Chocobi
| Industry | Snack food |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 26, 1993 |
| Founder | Lotte Corporation |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Products | Biscuit snack (original and almond flavors), puffcorn snack |
| Parent | Lotte Corporation, Bandai, Tohato (collaborations) |
Chocobi (), a blend of the words "" (Chocolate) and "" (Biscuit), is a biscuit snack featured in the anime Crayon Shin-chan, drawing inspiration from Koala's March. Its packaging takes the form of a green hexagonal prism, adorned with the katakana "チョコビ" and the magenta crocodile mascot "Waniyama-san" ().
Origin
The snack Chocobi made its debut in the 1992 animated episode "Going to the Dentist" (), which was adapted from the original manga where Koala's March was originally shown. Due to trademark restrictions, the anime opted to replace Koala's March with the fictional Chocobi.
History
On May 26, 1993, Lotte Corporation introduced Chocobi in both original and almond flavors initially in Hokkaido and Tohoku, before expanding distribution throughout Japan by July. Created exclusively by Lotte in partnership with Crayon Shin-chan, it rapidly became Japan’s leading chocolate snack, outperforming competitors such as Meiji Seika’s "きのこの山" and "たけのこの里", with sales reaching 2 billion yen within its first six months. This initial product has since been discontinued.
Additional companies produced related items: launched star-shaped ramune candies inspired by those seen in the anime, while Bandai originally marketed stick-shaped biscuits.
In March 2006, Bandai collaborated with Tohato to release a second-generation Chocobi as a puffcorn snack, maintaining the original packaging design and shape. By early 2020, total shipments had surpassed 200 million units.
From 2014 to 2017, Morinaga Milk Industry partnered on limited-edition "ChocobiIce" mochi ice cream products connected to the film series.
Outside Japan, Chocobi is officially available in markets such as Hong Kong and Mainland China.