Hello Kitty's Food Items, Ranked

What do Leonardo DiCaprio, Lil' Kim, Chloë Sevigny, and Hello Kitty all have in common? Along with their impeccable sense of fashion, all four celebrities, including Sanrio's forever "it girl," turned 50 in 2024. Unlike her human counterparts, however, Ms. Kitty's quinquagenarian status has been celebrated via collaborations with prominent brands across the board. Baggu, Adidas,  Pottery Barn, Converse, and McDonald's helped Hello Kitty blow out her birthday candles with co-branded goods.

I've been a proud member of Team Keroppi since childhood, and though the cat's fame long-eclipsed my modest frog, her sustained presence in the public eye helps the entire Sanrio family stay afloat. Now in the year of Hello Kitty's big 5-0, the feline's branded merchandise brims from Asian supermarket shelves and calls out from targeted internet ads. So, I stepped out on my sweet amphibian to taste every Hello Kitty-branded food item I could find. From instant noodles to Ramune sodas, my tastebuds sampled everything adorned by the white cat, her iconic red hair bow, and a placid expression that puts the Mona Lisa to shame. 

Nothing could've prepared me for the confection lurking inside the cheery pink-colored satchel of Hello Kitty Milk Soft Candy. I tend to shy away from most milk or cream-themed candy or beverages — milk tea, White Rabbits, yogurt candy, and so on — but I steeled myself for Hello Kitty's version of the snack.

Once the resealable bag opened, I knew I was a goner. The candy's artificial scent filled the room like a three-wick candle from Bath & Body Works. About the size of a quarter but as thick as a Hi-Chew, the treat attempts to loosely but unconvincingly take on the shape of Hello Kitty's head. The ears are undefined, no facial features are molded into the candy, and, upside-down, the creamy morsel could be mistaken for an off-white skull. Biting into it, I thought of a fondant-covered Hostess dessert, but not in a good way. Generically sweet but without any flavor, the candy breaks down like wax. I didn't finish eating the piece I tried.

Japanese jelly candies, or yokan, never were my thing even during my most candy-driven phase (i.e. childhood). That said, I can't think of another food item more fitting for the remarkable cat cartoon. 

Often sold in packages containing ramekins resembling Jell-O shots intended for their consumers to suck out the quasi-liquid from its small cup, Hello Kitty's variation is housed in a small pouch. The cartoon apples along the top and bottom of the satchel tell no lies: There are only apple-flavored jellies in this package, as opposed to the multi-flavored packs I spy more often. 

If you're looking for a snack that you can dig into without drawing attention to yourself, this might not be your best bet. The packaging itself created a lot of noise when opened, and the apple scent was pretty strong. On top of all of that, the taste of the candy was flimsy, one-noted, and missing any zing.

As many Japanese candy aisles as I have visited, you would think I'd be able to find a Hello Kitty candy meant for me. Sure, I like the cookies, mochi, and sodas, but the candy options have left me wanting. Hello Kitty's Strawberry Chewy Candy looks like a gumdrop made of icing. It tasted like a gumdrop made of icing, too. When I took a bite, I could feel the sugar crystals between my teeth; this treat seems like something a dentist would recommend you stay far away from.

A candy only for serious sugar lovers, the milky, strawberry morsels were way too saccharine for my palate. They made me yearn for a gummy candy, chewing gum, or even candy crystal featuring the legendary cat. Sharing aisles with brands like Japan's own Hi-Chew and Haribo gummies, Hello Kitty Strawberry Chewy Candy feels like a missed opportunity.

Frankly, I have a hard time with yogurt drinks, like Yakult and Korea's Mikis, despite my Koreanness; milk products mixed with other beverages has never been my cup of tea (fittingly, I take my tea and coffee straight up). So I knew before I cracked open a can of the peach-flavored Hello Kitty Milkis that I would not be the drink's ideal consumer. 

Creaminess issue aside, Mikis' soda honoring Paris Hilton's favorite mouthless cat still fails to capture the kitten's charm. It also failed to capture my tastebuds. Unlike the Ramune sodas girded with Mr. Kitty's likeness, Mikis is flavored with a heavy hand and tastes like candy — and not in a good way. One dimensional, overtly artificial, and lacking the right hit of carbonation that could've given it just a little oomph, Mikis fell pretty flat. Needless to say, this creamy carbonated beverage did not win me over.

Boro cookies, a popular Japanese baby snack made of egg yolk, powdered sugar, and powdered milk, can be found at nearly every Japanese grocery store. Often sold in small, segmented packs, the tiny, cereal-sized spheres are light and crunchy and, with the slightest bit of moisture, fall apart into a chalky powder.

The precious package features a toddler version of Hello Kitty playing with another toddler cartoon cat. A mild confection lacking a direct Western analog, boro cookies never appealed to me, a child who grew up on the all-American diet of Goldfish crackers and Cheerios. With the slightest introduction of moisture and pressure, the lack of structure transforms the cookies into powdered mush. The texture is ideal for someone who still has their baby teeth.

Hello Kitty's version of boro tasted exactly as expected; the powdered sugar and egg give the cookie a flavor similar to store-bought icing. Not my snack of choice, but I'd still give a toddler a knowing nod if I saw them munching on Kitty-branded boros.

There's nothing fishy about this collaboration. In honor of Hello Kitty's milestone birthday, Goldfish crackers put out limited edition strawberry shortcake baked graham crackers. 

Of course, Ms. Kitty isn't the first to team up with this brand. In recent years, Goldfish released limited edition crackers with Old Bay Seasoning, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, and a dill pickle varietal of their own — all of which I consider successful. So when I spied Sanrio's favorite child dipping a claw into the Pepperidge Farm family, I eagerly trotted over to Target to snag a bag.

On closer inspection, I realized that I wasn't dealing with crackers, but bite-sized cookies like Teddy Grahams. The strawberry shortcake flavor is hard to miss; the bag, once unsealed, wafted its artificial fruit scent throughout the room. I forgave the smell once I dug into a Hello Kitty-head-shaped graham. Dense and potent when consumed on their own, the strawberry snacks softened my heart once dunked in black coffee.

At first glance, I assumed Hello Kitty's senbei crackers, or airy rice crackers widely sold in Japan and Japanese markets, were the savory version I'm accustomed to. While the sensei crackers I keep in my snack cabinet are golden brown, glossy, salty, and flecked in seaweed, Hello Kitty's biscuits are topped with a spritz of soft pink strawberry icing. Admittedly hesitant, the notion of a sugared cracker struck me as odd and outside of the realm of snacks I normally toss into my shopping cart.

The texture of the crackers, though craggy on the exterior, nailed a good balance of lightweight but sturdy. Like an improved upon rice cake, the Hello Kitty coded senbei possessed that packing peanut je ne sais quoi I can't help but love. The texture of the rice flour works well, and the two-cracker serving size fulfilled my mid-afternoon snack craving. Though sweet, the senbei does not take the flavor too far; the strawberry glaze complements, but never overpowers the cracker itself.

The surprise of the bundle, Hello Kitty's cotton ball-sized marshmallow candies is somewhat of a revelation. Available in strawberry, chocolate, mango, pineapple, and matcha, I grabbed the latter hoping to offset the inherent sweetness of the marshmallow with matcha's earthy, grassy tones. I was mildly disappointed when I opened the bag (adorably adorned with an illustration of Ms. Kitty in a kimono) only to find the puffy treats were not tinted a pale green like I anticipated. Rather, the marshmallows were pure white; the matcha-flavored jelly interior gave the candy a small pop of green.

My disappointment faded away once I dug into the Hello Kitty's Matcha Tea Marshmallow candies. The exterior marshmallow hit the perfect balance of soft and sturdy, the amount and texture of jelly was exquisitely rationed, and the flavor was, as hoped, not overpoweringly sweet. While I've never been much of a marshmallow eater, I foresee myself skewering these bad girls for an unexpected garnish to a cocktail or as an elevated s'mores dessert to impress guests.

If you've ever unsealed a Ramune, the Japanese soda with a marble in the bottle, you know that you don't just simply pop off the cap and start drinking. Rather, you release the glass orb in the neck of the bottle when you are ready to savor the seltzer. Among Ramune's rainbow of flavors, the brand bottles a Hello Kitty-stamped strawberry variation.

While the drink is certainly an eye-catching product, Ramune's strawberry offering falls short of its original label, which balances herbal, tropical, and citrus tones all within its marble-fixed bottle. Though sure to please strawberry fans, Hello Kitty's Ramune still carries the light effervescence and delicate bubbles of its predecessor; the alluring scent of jam and flowers saves the beverage from becoming a syrupy concoction. Extra credit for Ramune's ASMR flare of the freed marble rocking around the bottle as I sipped.

Among the most promising of the Hello Kitty sweets and snacks, I clocked the wafer cookies early into my search. I hoped they might provide a refreshing and subtle alternative to some of the... bolder flavors I knew I would be giving a try. To my delight, the snack rose to the occasion and proved a formidable foil for any top-tier store-bought cookie.

Available in green tea, strawberry, and chocolate, I opted for the former. Hey, I already planned on having a mug of matcha, so why not pair it with a green tea wafer? (I also liked that the Hello Kitty on the packaging replaced her red bow with a Brat green barrette for the occasion.) The pale, mint green straws were coated in gentle sugar, not unlike a fortune cookie. While there was a hint of sweetness, the green tea cream filling was never overwhelming. Rather, the earthy flavor was as pleasant as can be. 

One of a handful of non-sweet edibles endorsed by Hello Kitty, the dried noodles — offered in soba, udon, somen, and two different types of vegetable somen — prove that you should never underestimate a food item that comes in cutesy packaging. 

Producing dried noodles since 1907, Kanesu's wares contend with the country's top noodle brand, and although none of the Hello Kitty noodles look particularly Hello Kitty-ish — no, they are not stamped with tiny pictures of the beloved Sanrio character — the quality is impossible to ignore. I picked out the soba noodles and enjoyed them in a shallow miso broth. The buckwheat noodles held up well and never degraded into slime; needless to say, I was pleased as punch with this particular offering. A delicious meal that comes in a charming wrapper that is sure to look paw-sitively adorable in any pantry? Hello Kitty herself would certainly be delighted.

While some folks may believe in their heart of hearts that there is no such thing as bad pizza, I've certainly had my fair share of subpar pies. Mochi is a different story. An incredibly popular Japanese import, I have yet to encounter a mochi I did not enjoy on some level. So, when I acquired some Hello Kitty Mochi, I was ready to have a good time digging into the snack. 

Sold in azuki and matcha, I snatched up the red bean box — you can't argue with a classic — and dug into the modestly-sized mochis with vigor. As anticipated, Hello Kitty's daifuku mochi soared far beyond her candy offerings. On top of that, I'd go so far as to say it is among the best boxed mochi I've had the pleasure of taking home. Softly sweet with an ideal amount of plushness, the red bean-to-mochi ratio sat in near-perfect coordination.

Although not the most innovative product, Hello Kitty's Macaroni Noodles sure do pop on the grocery store shelf. The pasta, which is shaped like kittens and flower blossoms, is best paired with a thick and creamy sauce like a classic mac-n-cheese or Alfredo. You do not want to try anything that is too light that could resist clinging to the small shape. On par with its dried pasta peers, the noodles cook quickly and are perfect al dente.

Now, let's bring it back to the shapes of the noodles. While the manufacturer could have easily gone with a generic cat shape, it upped the ante by making sure to include Hello Kitty's signature bow over her left ear. Talk about attention to detail. I am reluctant to suggest any changes whatsoever, but a pink pasta could be a fun way to really celebrate the iconic character's 50th.

Ramune, Japan's signature soda, released special cans of the strawberry daifuku flavor to commemorate Hello Kitty's golden anniversary. The company reserves the specific cuvée for their character collaborations; SpongeBob SquarePants, Deadpool, and Wolverine received the same treatment in 2024. 

This drink doesn't come in the classic marble-sealed bottle, but that's not to say the packaging does not deliver. The Hello Kitty-wrapped cans are sure to catch the eye of any Sanrio fan worth their salt. The cans come in red, pink, white, and black, but again, they are all the same flavor. Speaking of flavor, Ramune did right by Hello Kitty for her 50th birthday. Like so many of their sodas, the strawberry daifuku possesses a unique and sweet quality that kept me sipping. The daifuku flavor, though elusive, balanced the overtly candied tones of strawberry and together brought to mind a floral-steeped confection. 

Far and away the most meaningful of all the Hello Kitty decorated food objects, A-Sha's collection of cupped, and packaged noodles nails both presentation and flavor.  Although several Sanrio characters adorn A-Sha's instant noodle line, Hello Kitty portrays five unique soups from the Alhambra-based company.

Mandarin noodles, spicy noodle soup, hot 'n sour, garden veggies and chicken noodle round out A-Sha's Hello Kitty-themed offerings and I happily sampled one of each. Yes, I enjoyed a couple of the flavors far more than the others (chicken noodle and garden veggie), but even their middling cup (hot 'n sour) performed above the average instant noodle. As if the flavors weren't enough to bowl me over, the noodle's texture is soft yet resists breakage. (Considering A-Sha's dedication to elevating the instant noodle, this comes as little surprise.) I'll happily stock these cups in my pantry for quick dinners and office lunches. I have to tip my red bow to A-Sha's creation.

To rank each of the Hello Kitty food items, I considered my overall enjoyment first and foremost. However, if the cat's appearance felt superficial, I docked points. On the flip side, if a product did a good job at incorporating Hello Kitty into the packaging or the actual food item, I took that into consideration.

If a goodie featured the kitten-in-question alongside any other character from the Sanrio family, I sadly omitted the snack from the list. I solely considered lone Hello Kitty treats. What's more, I excluded Sugarfina's candy collection due to the high price tag ($25-60) and their scarcity outside of online sales.

For the sake of this article, I paid no attention to Hello Kitty's creator coming out 49 years after her creation and insisting that she is somehow not a cat but a little girl in a cat costume. As far as I am concerned, Hello Kitty is a cat, Keroppi is a frog, Pochaco is a dog, and so on.