In an August 2007 post (A New Twist for Doritos in Japan), I remarked on how Frito Lay was likely reaching out to female consumers with the ground-breaking introduction of a sweet-tasting Doritos flavor in the land of the rising sun.
At the end of the article I mused,
"So if Doritos is expanding to include both sweet and savory flavors in Japan, what's next for the brand? Chocolate-tipped Doritos twists? Don't laugh. It could happen."
Well, it didn't happen with Doritos, but it has almost come to pass with Cheetos.
Click on the image and take a closer look at these Strawberry-flavored Cheetos, which just reached store shelves here in Tokyo. The sub-copy on the front of the package points to a Cheetos stick and says "[covered] in strawberry chocolate."
What you have here are essentially plain corn puff Cheetos with a sort of strawberry frosting. You might think that's kind of gross, but I've tasted them—and unlike the "Honey Butter Doritos" launched last summer—this product is actually very good. . .
By the way, if you find Strawberry Cheetos weird or compelling, then you might want to check out past postings on crotch-kick Doritos, strange Japanese ice cream flavors, Wendy's Japan's bean-paste sandwich, or the Japanese gum that makes your sweat smell like roses.
For general information on interesting developments in Japanese consumer products and advertising, go here (articles arranged by category).
-----UPDATE ---- It turns out that Chocolate-flavored Cheetos were already released sometime last year! Check out a photo here.
