Are candy fans ready to meet Chewbie?
The food world has many characters. Whether it is Cuppie from Reese’s University or beloved cereal characters with their great catch phrases, those smiling faces resonate with people. A new character has joined those sweet ranks. Ready to met Chewbie?
Many people know and love HI-CHEW. Those fruity, juicy, chewy candies delight candy lovers. From their signature shape to the unique flavor combinations, people appreciate their long lasting flavor. More importantly, they appreciate that there is fun infused into every little bite.
Building on that idea that candy should be fun, HI-CHEW introduced Chewbie, its new mascot. The brand describes it as “an ambiguous mascot with a big personality.”
While the image shows a big, lovable character, it seems that the mascot’s personality will be the element that makes it unique. From speaking Chewlish to encouraging everyone to add a little "chew" to their day, this curious character looks to make life more joyful.
As Teruhiro Kawabe (Terry), Chief Representative for the USA & President, CEO of Morinaga America, Inc. said, "Chewbie embodies everything that HI-CHEW represents - joy, excitement, and chewiness. Chewbie's friendly energy and mischievous attitude are sure to bring even more fun to the HI-CHEW brand. We look forward to welcoming Chewbie as our official mascot and creating opportunities for fans to interact with a tangible vision of HI-CHEW."
Looking across the candy-sphere, brand mascots are important. Would those big game commercials be the same without Red and Yellow? Creating an image, idea, or feeling that is always associated with a candy brand is vital to its core concept. When consumers see a visual, think of a food, and get hungry enough to go buy it from a store, the food brand always wins.
Thinking about this particular character, it is a smart concept for HI-CHEW. First, the idea goes back to what makes this candy unique. It is a chewy candy. It is hard to capture texture without people actually tasting the food. This name gets the point across.
Second, the image is silly, fun, and engaging. Not only does it include signature candy elements, but it gets the point across that HI-CHEW is meant to be fun, joyful, and exciting. After all, this candy brand brought tropical flavors to the shelf long before everyone else did.
Lastly, the cute little character would be perfect in a sports setting. Could anyone else see Chewbie running the bases at a baseball game or throwing some candy to people in the stands?
The new mascot will make a big debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! week of October 14th. What antics will happen? Tune into the show to find out.