The main reason I’d never been into a Pop Mart store before is that it’s not uncommon for their to be a lineup to get it, sometimes the line can be really, really long. Most of their stores also often have a lot of security and bag checks just to go in. However, on a recent trip to Bangkok I came across a Pop Mart store with no line, and I happened to have no bag with me at the time (so I didn’t have to check it or have it searched).
I decided, for the sake of this blog, to check out all of the candy/snack themed treats that I could find and report back.
Since Labubu is what’s hot, I’ll start there. There are dozens of different monster/Labubu toys themed with snacks and food. In fact I would almost say that more than half of the Labubu toy lines have at least one or two characters that have some kind of food tie in, and several that are completely food themed.
Most of the food themed Labubus are pretty general and based on popular Asian foods, however I did come across a series of Coca-Cola themed Labubus, so you know they’re not shy about having official tie ins. Makes me wonder what other food company would pair well with Labubu. I’m thinking and Oreo cookie or Pocky themed Labubu would be kind of cool.
I also came across a series of toys they have called Pino Jelly that seemed to have a sort of gummy theme to them. Some of them seemed more candy branded than others.
I also came across these Mickey Mouse themed toys, many of which had fun candy/snack themes. The vending machine themed Mickey was probably my favourite.
Probably my favourite non-Labubu collection of toys was called “Molly Carb-Lover”. It’s a series of cute little dolls that all have some kind of bread/baked good theme. It’s a really peculiar set and even a weirder name, but I think that’s why I liked it.
The final thing I came across was this dog/hamburger themed toy called Hacipup. It seems like it might serve another function, but I really couldn’t figure it out since I don’t know what a “rolling time machine” does.
Candy and snacks as a theme in toys is common, when it comes to collectible toys like the ones from Pop Mart it seems like having a food tie in is essential. I didn’t buy anything on this trip as I was frankly overwhelmed with choices. Maybe one day I’ll get some kind of key chain/bag charm from Pop Mart, but for now I think I’ll just brows.
One thing that makes me curious is if Pop Mart will ever go the other direction and start making treats. I feel like their visual style would work great for making fun and very pretty looking candy, and in particular gummies. For now though it appears that nothing at Pop Mart is actually edible, it’s just that half the toys look like they should be.
