Cheap gimmick or awesome ramen accessory?

It’s not every day you pick up a Nissin Cup Noodle only to be told it’s not a Cup Noodle. However, that’s what people around the nation are currently doing, with the release of this new product from the brand’s fun-loving creators.

Despite having the same look and near-identical measurements as a Cup Noodle, this new product doesn’t contain noodles. Instead, it comes with a USB cable, which cooks up a whole lot of steam.

Why steam? Well, because it’s actually a humidifier, which comes free with the just-released Cup Noodle 50th Anniversary Cup Noodle Humidifier Book, priced at 2,189 yen (US$19.31).

We were lucky to pick one up before they all sold out, and when we lifted the Cup Noodle Humidifier out of its box, we were super impressed with all the clever design details.

The nutritional details and ingredients were printed just as they are on regular Cup Noodles, and on the lid, where it looks like there are diagrams for preparing the noodles, it actually says:

▼ “This is a humidifier“, “Don’t put boiling water Inside” and “Not edible“.

Other cute diagrams on the pack come with messages that read: “The humidifier looks like this“, “Take a photo and it might get you a lot of likes on social media” and “Careful not to knock it over“.

Now that we were across all the details and warnings that come with the Cup-Noodle-that-isn’t-really-a-Cup-Noodle-but-a-humidifier-instead, it was time to get it up and working.

▼ First, we removed the lid and resisted the urge to fill it with boiling water, filling it up to the line with cold water instead.

▼ Then, we plugged the USB cable into the back of the product…

▼ …and pressed the button on the lid to switch it on.

▼ Once it’s on, a red lamp glows on the top…

▼ …and plumes of steam start emanating from beneath the “lid” of the machine.

▼ Check out our Cup Noodle!

It looked just like a hot Cup Noodle, but unlike the real thing, the steam that comes out of the cup is cool to the touch. It really played tricks on the mind, making us think we were about to eat some instant noodles, and we even went to sniff the steam at one stage but alas, it smelt of nothing.

▼ It sure looked gorgeous, though!

As for how it fares as a humidifier, well, it’s pretty efficient, as the water only reduced by about a third after it had been on continuously for six hours, and while the humidity in the room didn’t seem to change dramatically during the day, we’re sure it would help to alleviate dryness overnight when used on the bedside table, as winter nights in Japan can be notoriously dry.

We bought the regular Cup Noodle humidifier, but there’s also a Seafood version available, so you can enjoy sweet dreams of seafood if you so desire. Either way, you’ll want to resist the urge to fill the product with these Cup Noodle sodas, and whatever you do, don’t mistake the real thing for the humidifier, because that’ll lead to all sorts of problems!

Photos ©SoraNews24
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