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Champion figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu gets … his own line of Xylitol chewing gum!

Mar 7, 2018

If you’ve ever wondered what flavor gum the two-time Olympic gold medalist favors, you now have the answer! 

After winning back-to-back olympic gold medals in men’s figure skating, Yuzuru Hanyu is easily one of the most recognizable faces in Japan, and with a huge devoted following, it’s not surprising that he’s the subject of heavy merchandising. The latest such merchandise comes from snack manufacturer Lotte — in the form of chewing gum!

That’s right, Lotte has just this week released the “Xylitol Hanyu Select Bottle” line of gum for those of us who can’t get enough of “Yuzu”, as the champion skater is affectionately called in Japan.

What makes this product interesting is that Lotte created it based on an interview with Hanyu in which they asked him what flavor of gum he would like to chew. And we now know that Hanyu likes grape, cassis and blueberry gum, which are the flavors included in the Hanyu Select bottle gum.

The packaging of the gum comes in four different designs, each featuring a different picture of Hanyu and all of them with a purple color theme to match the berry-flavored gum.

▼ One of them shows Hanyu flashing a relaxed smile …

▼ … while another shows him in elegant motion.

▼ Here, it looks like he’s happy after a performance.

▼ And there’s also one showing him with a somewhat serious expression.

Lotte also released the content of their interview with Hanyu in their press release for the gum as follows:

Q. Do you chew gum often?
A: Yes, I do. Especially when I’m studying.

Q. What flavor of gum do you like?
A: I guess I like cassis. And grape and also blueberry. I like berry flavors.

Q. Do you ever design things yourself?
A: Not really. But I do like to think about and imagine different visual images. I have strong preferences when it comes to colors — what colors are used and how they’re placed. That probably comes through in my figure skating, for example in the thought I put into my costume.

The Xylitol Hanyu Select Bottle gum is now available across Japan for an expected retail price of approximately 760 yen (US$7.16). Considering Hanyu’s popularity and sports royalty status, we wouldn’t be surprised if the item disappears from shelves very quickly, especially with fans wanting to pick up all four package designs, so if you’re in Japan and see the gum, you may want to grab one before they’re gone!

Source, images: PR Times


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