Flipnote Studio

Flipnote Studio, known in Japan as Moving Notepad (うごくメモ帳, Ugoku Memochō), is a free downloadable 2D digital animation and media player application developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DSi's DSiWare digital distribution service. Flipnote Studio allows users to create both word-based and picture-based notes with the stylus, add sound, and combine them to create frame-by-frame flipbook-style animations. In English-language keynote addresses and conferences prior to its release, the application was referred to as Moving Notepad by Nintendo, and was announced at E3 2009 officially as Flipnote Studio. It was released in Japan on December 24, 2008, in North America on August 11, 2009, and in Europe and Australia on August 14. It was later included as a preloaded program on the Nintendo DSi and DSi XL with firmware version 1.4. An online service, titled Flipnote Hatena (うごメモはてな, Ugomemo Hatena), developed by Nintendo associate Hatena, acted as a social media platform where animations could be shared and viewed by other users. The service officially retired on May 31, 2013. However, users were still able to view Flipnotes from their Flipnote Hatena account via the Flipnote Gallery World service provided with Flipnote Studio 3D, until it was shut down on April 2, 2018. After the closure of the Nintendo DSi Shop on March 31, 2017, the original Flipnote Studio is no longer available for download. It also cannot be transferred onto the Nintendo 3DS or downloaded from the Nintendo eShop due to its redundancy after the release of its successor Flipnote Studio 3D.