After May 31, 2012 (Thursday) we will no longer be accepting credit cards for purchases of Hatena Color Stars.

From now on you can purchase Hatena Color Stars with Rixty, the leading cash-based payment platform for games and digital content.

Please note it will remain possible to purchase subscriptions to Flipnote Hatena Plus by credit card after May 31, 2012.

If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please contact our support department at support@hatena.com.

We look forward to your continued enjoyment of Hatena's online services.

Welcome to the Hatena Featured Artist section of our blog, where we introduce Flipnote creators from around the world.

We post the Hatena Featured Artist every week on Wednesday, and hope to introduce a variety of different artists that will inspire and entertain you.

Be sure to check here every week to see some of the most amazing artists on Flipnote Hatena. Maybe we'll even feature you someday!

Today's Hatena Featured Artist is Puppet Master (id:nyaozow) from Japan.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

Hello everyone! I am an artist named Puppet Master and I live in Japan.

What are your interests or hobbies, and how do you spend your free time?

All of my time is taken up by creating things. At the moment I am making a comic about airplanes, an illustrated electronic book, and my own manga magazine. My only break from all these activities is making Flipnotes. Nothing beats making Flipnotes while lying on the couch with a cup of coffee.

Please introduce some of your best Flipnotes, and tell us why you like them.

★ "EXAGGERATED-METAMO" - I wanted to do a metamorphosis. It was difficult to make the face change smoothly.

★ "Nyao's Big Adventure" - I drew this Flipnote from one angle. I thought it would be fun to see where the character would end his journey. I also studied a number of rock climbing videos to get the movements right. I ended up drawing 999 pages!

★ "CHEVAL GLASS/Full-length Mirror" - I tried to make an artistic and witty Flipnote for grown ups. It was difficult to have things move slowly.

★ "Flying Dream" - I like airplanes so I enjoyed making this Flipnote. I did the sound of the machine gun with a drum. It worked out better than I expected.

★ "Master Drifting Off" - This Flipnote is only seven pages long. I tried my best to make interesting movements with just a few pages. With a loop you can create an endlessly repeating world. This is for me the real thrill of making Flipnotes.

★ "Story of the Cat Knights" - For me the essence of animating is to draw ordinary movements in a natural way. I do not feel attracted to animations with set characters and fancy effects that have been put together mechanically. While I made this I thought about how important details are.

What techniques or skills are you especially good at in your Flipnotes?

I do not think of things as good and bad. I have no Flipnotes in which all the drawings or the sounds worked out as I wanted them. I think you can even say that if things do not go as planned they become interesting. Creating is not like school where there is a correct answer. It is fun to see things appear that you did not imagine.

Is there something you would like to say to the Flipnote Hatena community?

Flipnote Hatena is an amazing place where people both young and old can easily create animations and express themselves. I hope the number of artistic and high quality Flipnotes will increase, and that Flipnote Hatena can continue to grow as a new type of creative media. Thank you.

Thanks for checking out the Hatena Featured Artist, and please let us know any feedback that you have in the box below. Also, please be sure to check out Flipnotes by the creator we interviewed here, and show them your support with your stars and comments!

Hello, this is Aaron at Hatena in Kyoto, Japan and I'm happy to present some of the most brilliant animations posted on Flipnote Hatena by users around the world.

It's nice to be back after taking one week off from posting the Weekly News. Flipnote Artists had twice as long as usual to work on their weekly topic Flipnotes and the animations posted seem to be twice as good as usual. Thanks to everyone who took part!

This week the Hatena staff has come up with a fun new topic that we hope will inspire you to post some new animations. Please remember to use only original audio and characters in your weekly topic Flipnotes if you want them to be featured here.

Thanks for checking out the news blog, from all of us at Hatena!

Flipnote of the Week

★ josecandel (id:goomer) from the Europe and Oceania region posted this amazing animation about a fearless sheep and a hungry wolf.

The best of the last week's topic: 'Eyeglasses'

There were over 1,650 Flipnotes posted about last week's topic, and here are some of our favorites from around the world.

You can see all of the Flipnotes posted about last week's topic by clicking on the link below (be sure to set your content preference to Worldwide to see Flipnotes from all regions):

In addition to the Flipnotes that we have selected here, you can also see some more of our favorites in the 'Best of Hatena' channel at the URL below:

'Eyeglasses' Flipnotes from the Americas region

★ ßC★671 (id:BC671) created this excellent Flipnote about what happens when someone forgets to wear their glasses.

★ We enjoyed the amazing drawings and sounds in this Flipnote by $PRエ〒£BOY (id:spriteboy7).

★ A little bird gets into some eyeglass related trouble in this animation by ～サひタタL€ら± (id:unicornruler).

★ Check out the nice new glasses in this Flipnote by Anime4ever (id:Anime4ever).

★ We liked this funny animation about looking for some shades by カチュアーちゃん☆ (id:ShiningDragon).

★ A Flipnote fan loses his glasses in this funny Flipnote by ALeX (id:Zeldafan2468).

'Eyeglasses' Flipnotes from the Europe and Oceania region

★ We liked this funny Flipnote about a 3D movie by DaMs (id:DaMs).

★ Take a trip to the eye doctor in this cool Flipnote by Boo™ (id:x-toto-x).

★ A monster finds a way to keep the sun out of it's eye in this animation by Eleanora (id:Eleanora-LOVE).

Kéké (id:keke74100) created this neat animation about some glasses with special powers.

★ We liked the subtle facial movements in this Flipnote by teuntje☆☆☆ (id:Teuntje).

★ Giulia (id:aleeex) posted this funny story about a character in sunglasses getting into some trouble.

'Eyeglasses' Flipnotes from Japan

★ We enjoyed the detailed drawings in this Flipnote by Nana (id:naemon).

★ Foo☆ (id:RAKUGAKINGU-suzu) posted this excellent animation about some amazing spectacles.

★ A character shows off all sorts of funny eyewear in this Flipnote by Guram (id:moretz).

★ Suimasendeshita (id:Honda2) posted this excellent animation about two characters and a pair of eyeglasses.

★ A man encounters some time distorting eyeglasses in this funny animation by LION (id:Lion-mia).

★ Yotti (id:yotiyottin) made this amazing animation of a character watching a solar eclipse.

This week's topic: 'Farm'

This week we would like you to create animations about farms. Create animations featuring barns, chickens, cows, electric fences, farmers, grain, hay, pigs, pitchforks, silos, tractors, vegetables or anything else you might find on a farm. See where your creativity takes you!

Please submit your weekly topic Flipnotes by midnight on May 17, 2012 (Thursday) US Pacific Time, and we will present some of our favorites on May 18, 2012 (Friday).

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):

New Themes!

After a long absence, we are happy to release two great new Creator's Rooms themes this week.

★ This theme features a laughing character and some blackbirds in eerie red moonlight. (10 color stars)

★ This theme features some cute pandas in different poses. (10 color stars)

Frog Sightings

If you are interested in having your frog photo or illustration featured in the 'Weekly Frog Sighting' section of the blog please post them on Hatena Haiku and we might feature it here.

Please submit only original photos/illustrations that you have created yourself.

★ id:Gabtraf posted this photo of a little frog taking rest on a finger.

★ id:yellow-yoshi100 took this picture of some cool frog caps.

Feedback

What did you think about the weekly news this week? Let us know by telling us your feedback in the box below.

You can read comments posted by Nintendo DSi users by viewing the Flipnote below:

Welcome to the Hatena Featured Artist section of our blog, where we introduce Flipnote creators from around the world.

We post the Hatena Featured Artist every week on Wednesday, and hope to introduce a variety of different artists that will inspire and entertain you.

Be sure to check here every week to see some of the most amazing artists on Flipnote Hatena. Maybe we'll even feature you someday!

Today's Hatena Featured Artist is OM-NOM-NOM (id:Om-nom-nom) from the Americas Region.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I am 12 years old and from America. I am home schooled and in 7th grade. I have one sister, who also has a Flipnote Hatena account.

What are your interests or hobbies, and how do you spend your free time?

I listen to Korean Pop, Japanese music, and a few American songs as long as they aren't trendy pop songs. I like video games, and sculpting things from clay. I also know the basics of crocheting but I can only make strange lumpy shapes. I practice drawing perhaps less than I should.

Please introduce some of your best Flipnotes, and tell us why you like them.

★ This was the first Flipnote I ever made. I like this because of the effort and detail I put into it. The drawings and animations are rough but I can watch it and know I've improved.

★ I like this because of the detail I put into it. I'm pleased with the finished result.

★ I like this animation because of how hard it was figuring out how to make it. It was hard to make the sound of a dropping coin.

★ I'm not completely sure why I like this one... I just do.

★ This could be better, but the more time I spend on a Flipnote, the more I like it.

What techniques or skills are you especially good at in your Flipnotes?

★ My strong point has always been my animations and noises.

What are some techniques or skills that you wish to improve, try, or learn to do in order make your Flipnotes better?

I need to work on drawing people. I only started drawing people a year or two ago.

Please introduce some of your favorite artists on Flipnote Hatena and tell us why you like them or their Flipnotes.

★ Lanz(: (id:Lanz) is my sister. Her drawings are incredibly beautiful and the best part is that I can watch her draw them. It's encouraging to look at her old sketchbooks and know that almost anyone can draw if they practice.

★ GreenArt (id:GreenArt) is amazing. I love the support I receive from her and her drawings are excellent and improving constantly. She's very friendly and I consider her a good friend.

★ M¡rò(•∞◎) (id:nazzy101) is outgoing and loyal and her art is very advanced to say the least. I'm glad to know her.

★ ComnDURR 14 (id:CommanDURR_14) is an incredible animator and very friendly and supportive. She has less supporters than she deserves and is surprisingly not a famous Hatena creator.

★ otter (id:otter1408) is so nice and amusing. Her drawings are amazing. She makes me laugh and usually catches me off guard with the hilariousness of her comments.

Is there something you would like to say to the Flipnote Hatena community?

I would like to say thank you. I am grateful to Hatena, I love how quickly you solve issues and honestly make Hatena an enjoyable place. The Hatena crew is the best I've ever seen and I would like to thank them for interviewing me because compared to a lot of people I feel insignificant.

To everyone who uses Hatena, practice, and don't be discouraged if you are not popular. Even your few fans should be appreciated because they want support too, and you might be able to learn from them.

Thanks for checking out the Hatena Featured Artist, and please let us know any feedback that you have in the box below. Also, please be sure to check out Flipnotes by the creator we interviewed here, and show them your support with your stars and comments!

On May 7, 2012 (Monday) from 05:17 JST to 06:52 JST it was difficult to connect to Flipnote Hatena for Nintendo DSi.

This error was caused by the failure of an authentication server that has now been fixed. Access to Flipnote Hatena has now been fully restored for all users. We have also taken measures to prevent this problem from occurring again.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this situation may have caused, and thank you for your continued support of Hatena’s online services.

• Kyoto (JST)
  • Monday, 7 May 2012, 05:17 - 06:52
• Los Angeles (PDT)
  • Sunday, 6 May 2012, 13:17 - 14:52
• New York (EDT)
  • Sunday, 6 May 2012, 16:17 - 17:52
• London (BST)
  • Sunday, 6 May 2012, 21:17 - 22:52
• Berlin (CEST)
  • Sunday, 6 May 2012, 22:17 - 23:52
• Sydney (EST)
  • Monday, 7 May 2012, 06:17 - 07:52

Hello, this is Aaron in Kyoto, Japan bringing you the latest news from Flipnote Hatena.

Next Friday will be a national holiday here in Japan, so we will not be posting the next edition of the Flipnote Hatena Weekly News until May 11, 2012. For this reason you will have two weeks to work on your weekly topic Flipnotes. We are looking forward to seeing your creations!

Thanks for checking out the news blog, from all of us at Hatena.

Flipnote of the Week

★ We really enjoyed this musical Flipnote about gravity by Izumi (id:izumi-v) from Japan.

The best of the last week's topic: 'Open/Close'

There were over 1,200 Flipnotes posted about last week's topic, and here are some of our favorites from around the world.

You can see all of the Flipnotes posted about last week's topic by clicking on the link below (be sure to set your content preference to Worldwide to see Flipnotes from all regions):

In addition to the Flipnotes that we have selected here, you can also see some more of our favorites in the 'Best of Hatena' channel at the URL below:

'Open/Close' Flipnotes from the Americas region

★ Open up for an adventure with chortlinMe (id:ChotlingArmadillo).

★ We liked the nice drawings and smooth animation in this Flipnote by KumaX (id:K8phux).

★ Feel the rhythm in this Flipnote by Char&Shell (id:charshorty).

★ Fazone (id:faz1) opens and closes many funny creatures and sounds.

★ Check out the nice transformations and sound effects in this animation by ComnDURR14 (id:CommanDURR_14).

★ We enjoyed these explosive instructions by cosmasque (id:cosmasque).

'Open/Close' Flipnotes from the Europe and Oceania region

★ Look out for the 'Monster of the Bin' by mrjohn (id:mrjohn).

★ Drop your jaw and enjoy this Flipnote by Timur (id:Timur).

★ We liked the squeaky sounds in this Flipnote by geezer (id:geezerdk).

★ Atra (id:cadatra) made this Flipnote with a painful closure.

★ Beware of the door in this animation by vinceツツ 。(id:vincedu49).

★ Check out this nature animation by josecandel (id:goomer).

'Open/Close' Flipnotes from Japan

★ This Flipnote by Otonohaco (id:otonohaco) has an unfortunate closure.

★ Hinamikan\Hinata (id:kirby0823) opens up a memory door in his head.

★ kenzi (id:ken-703) wonders why his cat cannot learn how to close the door.

★ We liked the neat combination of drawings and photos made with the Nintendo DSi Camera in this Flipnote by Sukuranburu (id:ZXC_Zh).

★ We enjoyed all of the emotions and facial expressions in this animation by n.u.

★ Open up your heart for this Flipnote by Konyaku (id:zishou-maou).

This week's topic: 'Eyeglasses'

This week we would like you to create animations about eyeglasses. Make Flipnotes that feature characters wearing glasses, sunglasses or monocles. You might also want to make stories about eyeglasses with special powers, funny sunglasses, eye doctors (opthamologists) or what happens when someone can't find their eyeglasses. See where your creativity takes you!

Please submit your weekly topic Flipnotes by midnight on May 10, 2012 (Thursday) US Pacific Time, and we will present some of our favorites on May 11, 2012 (Friday).

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):

Frog Sightings

If you are interested in having your frog photo or illustration featured in the 'Weekly Frog Sighting' section of the blog please post them on Hatena Haiku and we might feature it here.

Please submit only original photos/illustrations that you have created yourself.

★ Here is a funny frog that I saw in a store on a recent trip to the United States.

Feedback

What did you think about the weekly news this week? Let us know by telling us your feedback in the box below.

You can read comments posted by Nintendo DSi users by viewing the Flipnote below: