Sanrio characters add sweetness to first-ever McDonald’s smoothie and frappe collaboration, complete with a Japanese idol commercial. 

As Japan’s hardest working feline, Hello Kitty’s work is never done, with a long list of companies vying to join forces with her for limited-edition releases that feature her kawaii charm.

Now, McDonald’s is enlisting Hello Kitty’s powers for a new collaboration that sees her appearing on a smoothie, which the chain describes as a first for McDonald’s. Another first is Pompompurin on a Frappe, with cute details that’ll have Sanrio fans racing out to their nearest branch on release day.

▼ The promo poster reads, “Wanna come drink something sweet at McDonald’s?“

The answer to that question is a very firm “yes”, not just because the new drinks look so darn cute but because they’re filled with tasty ingredients too. The Hello Kitty Juicy Ichigo Smoothie (“ichigo” means “strawberry”) boasts a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness, offering a juicy and satisfying experience reminiscent of strawberry gelato.

Packed with the sweet, tangy, fruity flavour of strawberries, this smoothie has a vibrant colour inspired by Hello Kitty’s trademark red ribbon.

The Pompompurin Creamy Pudding Frappe is filled with the sweet flavours of purin (pudding), in honour of the character’s namesake dessert.

Custard is the standout ingredient in this beverage, with the rich flavour of egg yolk and milk contrasting beautifully with the slightly bitter caramel sauce and smooth whipped cream topping.

▼ All the ingredients combine to create the taste of drinking real pudding…or Pompompurin, depending on where your mind goes.

▼ The new drinks, with their respective star ingredients behind them.

The smoothie will be on the menu for 450 yen (US$2.81) while the frappe will retail for 490 yen. If you purchase a meal set, you can add one of the drinks for an additional 200 yen.

To sweeten the deal, McDonald’s has enlisted another familiar face for the campaign: Japanese singer and former You’ll Melt More! idol group member Ano.

Ano appears in a new commercial for the two drinks, dressed in her “mizuiro” (“light blue”) member colour, which once spurred a fashion trend amongst her fans.

In the commercial, Ano sings a cute parody of Kishidan’s “One Night Carnival”, a famous song from the Heisei era (1989-2019).

▼ For reference, Kishidan’s 2001 hit, “One Night Carnival”.

The main lyric in Ano’s version for McDonald’s is “Ichigo to purin ga mune no oku pomu pomu to oto tateru, kawaii“, which means “Strawberries and pudding go ‘pom-pom’ deep in my chest – so cute“.

▼ ポムポム = Pom Pom

Ano adds some of Kishidan’s signature moves to the clip as a cute throwback to the original song, which is all about yankee (delinquent) youth culture.

Though Hello Kitty and Pompompurin aren’t known for being delinquents, they certainly don’t mind bending the rules when it comes to defying expectations, having teamed up with the likes of Japanese rock star Yoshiki, from legendary band X Japan, and even Evangelion.

▼ As for Ano, she has a reputation for being an unconventional idol who’s been known to dive into audiences and scream when she performs.

The only we’ll be screaming for is more when the new drinks are released around Japan for a limited time from 10 April.

Source, images: Press release
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