Barbie x Krispy Kreme Collaboration

Barbie x Krispy Kreme

This is the Barbie x Krispy Kreme collaboration going on right now. I guess skinny little Barbie can’t condone eating regular sized doughnuts, so they’re selling a box of 20 special mini doughnuts for a limited time. They’re also selling merchandise:

That thing in the middle left is a doughnut carrier that is microwave-safe! Pretty cool.

I thought it might to interesting to look at American fast food companies’ menus and what they altered or added for the land of the rising sun. So here’s the first of the series, doughnut masters in Japan, Krispy Kreme and Mister Donut.

The first Krispy Kreme shop in Japan

The first one opened in 2006 in Shibuya, and of course due to all the hype, there were always long lines. It’s settled down quite a bit now, especially because they opened 20+ more all around the country. Here are their doughnuts you can only get in Japan right now:

Lemon Cheesecake: The US Krispy Kreme has the NY Cheesecake, but according to the website, the lemon scent is what makes a cheesecake amazing in Japan.

Milky Strawberry: Dark chocolate and strawberry. Sounds pretty good!

Pure Banana: They added “pure” to the name because the filling tastes as though you’re eating an actual banana. I didn’t know Japan had a thing for bananas, but apparently it’s been a hit since 2010.

Soy Milk Cake: Japan loves their soy.

Cookie Vanilla: Always included in the Top 5 Best Seller. Similar to the Cookies and Kreme doughnut.

Caramel Walnuts: This is a seasonal item and apparently people can’t get enough of the crunch from the walnuts and the caramel.

Now for Mister Donut. Those of us in the States don’t see many of them anymore (mainly because Dunkin’ Donuts’ parent company acquired it and most of the Mister Donuts changed their name). But in Japan, Mister Donut is HUGE! There are apparently more than 1,300 stores over there. The US website is quite depressing and not updated + Japan’s Mister Donuts has a huge line-up, so I’m going to show the most interesting ones.

These Yakido just came out on May 25th. Rather than fried, it’s baked! All of the crust is similar to madeleines, and some are made with vegetables. Here are the flavors: caramel apple, milk-lazed, sweet potato & spinach, pumpkin, chocolate chip gobo (burdock, root), double berry, orange peel, and cinnamon chocolate. There’s also a chilled version of the Yakido called Hinnyarido that have a texture similar to mochi. Here’s the menu for the Mosdo – Mos Burger x Mister Donuts collaboration place. (Mos Burger is a famous fast food joint in Japan. You’ll hear about them soon…maybe tomorrow 🙂

Pon de Okonomi-yaki, White Caramel, Chocolate Banana,

Wamomido – Kurogoma, Strawberry Chocolate Sprinkle, Juicy Melon,

Wamomido – Kinako, Caramel Apple Jelly, Coffee Custard,

Baby Chocolate Doughnut Holes, Hazelnut Chocolate Jelly, Corne (Kifli) Custard

That first item is an extension of the popular Pon de Ring series. MisDo (that’s what it’s shortened to in Japan) says the shape is influenced by Brazilian cheese bread called pão de queijo. It’s got a chewy texture similar to mochi (yes, we love our mochi). I could go on and on about MisDo’s products and I’m sure most of you stopped reading halfway, so I guess the others will have to wait for a part two!