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The NPC Stream trend is the latest in the long line of TikTok trends gaining momentum recently. This trend sees TikTok content creators pretending to be literal Non-Playable Characters and engaging in a bunch of looped robotic catchphrases and repetitive motions.
The NPC trend has turned into a great opportunity to make money for content creators as viewers donate a small amount of money to see the creators react to their "gifts" as an NPC. A lot of popular creators are taking part in this fad, but the most prominent seems to be Pinkydoll, who has risen into TikTok superstardom due to her unique NPC Streaming videos.
Exploring the rise of the NPC streaming trend
The NPC streaming trend burst into the scene back in 2022, when a collaboration between Japanese TikTok stars, @Natuecoco and @Satoyu0704 went viral. The two engaged in a challenge to see who could get the most gifts by pretending to be NPCs.
This viral streaming trend takes place during a TikTok live. The streamer faces the camera and just vibes to some music as viewers purchase gifts. The streamer then reacts to these purchases as a total NPC. These gifts usually take the form of stickers and Filters that can be purchased through TikTok coins.
A TikTok coin costs around $0.01 and can be bought in packs of 100, 500, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000. The cheapest pack costs around $1.29, and the costliest pack sets you back $134.9. Users must be 18 years or older to go live on TikTok, and the same criteria are also followed for sending gifts to live streamers.
The cheapest gifts are "Gang Gang" and "Ice cream," which only cost 1 coin, while the most expensive is a "TikTok Universe," which costs 34,999 coins. The cheap nature of the stickers is what leads to the repetitive comments of "Ice cream so good" and "Gang Gang" by the streamer.
Who is Pinkydoll? NPC Streams of TikTok content creator has gone viral online
A lot of popular creators are engaging in this trend, which has also resulted in the creation of new TikTok superstars. However, the breakout star from this trend is Pinkydoll. Her videos broke out of the TikTok niche and into mainstream social medis. As of now, even Twitter feeds are populated with her videos. Her antics also gave rise to many Youtube videos exploring this trend.
Her Stream is similar to most creators, albeit they are generally regarded as more uncannily realistic. Along with repeating NPC gift terms, she also makes popcorn using her hair straightener while engaging in the streams.
The Montreal TikTok star has a fast-growing TikTok following of over 460,000 and an Instagram following of 28,300. Her recent videos all averaged a viewership of over 1 million. She also has an official Twitter account, @pinkydollreal, that boasts over 41,000 followers.
Producer and singer Timbaland became the number one viewer in one of her recent lives, which she acknowledged in a video. Rapper Cardi B also recently reposted Pinkydoll's video on Twitter.
“I kinda love to go live and reacting to gifts": Pinkydoll talks about her content creation journey in recent interview
In an interview with Vice, PinkyDoll revealed that she started streaming due to a personal tragedy. She ran a Montreal cleaning company but lost it when she came back from a trip to attend her stepfather's funeral. She told the outlet:
“I needed money to feed my kid and pay the bills. I had no job.”
Therefore, she put all her resources into TikTok, in the hopes of making money. The creator also revealed that she spent six hours a day on the platform but was not at all exhausted.
“I kinda love to go live and reacting to gifts. There are so many and the views going up is boosting me.”
Apart from all the support and traction she has been gaining recently, Pinkydoll's content enraged some viewers who saw it as disturbing, inappropriate, and plain weird.
Regarding the haters, the TikTok star said:
“I think they are just jealous of my blessings, my attention, my money because in my DM I got famous rappers, hockey players, NBA players that keep writing me to keep pushing, encouraging me to go to the next level and congrats me.”
She stated that she felt like a "brand-new style" and that she was amazed at how many people love her and are trying to imitate her.
