to create simple animations without any experience or complicated equipment. Conveniently, the app came pre-installed on every DSi/DSiXL console. This animation software being widely available and easy to use has led to a loyal fanbase of users holding on to their old handhelds. What makes FlipNote so special, though? Come along and let’s talk about why this little application is still a staple for so many people.
Effortless Animation for Everyone
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After the incredible popularity of the Nintendo DS and DS Lite in the early 2000s, Nintendo expanded the line to include a similar console with added features. The DSi played the same type of games as the DS and DS Lite, but now featured back and front cameras, an SD card slot, and a faster processor speed among other things. With these upgrades, though, the DSi would lose the ability to play Gameboy Advance cartridges in favor of downloadable content. Amongst the DSi’s 200+ applications available was FlipNote Studio. Having come pre-installed, the app landed in the hands of millions of curious and creative users.
FlipNote Studio works like a traditional flipbook. The idea was inspired by the DS’s memo book nature and its obvious gimmick being the touch screen and stylus. Developers took this simple idea of drawing, something that was already present in PictoChat, and added sound. FlipNote allows users to animate using 999 art frames and four audio samples to create anything they want. While being a simple software, in 2008 when YouTube was still in its infancy, this was huge.
What Keeps it Thriving?
Sadly, FlipNote Studio stopped being available to download in 2013, and its online service, FlipNote Hatena, was cancelled as well. A version for the 3DS called FlipNote 3D was developed, but is widely received negatively among fans due to the fact that it took so long to release and wasn’t initially free like the original FlipNote Studio. Meanwhile a little app called Vine was quickly gaining popularity, giving anyone with a phone the ability to create short videos. The market for an animation tool like FlipNote 3D was declining.
However, this didn’t stop fans of the original app from banding together to revive the community. A project called Sudomemo was developed by FlipNote enthusiasts in order to bring back the original feeling of FlipNote Hatena. If DSi owners still had the application downloaded on their devices, they could change their DNS to connect to Sudomemo instead of the now non-existent FlipNote Hatena. This allowed users the ability to post their creations online again. Sudomemo has remained a thriving niche community and the primary place to go for anything FlipNote.
FlipNote animations remain some of the funniest content on the internet. With Sudomemo keeping the art alive, the meme culture that the app originally conveyed so well is updated with the times. What may have started with Rick Rolls and Nyan Cat is now a garden perfectly tilled for the memes of the 2020s instead. Also, the way FlipNote animations look and sound is just really funny, no matter what generation you come from. Artists like Kekeflipnote got their start using the humble little app and have made a career out of it. So, if you’re thinking about giving away that old DSi, maybe hold onto it. Some things are worth more than the latest technology.
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