[K-pop Lineage] From pirate flag to hourglass: the LIGHTINY evolution, ATEEZ LIGHTINY ver.3
- , by SOOJIB growth
- 17 min reading time
From the pirate flag to the hourglass, here's how ATEEZ's LIGHTINY evolved across three eras.
ATEEZ unveil LIGHTINY ver.3, in their own words. (Source: KQ Entertainment)
If you've been an ATINY since TREASURE EP.1, you've held three different lightsticks in your hands. Each one captured exactly where ATEEZ were at the time, and ver.3 is no exception. The pirate fantasy that defined ATEEZ for years is being quietly retired, and the hourglass, the symbol that's been creeping into every era since GOLDEN HOUR, is now front and centre.
Let's walk through how we got here.
01The TREASURE temp stick (2018–2019)
ATEEZ during the TREASURE EP era. The pirate concept that defined years one through four.
Pre-LIGHTINY · Debut era
Before ATINY had a name
When ATEEZ debuted in October 2018, ATINY didn't exist yet as an official fandom and neither did LIGHTINY. The earliest concerts and showcases used a temporary penlight tied to the TREASURE EP series, themed around the group's pirate concept. It was simple, it was placeholder, and it carried the fandom through the first year of the discography.
Most ATINY who started later have never seen one in person. It's become a quiet collector's piece.
02LIGHTINY ver.1 (2020): the pirate flag era
LIGHTINY ver.1, unveiled February 2020. Star-headed top, ATEEZ logo embedded into the body.
Released 2020 · The Fellowship: Map The Treasure
A name born from a fan vote
ATEEZ's first official lightstick was unveiled at the 2020 Map The Treasure Seoul shows, with the name LIGHTINY chosen through a fan-led vote in early February. The word fuses LIGHT and DESTINY, framing the lightstick as the connection between ATEEZ and ATINY, a destiny in light.
The design leaned hard into the group's pirate identity. A bold star-headed top, the ATEEZ logo embedded into the body, and a chunky form factor that felt deliberately physical. It was made to look like a relic, not a gadget.
FANDOM NOTE · This is the version you still see in the WAVE and Fireworks-era concert footage. Iconic.
03LIGHTINY ver.2 (2022): when ATEEZ went global
ver.2 in action during The Fellowship: Break The Wall tour. The first lightstick with a motion sensor.
ATEEZ unveil LIGHTINY ver.2 back in 2022. (Source: KQ Entertainment)
Pre-order opened 30 Sept 2022 · BREAK THE WALL tour
The first lightstick with a motion sensor
By late 2022 ATEEZ were a different group. World tours, stadium-tier shows, a global fandom that needed a lightstick to match. ver.2 dropped on 30 September 2022 alongside the BREAK THE WALL tour, and it brought a serious tech upgrade: stronger luminance, a customisable head that opens up so ATINY could decorate the inside, and crucially, a motion sensor, the first time any K-pop lightstick used one. Wave it faster, the colour and pattern speed change with you.
It also launched with a dedicated app, ATEEZ LIGHTINY, for sync, customisation, and concert programming.
FANDOM NOTE · This is the LIGHTINY currently filling KSPO Dome and Wembley footage. The benchmark.
"Then ATEEZ stopped being pirates. They became time itself."
04LIGHTINY ver.3 (2026): the hourglass era
LIGHTINY ver.3. A clear domed head with the hourglass suspended inside.
Pre-order open now · Release 15 July 2026
A complete visual reset, plus a brand new feature
ver.3 is the biggest design jump in the LIGHTINY line. The chunky pirate-flag silhouette is gone. In its place: a sleeker, taller form, a clear domed head with the hourglass suspended inside, and a modern silver-toned finish. It's clean, futuristic, and unmistakably tied to the GOLDEN HOUR era and everything ATEEZ have built since.
The pirate fantasy that defined ver.1 and ver.2 has been replaced with something more abstract. Time. Cycles. The hourglass that's been hiding in ATEEZ's logos, MV motifs, and stage design since 2024 is now the lightstick itself, literally rotating inside the head.
Carried over from ver.2
The features ATINY actually use day-to-day are still here. The head still opens and closes for customisation, so you can slot in photocards or deco inside the dome. The motion sensor is back: wave faster, the colour and pattern speed change with you. And it still connects to the ATEEZ LIGHTINY app via Bluetooth for sync, programming, and concert mode.
What's new: the Address LED
This is the headline upgrade and the first time any K-pop lightstick has done it properly. ver.3 has an Address LED built into the head: a dot-matrix display that can show text, names, or messages right on the lightstick itself. ATINY can write through the app and have it light up in the body of the stick during shows. It's a small detail with huge implications for fan-led concert moments, banner culture, and birthday support events.
Modes
Five lighting modes in normal use: stay, flash, flash slow, aurora, and spinner, each tied to a different concert vibe. Application mode unlocks app-driven custom programming on top.
VER.3 SPEC SHEET
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Release
15 July 2026
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Size
120 × 100 × 250 mm
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Battery
AAA × 3 (not included)
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Run time
approx. 4 hours
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Materials
ABS, PC, glass, nylon, paper
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In the box
Lightstick, strap, manual, deco stickers, 8 photocards
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Key features
Address LED · motion sensor · Bluetooth app sync · openable head
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05Why ver.3 lands different
ATINY at an ATEEZ show. A lightstick is a fandom in a hand.
Lightstick redesigns are rare in K-pop. Most groups stick with the same silhouette forever, refreshing only the internals. The fact that ATEEZ are doing a full visual reset and introducing a totally new feature category, the Address LED, says something about where the group sees themselves now.
ver.1 was a debut statement. ver.2 was a global tour weapon. ver.3 is a brand re-anchoring around the symbol that's been quietly running through every era since GOLDEN HOUR, and it's also one of the most technically ambitious lightsticks any K-pop agency has ever shipped. Colour-coded ver.1 and ver.2 are about to become serious collector pieces, especially the original star-head version with no battery wear.
SOOJIB PRE-ORDER · OPEN NOWSecure your LIGHTINY ver.3 →Pre-order benefits, shipping window, and POB details on the product page.
SHOP THE LIGHTINY DROP
All three at SOOJIB
06SOOJIB collector's pick
If you've been ATINY since the TREASURE era, ver.3 isn't a replacement. It's a chapter break. ver.2 still works for any concert and the motion sensor isn't going anywhere. But ver.3 has the Address LED, which changes how fan projects, name displays, and birthday events can work in real time, and it's the version that will define the next two to three years of ATEEZ visuals. Once it sells out, the pre-order POB is gone.
The collector move: keep ver.2 as your back-up concert stick, secure ver.3 for the new era and the new feature, and if you can find ver.1 in clean condition, hold onto it. The pirate-flag silhouette is officially history.
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