Anpanman rolls out to all CJ Olive Young stores with limited-edition collabs from 30-plus brands

Popular character Anpanman is teaming up with CJ Olive Young for the month of October, bringing limited-edition products from more than 30 brands to stores nationwide.

Choi-rak Contents Company said Thursday that the Anpanman collaboration event will run across all CJ Olive Young stores starting Thursday. More than 30 brands are taking part, offering limited-edition packaging featuring the character across a range of categories — from basic skincare to snacks and refrigerated fresh foods. Special gift sets bundled with character merchandise will also be available for select products.

Stores will be fitted with Anpanman-themed display stands and large-format posters. Separate food-focused pop-ups will operate at CJ Olive Young N Seongsu, Myeong-dong Town and Busan Nampo Town, where visitors can sample the collaboration food products at tasting events.

Choi-rak Contents Company has handled domestic TV animation and merchandise licensing for Anpanman since December last year. In addition to Anpanman, other characters from the franchise — including Baikinman and Shokupanman — are also covered under the licensing arrangement.

CJ Olive Young has been steadily expanding large-scale character IP collaborations. A tie-up with Pokémon in May drew 61 participating brands and featured more than 230 products. A Sanrio Characters collaboration in August grew further, with 81 brands and 321 products, and the scope widened beyond beauty to include wellness and lifestyle items.

"Even at this early stage of our domestic business, we are carrying out Anpanman collaborations with major franchise operators," a Choi-rak Contents Company official said. "We are broadening our customer base beyond parents and children to include the MZ generation, and we are preparing additional large-scale collaborations."