Aloha. For press inquiries, please email Contact@PIDGINMOJI.com. Below are a few of the stories published about PIDGINMOJI.

Hawai'i News Now: PIDGINMOJI Fortune Cookies

PIDGINMOJI launches the PIDGINMOJI Fortune Cookies on Hawai'i News Now! All of the fortunes are in Pidgin for good fun while enjoying an onolicious snack!

 

Island News - KITV Channel 4: PIDGINMOJI on World Social Media Day

PIDGINMOJI launches exclusives on GMH!
This #SocialMediaDay PIDGINMOJI is celebrating by launching exclusive superhero emojis!
See the story from Island News - KITV Channel 4

 

Island News - KITV Channel 4: Bringing the Aloha Spirit to Halloween

Join Ka'o Carlos along with his daughters, Leia and Kara, as they talk to Maleko McDonnell and Lei U'i Kaholokula about the spooky new PIDGINMOJI.

 

Hawai'i News Now - What's Trending: How You Can Start Using PIDGINMOJI

What's Trending: How You Can Start Using PIDGINMOJI
They are succinct and local. How you can start using some PIDGINMOJI on your own.
See the story on Hawai'i News Now

 

Hawai'i News Now - What's Trending: PIDGINMOJI Pidgin Emojis

What's Trending: PIDGINMOJI Pidgin Emojis
See the story on Hawai'i News Now

 

Island News - KITV Channel 4: Using PIDGINMOJIs Let You Express 'Da Kine'

Using Pidginmojis Let You Express 'Da Kine'

If you are looking to make a more local impact with your texts, then "Cheeeehuuu!," make way for Pidginmojis, expressing how you feel island-style.

It launched it as an iPhone app earlier this year, then expanded it into one that can be used on Android and multiple platforms as well.

Along with popular pidgin sayings like "try wait" and "da kine," the app also has holiday themes including Christmas and New Year's.

Pidginmoji was started by a pair of brothers from Hawaii, Ka'ohele Carlos and Kamalu Almeida. "We grew up on the North Shore," said Carlos, "and this was a way to connect to my brother who still lives there, solely through text and mainly with pidgin, so this was a fun way to add to that."

Along with plenty of pidgin sayings, the app has also partnered up with various brands, creating Pidginmojis for them as well.

See the story on Island News - KITV Channel 4

 

Hawai'i News Now: Local Brothers Create Island Version of Emojis, dubbed 'Pidginmoji'

Local Brothers Create Island Version of Emojis, Dubbed 'PIDGINMOJI'
By HNN Staff

WAIALUA, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Two brothers decided to put an island spin on a popular texting feature: emojis.

North Shore natives Ka'ohele Carlos and Kamalu Almeida came up with the idea for pidgin style emojis.

Together, they developed apps called "Pidginmoji."

The six Pidginmoji apps can be found in the Apple App Store. It features some 800 pidgin expressions and characters.

In 2015, pidgin was recognized as an official state language.

Pidgin is mix of English and Hawaiian with influences from other languages. It was born in Hawaii during the sugar cane plantation era when workers from different countries tried to communicate.

App creator Ka'ohele is a Waialua High School grad, and took the lead on all the technology.

Kamalu handled the pidgin side of things, choosing phrases that would resonate with people, like Bumbye, CheeHuu and Bus Laugh.

The brothers are hoping the emojis will enhance texting.

See the story on Hawai'i News Now

 

Pacific Business News: Hawaiian Pidgin App Lands Local Sponsorship Deals

Hawaiian Pidgin App Lands Local Sponsorship Deals
By Anna Hrushka

A Hawaiian pidgin app, created by two North Shore brothers, has landed deals with 15 local Hawaiian companies, which will advertise on the platform.

“When we initially made Pidginmoji as iMessage stickers, the primary request was to make the stickers for Android too,” said Kaohele Carlos, co-creator of the app Pidginmoji, which first launched on Apple’s iMessage platform in May and is now available on Android. “The fact that they are keyboards means that you can send Pidginmoji stickers in Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, email, text messages and more.”

Carlos said he has signed deals with 15 Hawaii companies for sponsorship placement on the platform.

Local companies include Times Supermarkets, Menehune Mac, Hilo Hattie, Lion Coffee, Hibiscus Lady, Diamond Bakery, Maui Soap Company, Waimea Valley and Hawaiian Chip Company.

Carlos said each sponsor’s customized sticker includes the company’s website address.

“Pidginmoji allows us to connect with our local customers on a deeper level with fun pidgin stickers they can send from their phones,” said James Chan, owner of the Hawaiian Chip Company.

See the story on Pacific Business News

 

MidWeek: Chee Hu! Pidgin Comes To Text Messaging

Chee Hu! Pidgin Comes To Text Messaging
By Christina O'Connor in ENTREPRENEURS MIDWEEK

When Ka’ohele Carlos moved to Los Angeles after graduating from University of Hawaii, the Waialua native stayed in touch with his younger brother Kamalu Alameida mainly via text message. And every text they exchanged would be in pidgin.

Last month, they released a series of apps that reflects their lexicon: Pidginmoji. Pidginmoji is comprised of six different apps that feature 100 pidgin phrases with a total of 800 stickers.

“It was truly just a way for me to connect with my brother, Carlos explains. "Pidginmoji was a fun way to enhance our text conversations. It's a nice way for me to feel connected to home as well... I can send these things to my friends in Hawaii and we connect at that deeper level because we grew up with these things in our lives."

The apps include voice bubbles, male and female characters, as well as animated versions where the characters move their mouths as they talk. Plus, all of the stickers can be dragged onto other parts of the text message - meaning you can send a selfie with a pidgin voice bubble.

“Emojis are the vernacular of our generation - it's so easy to communicate So much in just a single image.” Carlos says. “With that being so prominent in our daily lives and how we communicate with each other, I really felt that there was an element missing from... connecting to the people within Hawaii.

"There are many similarities between pidgin and emojis,” he continues. “Both are short forms of communication that are packed full of emotion and meaning. Pidgin was created as a way to correspond effectively and efficiently across cultures. Emojis have the same appeal in that they bridge cultures with a universal language - a smiley face means the same in Hawaii as it does anywhere else in the world.”

Carlos, who is a Senior Director of Design at CBS Interactive, spearheaded the technical end of the apps. He collaborated with Alameida, a structural engineer at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, to develop the phrases and corresponding images.

Just within the first few weeks that Pidginmoji has been available on the App Store, Carlos reports that users from all over the country have downloaded it. With the success it's had so far, the brothers already are looking at ways to "broaden the scope and expand the Pidginmoji universe,” as well as possibly create additional apps. In the immediate future, they're developing an Android version of Pidginmoji.

"Because the origin was really just adding a bit of fun into our lives between my brother and myself, the ultimate goal is if I can have that element of fun added into other people's lives," he says. "That would be success for me.'

Pidginmoji has a variety of stickers with pidgin phrases, PHOTO COURTESY PIDGINMOJI

Pidginmoji currently is available for iOS starting at 99 cents. For more information, visit pidginmoji.com. coconnor@midweek.com

See the story on MidWeek

 

Pacific Business News: North Shore Brothers Launch Pidginmoji Sticker App for Apple's iMessage Platform

North Shore Brothers Launch Pidginmoji Sticker App for Apple's iMessage Platform
By Anna Hrushka

Those well-versed in Hawaiian pidgin will now have the opportunity to share the dialect emoji-style via Apple's iMessage platform.

Six new Pidginmoji apps, launched by brothers Ka'ohele Carlos and Kamalu Alameida, both North Shore natives, feature over 800 pidgin expressions using male and female emojis and voice bubbles.

Users can purchase three versions, male, female or voice bubble for 99 cents each. An animated version of each app is available for $1.99.

Carlos, who now lives in Los Angeles, told Pacific Business News he came up with the idea for the apps after conversations with his brother, who still lives on the North Shore.

"The impetus was to have a fun way to communicate with my brother,” he said, adding his brother was his main consultant for which phrases to include.

Carlos, who is the Senior Director of Design at CBS Interactive, said he thinks there will be future advertisement opportunities for local businesses.

"We could update the apps to include additional stickers featuring a local Hawai’i business,” he said. "I'm sure there are a lot of Hawai’i businesses that would love the opportunity to integrate."

Emoji stickers are becoming popular among major brands, with companies like Coca-Cola, Burger King and Ikea partnering with messaging platforms to create their own branded stickers.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) even launched its iMessage App Store last September when it rolled out its iOS 10 update. The dedicated app store allows iMessage users to purchase sticker packs.

See the story on Pacific Business News

 

PIDGINMOJI Launches New Monster Themed Apps to bring the Aloha Spirit to Halloween

PIDGINMOJI Launches New Monster Themed Apps to bring the Aloha Spirit to Halloween

LOS ANGELES, CA — The founder of PIDGINMOJI (www.PIDGINMOJI.com), Ka‘ohele Carlos, has expanded the company’s mobile app collection with 6 new monster themed apps just in time to ensure that everyone has an amazing and spooky Halloween with all of their ‘ohana (family).

“I wanted to do something to inject happiness and aloha into the world in the face of the pandemic.” explains Carlos. “Like so many working from home and sheltered in place, I have used my downtime to create these fun Hawaiian, Halloween themed emoji, or PIDGINMOJI.”

Carlos, is no stranger to innovative technology. He currently works at Amazon, has previously worked with CBS to create its CBS All-Access streaming service from the ground up, and was also part of the team that started Fandango. He founded PIDGINMOJI in 2017 with his brother Kamalu Alameida. “Our hope is that our users send these new pidgin emoji to their loved ones leading up to Halloween so the holiday is just as fun to connect even though most people will be celebrating safely in their own homes.”

The 6 new apps, currently available on iPhones and Android phones, enable users to send 4,200+ pidgin expressions using local male or female emoji and voice bubbles. Users can choose from PIDGINMOJI featuring Ghosts, Zombies, Mummies, Vampires, Werewolves or Monsters.

The new monster themed apps increase the ways that people can communicate in the mobile age using Hawai’i Creole English, the local dialect of the islands, more commonly known as Hawaiian pidgin.

Each new app features a favorite Halloween character saying a full range of pidgin phrases in 200+ free emoji plus an additional 300+ for an in-app purchase of only $0.99. In addition to the 6 keyboard apps, iPhone and iPad users can also get the Ghosts, Zombies, Mummies, Vampires, Werewolves and Monsters as iMessage stickers to put PIDGINMOJI over photos in text messages.

Pidgin is so commonplace that it was made an official dialect of Hawai‘i in 2015 by the U.S. Census Bureau. As a pioneer in the mobile space for ‘all things pidgin’, PIDGINMOJI is expanding into a lifestyle brand in 2020 with upcoming innovative digital and physical products for its users.

“This is the first year ever that I am not able to travel back to Hawai’i for Halloween and the holidays with my daughters, Leialoha and Kara. Sending the new PIDGINMOJI is a fun way for us to celebrate Halloween with our ohana back home” reveals Carlos who was born and raised on the North Shore of O‘ahu and currently lives in Los Angeles. “Now PIDGINMOJI can be used to connect people to their own ‘ohana, friends and neighbors so that they can safely enjoy Halloween with those they can’t be around due to social distancing.”

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About PIDGINMOJI

PIDGINMOJI brings the pidgin language that originated in Hawai‘i’s 19th century sugar plantation communities into the mobile age with local-style emojis. PIDGINMOJI apps help people correspond on their mobile devices using pidgin - the beloved dialect of Hawai‘i. For more information on how PIDGINMOJI can be used to keep in touch with friends and family, visit www.PIDGINMOJI.com.

PIDGINMOJI was started by Ka‘ohele Carlos in partnership with his brother, Kamalu Alameida, in 2017. Mr. Carlos, who graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, currently works at Amazon as a Senior Design Leader for the Prime Video streaming service. Before being recruited by Amazon, he was at CBS where he created the direct-to-consumer streaming subscription app, CBS All Access, and grew it to over $1 billion in annual revenue. Prior to his tenure with CBS, he was instrumental in launching the startup Fandango before it was acquired by Comcast, where he helped grow the service to 36 million monthly moviegoers. When Steve Jobs unveiled the very first iPhone to the world on stage, he demonstrated the Fandango experience that Mr. Carlos created. This wealth of experience in the technology space has come full circle and back to the islands with the PIDGINMOJI apps.

The PIDGINMOJI mobile apps and the PIDGINMOJI lifestyle brand are part of PIDGINMOJI LLC.

Media Contact:
Ka‘ohele Carlos
(310)940-7676
Contact@PIDGINMOJI.com

 

Press Release: The PIDGINMOJI Keyboard App Holiday

PIDGINMOJI Launches New Keyboard Apps on iOS and Android with 15 Sponsors and 500 Free Stickers (including PIDGINMOJI Holiday Stickers)

LOS ANGELES, CA — The PIDGINMOJI brand has expanded just in time for the holidays with fun pidgin stickers like “Shaka Kalikimaka”, “Joy to Da Kine” and “Get Chance by Da Mistletoe?” in the new PIDGINMOJI keyboard apps on iOS and Android.

Ka‘ohele Carlos, creator of PIDGINMOJI with his brother Kamalu Alameida, encourages everyone with a mobile phone in Hawai‘i to “give yourself da gift of PIDGINMOJI” this holiday season. Carlos goes on to explain, “The PIDGINMOJI keyboard apps contain 500 free stickers with your favorite pidgin phrases like ‘Cheeehuuu!’, ‘Howzit?’ and ‘Bus Laugh’. Plus, it only costs $0.99 to upgrade and access all 1,000 stickers!”

“When we initially made PIDGINMOJI as iMessage stickers, the primary request was to make the stickers for Android too” confessed Carlos. “Not only are our new apps available for Android devices, iPhones and iPads, the fact that they are keyboards means that you can send PIDGINMOJI stickers in Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, email, text messages, and more.”

The new apps provide local companies with a cutting edge opportunity for marketing in the mobile age with integrated sponsorship placement. The PIDGINMOJI keyboard apps launched today with 15 sponsors including Times Supermarkets, Menehune Mac, Hilo Hattie, Lion Coffee, Hibiscus Lady, Diamond Bakery, Maui Soap Company, Waimea Valley and Hawaiian Chip Company. Their products are paired with pidgin phrases that resonate with their local clientele and highlight the unique value of their products. Each sponsor’s customized PIDGINMOJI stickers include their company’s website address to help drive web traffic and increase sales as PIDGINMOJI users send the stickers to their friends.

PIDGINMOJI phrases for the Hawaiian Chip Company include “Hawaiian Chip Co. is da bes’!”, “Try pass da taro chips” and “Get any kine flavors”. “The majority of our customers grew up in Hawai‘i speaking pidgin like all my friends” expressed James Chan, raised in Hilo and owner of the Hawaiian Chip Company. “PIDGINMOJI allows us to connect with our local customers on a deeper level with fun pidgin stickers they can send from their phones.”

“PIDGINMOJI keyboard apps include lots of cool functionality such as a search feature so you can quickly find the perfect pidgin phrase for what you want to communicate” stressed Carlos. “As we continue to grow our mobile offerings, we are also growing the audience for our sponsors. We look forward to adding more local companies to the PIDGINMOJI ohana as we continue to provide our users new ways to engage with their brands using our unique keyboard apps.”

“You can find the PIDGINMOJI keyboard apps in the Apple and Google Play app stores or on Pidginmoji.com” explained Carlos. “Download our apps for free now to access the limited-time holiday PIDGINMOJI stickers so you can send Season’s Greetings to your friends, ohana, customers and loved ones in pidgin.”

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About Pidginmoji

PIDGINMOJI = local emoji designs + popular pidgin phrases. The pidgin language originated in 19th century sugar plantation communities in Hawai‘i and has evolved in the mobile age with local-style emojis. PIDGINMOJI apps help people correspond on their mobile devices using pidgin - the beloved dialect of Hawai‘i. For more information on how PIDGINMOJI can be used to keep in touch with friends and family, visit Pidginmoji.com.

The parent company of Pidginmoji is Bitmapps LLC.

For more information:
Ka‘ohele Carlos
(310)940-7676
Contact@Pidginmoji.com

 

Press Release: Pidginmoji Launches 6 Apps to Enhance Mobile Messaging with Pidgin

Pidginmoji Launches 6 Apps to Enhance Mobile Messaging with Pidgin

LOS ANGELES, CA — The creator of the Pidginmoji apps (www.Pidginmoji.com), Ka‘ohele Carlos, believes that he has created the perfect way for people who live in Hawai‘i and who are from Hawai‘i to communicate in the mobile age with the local dialect of the islands--Hawaiian pidgin. The 6 new apps, currently available on iPhones and iPads, enable users to send 800+ pidgin expressions using local male or female emoji and voice bubbles.

“I originally created Pidginmoji as a fun way to connect with my friends and family back home - especially my brother Kamalu” explains Carlos who was born and raised on the North Shore of O‘ahu and currently lives in Los Angeles. "The apps provide a unique, fun and animated mobile messaging experience with a local flavor. In addition, Pidginmoji apps are easy to use and a great way to liven your texts with fun pidgin phrases. Our hope is that all users are able to enrich their conversations with emoji that reflects the islands through the local language of pidgin.”

Pidginmoji is seamlessly integrated into iMessage so texting pidgin stickers is just a tap away. The apps with animated Pidginmoji stickers are available for $1.99 each and non-animated versions are available for $0.99. The apps come in 3 ‘flavors’: “Pidginmoji Wahine” (female emoji), “Pidginmoji” (male emoji) and “Pidginmoji Voice Bubbles”. You can either tap on a sticker to send it or you can drag the stickers on to photos in your texts.

Pidgin is so commonplace that it was made an official dialect of Hawai‘i in 2015 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Local people in and from Hawai‘i are expected to be the primary users of Pidginmoji, but visitors to Hawai‘i can also download the apps to keep a piece of the islands with them. As a pioneer in the mobile space for ‘all things pidgin’, Pidginmoji is planning additional innovative products that will expand its digital and physical presence for its users.

“I selected phrases in Pidginmoji with the help of the foremost pidgin linguist in my life, my brother Kamalu, who still lives in Hawai‘i” explains Carlos. “I rarely speak pidgin in Los Angeles but I instantly fall back into the language when I text my brother - who insists on speaking nothing but pidgin. It is a way to connect to my island roots and feel close to my brother despite the distance between us. I hope that Pidginmoji brings the same level of engagement and connectedness to all who use it.”

###

About Pidginmoji

Pidginmoji brings the pidgin language that originated in Hawai‘i’s 19th century sugar plantation communities into the mobile age with local-style emojis. Pidginmoji apps help people correspond on their mobile devices using pidgin - the beloved dialect of Hawai‘i. For more information on how Pidginmoji can be used to keep in touch with friends and family, visit www.Pidginmoji.com.

The parent company of Pidginmoji is Bitmapps LLC.

For more information:
Ka‘ohele Carlos
(310)940-7676
Contact@Pidginmoji.com

 

 

T'anks eh for your support!!!
Get all da PIDGINMOJI apps, go get em now, go: