Hello from all of us on the Flipnote Hatena team. This is Aaron at Hatena's offices in Kyoto, Japan with another edition of our weekly news blog.
Last week's topic was about travel, and it was a lot of fun to see Flipnotes posted by users from all around the world. It made us want to take a trip somewhere ourselves, and it was very inspiring to see all of the different ideas people had about this topic.
You can scroll down to see our picks for the best Flipnotes about the weekly topic from last week.
Many people contact us with various questions related to the weekly topic that I'd like to answer below.
Who chooses the Flipnotes for the weekly topic?
The Flipnotes are chosen by id:kumi_t, id:Michael77, id:reikon and id:aaron. We try to be fair and unbiased and do our best to feature a wide selection of styles every week. We like to introduce new creators whenever we can.
What kind of Flipnotes do we like?
Basically we look for Flipnotes about the weekly topic that are original and creative. You can check out the weekly blog every week to see what kind of Flipnotes we like.
Why didn't we choose your Flipnote?
We usually won't feature Flipnotes with copyrighted music and copyrighted characters that we recognize. This means that we usually won't feature Flipnotes that include things like Nintendo characters or Elmo, or Flipnotes that feature music by Justin Bieber or songs like "Do You Like Waffles?".
We also like to choose Flipnotes that can be easily understood by our users around the world, who might not speak English.
We tend to not choose spin-offs, unless they are uniquely different from the original Flipnote.
When is the deadline for submitting Flipnotes about the weekly topic?
The deadline for submissions for the weekly topic is at the following times worldwide:
- Tokyo (JST): Friday at 12:00 pm
- New York (EDT): Thursday at 11:00pm
- Los Angeles (PDT): Thursday at 8:00 pm
- Sydney (EST): Friday at 1:00 pm
- London (BST): Friday at 4:00 am
- Berlin (CEST): Friday at 5:00 am
What kind of stars do you get if you post a Flipnote that gets featured in the news blog?
We give every user who gets their Flipnote featured here one red star.
When will you get your color star if your Flipnote is featured?
We usually distribute the color stars to winners on Friday evening or Saturday morning Japan time. If you are featured here and don't get your color star for some reason please let us know.
Are the Flipnotes in the news blog the same in every language?
There are usually small variations in the Flipnotes we feature in the different versions of the news blog in every language, and sometimes different Flipnotes may be shown.
I hope that answered some of your questions about the weekly news blog, and appreciate you taking the time to read it.
Looking forward to seeing your Flipnotes!
This week's new themes
The Flipnote team has created two new Creator's Rooms that are available in the Color Star Exchange this week. Below are some screenshots and details of the new themes.
This week's featured Flipnotes
In this week's edition of the Flipnote Hatena news blog, we're going to show you some of our favorite Flipnotes based on last week's topic "Travel", and introduce our new topic for this week which is "Loop".
If you post Flipnotes about the weekly topic, we might feature yours here on the Flipnote Hatena Weekly News blog next week and give you some rare color stars -- post your Flipnotes and join in the fun!
Lastly, scroll to the bottom of this blog entry to see Weekly Frog Sightings where we feature original frog photos and illustrations from users like you. Post your original frog photos to Hatena Haiku (post to the keyword "Frog Sightings") and we might feature it here next week.
Read the Flipnote Hatena News blog in your language
Here is a list of the URL's that you can use to read the different language versions of this news blog:
- English:
- French:
- German:
- Italian:
- Japanese:
- Spanish:
Also, thanks to the help and support of MdM (id:MdMbunny) you can also read a translation of this blog in Italian, and id:Alex_BCN82 is now translating our blog into Spanish. Please be sure to check out the other language versions of the blog, since there are some differences between each version. It might be a good way to learn a foreign language too!
The best of last week's topic: "Travel"
We've selected some of the best Flipnotes posted this past week from each of the 3 regions which we hope you'll enjoy.
You can see all of the Flipnotes posted by users for last week's topic at the URL below (be sure to set your content preference to Worldwide to see Flipnotes from all regions):
Weekly Topic: Travel You can also see the Flipnotes for last week's topic posted from your own region by entering the command
via "Command Search" from Flipnote Hatena on your Nintendo DSi.
"Travel" Flipnotes from the Europe and Oceania region
★ We really liked the music and great effort to show many exotic locations around the globe in this Flipnote by Three D (id:Swiggly)
★ This Flipnote by geezer (id:geezerdk) explains the mystery of how frogs got to Australia. Next time I fly I'll be sure to look for a frog attached to the wing of the plane.
★ This Flipnote by Miguel (id:M_rock) was posted a few months ago, but we thought it fit this week's topic nicely. It's a very nice story, and beautifully drawn.
★ All sorts of modes of transportation appear in this Flipnote by T®i€☆™ (id:triller) that begins with two javelin fighters on horseback. Great work!
★ Here's a nice Flipnote by ★mpa★ (id:markos-1996) about the weekly topic. The German text in this Flipnote "Fortbewegung", means "travel or movement" in English.
★ This timely Flipnote by Gráinne!! (id:GrainneAnn) talks about the volcano eruption in Iceland that has disrupted air travel in Europe recently.
"Travel" Flipnotes from the Americas region
★ We liked the motion in this Flipnote by ★SWIM★ (id:randomness-world) about a flying bus. It reminded us of the song "Magic Bus" by The Who.
★ Pat (id:graphicelvis) has a unique style that we really enjoy, and we especially liked the nice animation and sound in this cool Flipnote.
★ Join father and son on a trip in this Flipnote by Razer8 (id:rrDr). "Are we there yet, Dad?" "Not yet, son, but we'll be there soon." We liked the nice illustrations and attention to details in this Flipnote.
★ We liked the sounds and motion in this Flipnote by Kaos (id:Pure-Evil), but are not sure if we're quite yet ready to try skydiving.
★ Live fast and animate young in this fun Flipnote by Cooper (id:Giik). Please note that no stick figures were injured in creation of this Flipnote.
★ Make sure to drive carefully when you travel, and keep an eye out for cats, dogs and… cows?! This Flipnote by dnj111 (id:dnj111) made us laugh out loud!
"Travel" Flipnotes from Japan
★ Join a dandelion on an adventure across the world in this Flipnote by Iria (id:nanako0701). The story starts in Japan, then goes to America where the flower blooms again after 1 year has passed.
★ A cat sets out on a journey in this cute Flipnote by Meime (id:siasia10). The item that appears at the end of the Flipnote is a called an omamori in Japanese, which is a charm for protection.
★ Join an animated stick figure with a photographic background in this amazing Flipnote by =KURO= (id:kuro1998). We really were amazed at the great amount of effort that went into the creation of this Flipnote.
★ The character in this Flipnote enters a train station and gets on train to start a journey in this Flipnote by O-kido (id:yosibe8). The narrator explains step by step with funny sound effects and commentary about everything going on in the Flipnote that will make you laugh (even if you don't speak Japanese).
★ This Flipnote by Io (id:McQUEEN) shows a realistic scene of a character traveling by train. We really liked the attention to detail in this Flipnote.
★ The character in this Flipnote by + (id:gureijyaaku) attempts to travel to outer space. Sometimes the problems we encounter when we travel make it even more enjoyable.
This week's topic: "Loop"
This week we'd like you to create Flipnotes that play nicely in loop mode. The beginning and the end of your Flipnote should match to create smooth, continuous playback. You can use geometric patterns, stories, sounds or whatever you like that loops!
Here's a Flipnote by Penduin (id:penduin) to give you some inspiration.
Post the Flipnotes you create to channel 8 from Flipnote Hatena on your Nintendo DSi. We're looking forward to seeing your stuff, and will feature some of the best ones next week here in the Flipnote Hatena Weekly News blog.
You can see all of the Flipnotes currently posted about this week's topic at the URL below (be sure to set your content preference to Worldwide to see Flipnotes from all regions):
Weekly Topic: Loop
Follow Flipnote Hatena on Twitter
We've started a Twitter account to keep you updated about the latest news and happenings at Flipnote Hatena.
Follow us at: http://twitter.com/flipnotehatena
Weekly Frog Sighting
If you are interested in having your frog photo featured in the "Weekly Frog Sighting" section of the blog you can post it on Hatena Haiku (post to the keyword "Frog Sightings") and we'll choose the best ones and feature them here.
Please submit only original photos/illustrations that you have created yourself.
★ This amazing frog illustration, reminiscent of film noir was posted by id:InkWolf
Please let us know what you think about the Flipnote Hatena Weekly News blog by posting any comments you might have in the box below. Thanks!
