Roughly week after YG Entertainment's light stick scandal with rookie group WINNER, girl group A Pink unveiled a design that steps into SM Entertainment territory. More specifically, A CUBE Entertainment, home to A Pink, allowed the production of a cheer stick that is the same design as that of K-Pop queens Girls' Generation. While the latter just announced a 4-year anniversary performance in Tokyo, Japan, A Pink just closed their Japan debut. Their first Japanese album is scheduled for release this fall. 

Although entertainment companies are bound to experience a shortage of colors to choose from, what with the amount of idol groups debuting each year, A CUBE Entertainment possibly crossed an ethical boundary within the fandoms. Most fans await the announcement of their official fandom name and colors with anticipation. Revealing the official light stick design is an exciting experience for idol groups and fans alike. It is a physical representation of support and unity. Impeding upon this, in any way, is a battle cry for a fandom showdown!

SOSHI worldwide members have run to discussion boards to express their frustration with the designs, going as far as to call the junior group copycats. One netizen shared, "If you took out the text, I'd be confused as to which stick belonged to who.  I get that there aren't many colors left to use lately but you can't be this blatant with it."

There are many unwritten rules about idol group fandoms--one of which is the "right" to a fandom color. Ignoring this can easily cross one fandom into another's territory. In fact, this is not the first time A Pink has tangled with Girls' Generation fans since their debut in 2011. The biggest scandal is that Pink Panda, the name of A Pink's fandom, used pictures from a previous Girls' Generation performance and claimed the fans to be theirs. This scandal simply adds to the tension between some of the fans of these two groups.

Do you believe the cheer sticks are too similar in design?