Ranking Our Favourite Asian Food Mascots & Characters

If you’re a fan of Asian snacks and treats, you may have noticed the frequent use of mascots and characters on their packaging. Many Japanese, Korean and Chinese food brands lean heavily into mascot culture to provide a recognisable, relatable representation of their brand’s personality and values.

The basic idea is that these engaging designs stand out from other products and draw you in. Yet, beyond this, many of the more popular mascots have developed cult fans of their own – some have backstories, narratives and their own merchandise.

Whether you just consider them a fun way to identify your favourite snacks or you’re deep in the lore, no one is immune to the power of a good mascot.

Ranking Our Favourite Asian Food Mascots

Here’s our ranking – it's based on the levels of backstories, cuteness, and just who we love the most, so there isn't really a science behind it!

You can find more about each of them and their corresponding snacks below.

1. Samyang – Hochi

Perhaps one of the most recognisable Asian food characters is Hochi, the chicken used to promote Samyang’s various noodles and snacks. Hochi is known for being addicted to spicy foods (making a perfect advocate for Samyang products!) and can eat five packets of hot chicken stir-fried noodles at a time.

Samyang has further expanded on Hochi’s character, offering details that the iconic chicken is also known for having the worst fashion sense and being bad at housekeeping.

2. Oyatsu – Baby Star

Oyatsu are no strangers to the power of a mascot, with their character Bei-chan adorning their ramen products since the 80s. In more recent years, the Baby Star noodle snacks have welcomed a new mascot known as Hoshio-kun, an enthusiastic, cheeky character with distinctive green hair and starry hat. In Japan, there is even a theme park dedicated to Baby Star ramen, with Hoshio-kun making plenty of appearances!

3. Koala’s March

These Lotte biscuits are hollow bites paired with different flavoured fillings, including chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and banana. Each biscuit features a cute koala character printed onto the surface. The male version of the mascot is known as March, while the female version is called Waltz. They are both said to be relaxed and carefree, making for the ultimate smiling face to grace your confectionary.

This kawaii koala imagery is so popular that you can find a range of related merchandise, including keyrings, plushies and stationery.

4. Nong Shim – Potato Snacks

Sometimes, the simplest designs can be the most effective. For Nong Shim’s potato and sweet potato snacks, the brand uses a potato character with a simple smiling face. There’s something so appealing about the friendly spud that you just can’t help but reach for these snacks.

5. Hello Panda

Made by Meiji, these shortbread biscuits with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry fillings are a classic. Not only does the packaging display the brand’s Panda emblem, but similarly to Koala’s March, each biscuit is also printed with an image of the Panda doing different activities and sports. There doesn’t seem to be an official name or backstory for the Panda – aside from the fact that they’re very sporty! There’s a total of 32 image variations you may see on the Hello Panda biscuits, with the Panda participating in things ranging from basketball to figure skating to tennis.

6. Nong Shim – Neoguri

In Korean, the word ‘neoguri’ means racoon dog. It is also the name of a range of instant noodles made by Nong Shim, so it’s only natural that their mascot would be one of these fox-like characters! The cute character is often seen on the packaging of these spicy seafood noodles, pictured enjoying the ramen or with eyes streaming because of how hot it is.

7. White Rabbit

White Rabbit candy is a household name in China. The iconic sweets are creamy and milky, making for a deliciously unique treat. Initially, the wrappers and packaging displayed images of Disney’s Mickey Mouse, but as the sweets became a local hit, they were rebranded with the classic rabbit mascot. The white rabbit can be seen in various forms and styles across the range of confectionery.

8. Oishi Friends

Oishi, known for producing a range of snacks, especially crisps – has created a whole world of ‘Oishi friends’. These characters are depicted as cute cartoon versions of the products they represent. They don’t always appear on the products’ packaging but do have their own comics and can even provide you with a horoscope! Some products display other cartoon characters that aren’t part of the official ‘friends’ lineup, like those pictured below.

9. Calbee – Potato Boy

Calbee is a popular snack brand most known for its crisps and potato chips. The brand has a couple of characters, with the most prevalent one being this potato person wearing a sash and hat. With no specified name or backstory to draw from, some fans have unofficially dubbed him ‘Potato Boy’. This mascot tends to appear most often on classic or best-selling flavours.

10. Nissin – Demae Boya

Nissin is a popular Japanese brand particularly known for their Demae instant ramen. Across its Demae products, you’ll see a recognisable cartoon boy with a blue jacket and yellow hair. Demae Boya is meant to be an eight-year-old child who helps his parents deliver ramen. The mascot and his family appeared in various TV commercials to promote the noodles further.

11. Want Want

Want Want is primarily known for its range of senbei crackers and other convenient snacks. Their logo is a boy in overalls known as Hot-Kid (Wang Jai). There isn’t much backstory behind this character, although supposedly he is based on the CEO’s son.

12. Choco Boy

Orion Choco Boy chocolate biscuits are sweet treats that look like little mushrooms. The boy character on the packaging seemingly emulates the same look, with the chocolate mushroom cap also forming his haircut. On some products, Choco Boy also has a bird sidekick, and the different flavours show him in varying landscapes.

13. Tao Kae Noi

Tao Kae Noi is one of the most popular brands for seaweed snacks. Nutritious, flavourful and delicious, these products are enjoyed all over the world. The brand’s logo, a cheery guy dressed in traditional garb, is known simply as Little Boss (translated from Taokaenoi). He represents the story of the brand’s founder, Itthipat Peeradechapan, who found incredible success with the business at just 19 years old.

14. Yan Yan

Meiji’s Yan Yan biscuits come in a cup with two compartments – one for the long, thin biscuit sticks and the other for a flavoured frosting that you can dip the biscuits into. The character that promotes this fun snack is known as Yan Yan Boy, an anthropomorphic biscuit wearing a necktie and hat. In recent years, he has been updated with a more modern design to appeal to a younger, contemporary audience.

Who’s your favourite foodie mascot? There are so many more that we haven't mentioned here; these were just some of our top picks – plus, we love the products they put their face to! Check out all of the snacks we’ve mentioned right here at Oriental Mart.