>>50160938Moon Sung-won, a 29-year-old teacher from Chungju, has eaten about 30 of the Pokémon items so far, sampling each of the flavors. They taste OK for the low price but aren’t phenomenal, he said. “Team Rocket Choco Roll” and “Gastly Choco Bread,” plus the “Jigglypuff Fluffy Strawberry Bread,” could use more cream, he said. The “Squirtle Sweet Crunchy Bread” is shaped like a turtle’s shell—and might taste like one, too. “It’s too hard, stale,” said Mr. Moon, who has at one point waited up to two hours to get the items.
Ms. Ko said she gave away most of the 200 pastries she bought, just keeping the stickers. “After eating dozens, it became hard to even look at the packaging,” Ms. Ko said.
Kuk Il-hoon, a 32-year-old tech worker in Seoul, has chronicled his quest for Pokémon bread on Instagram. One recent weekend he visited 30 convenience stores and logged 13,000 steps. He struck out each time. Then, after looking up tips online, he shifted tactics to go to the larger supermarkets with more plentiful supply, where he finally found success.
Mr. Kuk is determined to build the collection naturally, swearing off purchasing any stickers through online secondary markets.
“Doing so would feel like cheating,” Mr. Kuk said. “I don’t want to taint my childhood memories.”
Write to Jiyoung Sohn at
[email protected]Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Appeared in the April 11, 2022, print edition.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/pokemon-stickers-are-back-for-koreans-nostalgic-for-childhood-11649599955?mod=hp_featst_pos5 