Why Is "Wakppubol" So Popular? Gen Z's Craze for "Acting Challenges, Tactile Play and Remix Culture"

TikTok analyzes three major trends for the first half of 2026
Challenges with low barriers to participation and tactile experiences gain popularity
Short-form content increasingly merges with commerce

Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) is expanding its short-form culture beyond watching videos to actively participating in and recreating content. The trend is driven by acting challenges and videos that stimulate the sense of touch, with user-created imitations then helping the trends spread further, according to an analysis.

Jo Woongjae, team leader of Daehaknaeil’s Trend Media team, speaks with edu-entertainment creator Mimiminu at “TikTok Trend Talk,” held at TikTok Korea’s office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 11th. Photo by Lee Eunseo

On November 11, TikTok held “TikTok Trend Talk” at its office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, examining the background to and spread of content trends on TikTok in the first half of 2026. The findings were drawn by combining TikTok data with regular focus group interviews (FGIs) and in-depth research involving the Generation Z advisory panel run by Daehaknaeil.

TikTok identified three major trends: “acting challenges,” in which users enjoy short skits; “tactile play,” which lets viewers experience sensations through video; and “remix culture,” in which existing content is transformed into new creative works. Acting challenges involve expressing a range of emotions through short lines and skits. As the pressure to produce polished performances has eased, they have evolved into an activity anyone can join. “We are seeing cases where the original sound from a skit is reused, or where a song gains popularity through an acting challenge,” said Jo Woongjae, team leader of Daehaknaeil’s Trend Media team.

Jo also introduced content that lets viewers experience tactile sensations indirectly. One example is “Wakppubol,” a ball with a wax outer layer that users break open to touch its soft contents. Its appeal lies in letting viewers experience the sensation vicariously through the way it breaks apart and the sound it makes. “Because Generation Z is immersed in the world on screen, a lack of sensory experiences can spark a desire for them,” Jo said. “Indirect experiences through sensory content can lead to real-world sensory consumption, such as visits to the toy street in Changsin-dong.”

TikTok also identified remix culture—creating new works by following other people’s content—as a major trend. In the process of recreating existing content, users make changes, and the resulting work becomes material for other users to create from, forming a cycle. Popular creator Mimiminu, whose real name is Kim Minwoo, cited the “street math challenge” as an example during the talk. He said he had drawn inspiration from overseas content that rewards people for completing exercise challenges and, drawing on his background as an education and entertainment creator, reworked the idea into interactive math-problem-solving content.

At the event, speakers predicted that short-form content would become more closely integrated with commerce. After encountering a product in a short video, consumers may go on to make an immediate, low-cost purchase. They forecast that one-click payments through e-commerce platforms could be linked with creators, particularly in food, clothing, and beauty.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.