Pikachu is getting its own latte at Starbucks Japan, landing on September 30.
The drink, officially called the Pikachu Honey Cream Latte, was the result of a nationwide Starbucks barista competition that gathered more than 700 recipes. Junko Nitta of the Starbucks Coffee Koriyama Asaka store created the winning entry.
Honey and caramel notes flavor the espresso, and it’s tinted in a very familiar and unmistakable electric yellow. A swirl of honey whipped cream sits on top, dusted with red heart sprinkles standing in for Pikachu’s cheeks.
Only one size is on offer, a Tall, at around 690 yen, or about $4.34, but it won’t hang around for long. Some reports put the window at just nine days, closing October 8.
What else is brewing
The drink is available exclusively in stores, but it isn’t arriving alone. Starbucks Japan is also launching an accompanying Pokémon merchandise line featuring forty-one products. Tumblers and mugs lead the collection, with aprons and tote bags filling out the rest, plus a set of new gift cards. Some pieces are online exclusives; others will only show up in stores.
Pokémon merch has become a scalper magnet lately, so Starbucks has reportedly set caps on how much each customer can buy for the first couple of days.
Tokyo-based artist Hikaru Ichijo, whose bold, retro-pop style has previously appeared in campaigns for Nike and Netflix, drew 12 new illustrations for the line, displaying Pokémon characters hanging out with their baristas and settling into small, cozy moments.
Pikachu and Eevee make up a majority of the appearances, with the original Gen 1 starters close behind, hardly surprising, given the long-running love for these franchise staples. Each design ties into a short “story,” and a few include lines printed directly on the artwork, such as “Our adventure starts with a cup of coffee” and “Crafting wonders with you.”
This is one more stop on Pokémon’s 30th anniversary celebration this year, which has already swung through tie-ins with Adidas and Krispy Kreme. Nothing so far says the collection is leaving Japan, however. North American Starbucks locations, meanwhile, are getting a Peanuts collection instead.
Sources: Starbucks Japan, SoraNews24, IGN