Apart from the standard Japanese confectionery and snack releases here in Japan, you will also find many product packages that don famous animated characters from all over the world. In most cases the edible product will take on either the shape of the character, have a texture/flavor associated with the animation or manga, or a pun will be created with the product name through the collaboration. One of the most popular products linked to a character is the "Hotaru No Haka" candy tin (far left in above photo) which is a reproduction of the tin shown in the movie with the same name.
Felix the Cat gum is available in both strawberry and grape. The flavor is nothing out of the ordinary but these have unique mini wrappers with mazes and puzzles. The Puccho soft candy chews taste similar to Hi Chew but these limited edition packs shown here have Marvel character erasers and Disney Smartphone cleaner wipes attached. There are 10 different types to collect. Every year a new series is issued so if you have interest in such things be sure to check back at napaJapan.
You will also find snacks adorning world famous characters such as Thomas & Friends. The chocolate cookie sticks are similar to Pocky however they are made by Kabaya. In this instance the boxes are what set it apart as you can collect different train pictures on the back panel of the package. Hello Kitty strawberry cookie sticks are another customer favorite. Japan's lovable Anpanman character is available in chocolate form with each piece die cut and scored with various cast members from the animated show!
This is by no means a complete list but just a small sample of collaboration candy that is available during any given year. On your next order you may want to sprinkle in a couple of these products to check them out for yourself. Perhaps they would make a unique gift for the anime or manga fan in your life. napaJapan always lists the newest and hottest confectionery products every week. You can be sure that these character goods will be released quite often so it is important to bookmark us and visit often.
The blogs will keep coming but the schedule may be a bit inconsistent depending on the season. Please leave a comment below if you have any ideas or topics you would like to get my take on, related to the Japanese candy scene. We take product listing requests too!