"I Never Could Have Imagined It"... The Craze That Swept Daiso Shelves Clean [How We Shop Today]

Daiso Star-Shaped Piggy Bank Sales Up 400%
Demand Surges on Chiikawa Movie's Box Office Success
"DIY Fandom" Gains Attention Amid Shortage of Official Merchandise

Editor's NoteWhat are people buying these days? From everyday essentials picked up at Daiso and cosmetics that sell out at Olive Young to bread people line up to buy, familiar shopping scenes capture the latest market trends. "How We Shop Today" is a series that explores today's consumer trends through the things that sell well in everyday life. It takes an accessible and engaging look at changes in the marketplace, from which products people choose to which strategies persuade them to open their wallets.

A Daiso store in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung.

"I went to three stores, but I couldn't even get a look at one."

In front of a display shelf at a Daiso store in Jung-gu, Seoul, the spot where a star-shaped piggy bank should have been was completely empty. A store employee shook their head and said, "They sell out as soon as they come in, so we don't even have any in the stockroom." Consumers are going out of their way to visit Daiso stores across the country in search of a plastic piggy bank that costs just 2,000 won.

Daiso star-shaped piggy bank. Daiso Mall

At the center of the shortage is Chiikawa, the popular Japanese character series about "something small and cute." After the animated film "Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island," released on September 30, became a hit, fans began turning Daiso household goods into their own merchandise. Rather than simply buying official merchandise, consumers are increasingly using inexpensive materials to make their own, and the practice is becoming a new trend.

A 2,000-won piggy bank transformed...sales surge 400%

Sales figures for the "star piggy bank" reflect its explosive popularity. According to retail industry sources on November 7, sales of Daiso's "star-shaped piggy bank" in October surged about 400% from the previous month.

The reason for its popularity is its resemblance to a character in the animation. Fans erase the eyes and mouth printed on the piggy bank with marker pens, then draw on it to make it look like the star character in the film. A video titled "Making Chiikawa's Shooting Star," posted to Instagram Reels, has racked up 2.83 million views.

A DIY video of Daiso's "star-shaped piggy bank" posted on social media. YouTube, Instagram.

Consumers are going beyond simple alterations, adding lights inside to use the piggy banks as mood lamps or sharing photos of them alongside plush toys. Everyday household goods are being transformed into one-of-a-kind merchandise by fans, and as the process spreads across social media, it is leading to more product purchases.

As official merchandise gets harder to find, household goods fill the gap...even shoe tongs sell out

Another reason fans have turned to household goods is the shortage of official merchandise. Due to its popularity, official products often sell out as soon as they arrive, while resale prices on secondhand trading platforms continue to soar to dozens of times their original prices.

When official ballpoint pens inspired by the "Monster-Hunting Staff," a tool the characters use to attack monsters in the animation, quickly sold out through online and offline retailers, fans came up with an alternative: wrapping Daiso's "Non-Slip U-Shaped Long Tongs (Shoe Organizing Tongs)" in colored clay to make their own "Monster-Hunting Staff."

A DIY video featuring Daiso's "Non-Slip U-Shaped Long Tongs," posted on YouTube and Instagram.

Reflecting this trend, sales of the product surged about 50% in the two weeks after the film's release compared with the two weeks before it. At major stores in city centers, mobile app inventory checks showed that most locations remained temporarily out of stock.

Chiikawa craze spreads to movie theaters and pop-up stores

The Chiikawa craze has spread beyond Daiso to the wider retail ecosystem, including movie theaters and pop-up stores. "Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island" has remained near the top of the box office since its release, surpassing 2.25 million in cumulative admissions.

The character popcorn buckets sold by CGV cost 29,000 won each, and even the third batch of preorders sold out. CGV plans to hold a fourth round of preorders, while Lotte Cinema and Megabox have also prepared a range of moviegoing perks, including art cards, original tickets and stickers. Some merchandise has been so popular that it sold out shortly after screenings began.

Fans have also flocked to a pop-up store near CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall. Prices range from 4,000 won to 70,000 won, and the store also offered paper sunglasses to customers who spent at least 10,000 won. Social media has been filled with photos of fans showing off their merchandise purchases and reviews of their store visits.

CGV Chiikawa Popcorn Bucket. CGV

The Chiikawa phenomenon shows that the way character fans shop is changing. In the past, the focus was on owning products featuring their favorite characters. Now, decorating those products themselves and finding new ways to use them have also become part of the consumer experience. This is why fandom-driven spending now extends beyond official merchandise to everyday household goods.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.