Is the popular anime series Demon Slayer replacing Frosted Flakes' mascot Tony the Tiger? Let's see what the anime world is bringing to your breakfast cereal.
The worlds of food and pop culture have always been a playground for collaboration, but 2024 has seen a particularly unique trend emerge: Japanese anime cartoons are invading the snack aisles. It's a phenomenon reminiscent of the Saturday morning cartoon partnerships of the 70s and 80s, but with a distinctly Zoomer twist.
Food x Anime
Gone are the days of sugary treats endorsed by Transformers and He-Man. Today, we have McDonald's hawking anime-inspired themed restaurants and KFC teaming up with the quirky thriller series "Spy x Family." Anime properties like Dragon Ball and Gudetama's recent initiatives with brick-and-mortar dining are also perfect examples of how this world of Japanese animated narratives has steeped into food marketing consciousness. This isn't just about slapping anime characters on existing products. There's now even a whole new trend of food-focused shows coming to America. Take series like Isekai Shokudou, and Delicious in Dungeon for example. The dining-inspired shows revolve around the intersection of food and fantasy. The trend shows us that the Japanese look at food as art and that the new generation of diners perceive cooking the way they look at fashion or tech. Food is now a cultural element as important to lifestyle expression as a new pair of kicks or an iPhone.
Demon Slayer x Frosted Flakes
As per Epicstream, the latest rumor doing the rounds is about a deliciously diabolical collab: Demon Slayer x Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. Demon Slayer, a dark fantasy action anime series with stunning visuals, is currently in its fourth season. The series is known for its intense battles and brilliant art direction. Food and anime fans alike were lit up with speculation after a fan-made meme surfaced online, depicting a feline-inspired character named Akaza replacing Tony the Tiger as the mascot for the popular brand. The meme's humor hinged on the character's dark blue stripes, which some fans likened to Tony's well-known markings. While the internet went wild, the truth is a little less exciting. There is no official Demon Slayer x Frosted Flakes collaboration. The rumor originated solely from the creative meme, and neither Kellogg's nor the anime's creators have made any announcements regarding such a partnership. That said, though, it wouldn't be unheard of that a partnership emerge from viral social content. Do you remember the one video that was done during Covid of that fella singing Stevie Nicks while chugging Ocean Spray and hitching to work? Ocean Spray went to town with that, awarding the guy a truck and gaining a ton of social media love from commenters.
For now, Demon Slayer fans will have to content themselves with other collaborations, like the recent team-up between the series and sushi spot Kura, but who knows - we may be hearing "Theeeeeey're Great!" in Japanese shortly.
You can catch Demon Slayer on Crunchyroll. Check out Foodworldnews on the reg to hear about all the fun collabs that brands are bringing us weekly.
