8/23/22 update!
I've made a Sudomemo account so if you'd like to see some of my animations, check me out there! Sadly I never had a Hatena account back in the day, but there are still *tons* of awesome creators you can check out on Sudomemo Archive below. Also, I'll be editing this page periodically with new flipnotes I find. It's a bit overloaded atm, and I do plan on making several pages for different flipnote creators. Just reload your page to see everything. Sources to each flipnote can be found by clicking the Flipnote Frog on the bottom right corner of each video embed!!
What is Flipnote Studio, Sudomemo, and Flipnote Hatena?
Flipnote Studio: an animation application made for the Nintendo DSi in 2008. Animations are drawn using the DSi's stylus and touch screen. Audio can be recorded using the DSi's microphone.
Flipnote Hatena was a service provided by Japanese web services provider Hatena where users could upload, download, edit, and comment on other user's flipnotes. During its 2008-2013 run, animators gained popularity through comedy animations, music videos (AMVs / MVs), roleplays, and more. Flipnotes could be downloaded and 'remixed', kinda like TikTok's concept of duets. Hatena had an incredibly strong community of animators and is still looked at fondly by many artists today.
Sudomemo is an unofficial 'revamp' of Flipnote Hatena by creator Austin Burk, which includes an archive of 2008-2013 flipnotes. Sudomemo also allows users to 'hack' their DSi/3DS to create flipnotes to upload to Sudomemo.net. A short history of Flipnote Hatena is outlined here.
My favorite flipnotes!
(POV it's 2010 and I'm learning what a furry is)
Ok so like- my first foray into the internet was Flipnote Hatena. I didn't own a computer until I was 17, and we didn't have a family computer until I was already in highschool. Until that point, I was allowed to borrow my mom's work laptop, and connect to the internet using a Verizon Internet "card" that provided a portable, but extremely slow internet connection. Unlike a lot of other kids at this time, I didn't go on sites like Club Penguin or Poptropica and I had no consistent way to access online communities.
However, when I was around 12 I recieved a Nintendo DSi with Flipnote Hatena. This was how I discovered all my favorite music - I remember hearing (through the DS's shitty speakers) Skillex's Bangarang for the first time and instantly falling in love. The Hatena community was where I first heard electronic music ( my favorite genre now) like Renard (now Emma Essex), Knife Party, and Vocaloid. This was also my very first exposure to AMVs, scene kid aesthetics, and most importantly, edgy wolf sonas. I knew absolutely nothing about the Furry community at the time, but I did know that they fuckin ruled.
There was something /so/ euphoric about seeing edgy wolf characters with scars, fangs, and anime eyes. Like, I had never seen anything like that before- they were so cool! Like, I thought I was the only person drawing stuff like that. Drawing angsty stuff is still something I do, even if they're not wolves. Watching these crunchy old flipnotes makes me so nostalgic for those early teen days.
One Hatena user I absolutely adored was Hikaridana, who now makes animations on her youtube!
And some more flipnotes, in no particular order. These were all downloaded to my DSi at some point.
Flipnotes by Aricat
Flipnotes by Alejandro
GOD these are responsible for so many angst pokemon daydreams. Good lord, irreperable damage to my 12 y/o brain.
Lasty, here are some favs that I discovered recently, like I LOVE THESE SO MUCH! UNIRONICALLY 100% IN LOVE WITH THESE TIMMY TURNER/DANNY PHANTOM ANIMATIONS!!
THIS FRAME SPECIFICALLY MAKES ME SCREAM
Flipnotes I found recently that I enjoy:
All flipnotes are embeded via The Flipnote Archive!
