Glossy 3D stickers with a plump, puffy texture have captured the hearts of elementary school girls across Japan. The trend took off with the “Bonbon Drop” stickers and has since spread to a wide range of similar products.
As demand continues to outstrip supply, some Bonbon Drops are being resold at inflated prices. But on Tokyo’s shopping streets, parents and children are just as happy browsing more affordable, easy-to-find alternatives that offer the same shiny, pillowy appeal.
On a mild Sunday evening in April, the sticker aisle of a variety goods store in Tokyo was packed with families. The shelves were lined with all kinds of stickers—but Bonbon Drops were nowhere to be found.
Though the official retail price is around ¥500 (roughly $3), chronic shortages have pushed resale prices as high as ¥3,000—about six times the original cost.
Puffy stickers on sale at a Tokyo shopping street in April, where brands other than the popular Bonbon Drop are also attracting attention.
One mother, shopping with her second-grade daughter, was candid: “The real ones are just too hard to find. We come here for the cute, cheaper stickers.” She smiled as her daughter happily browsed stickers priced between ¥100 and ¥200.
A Post-Pandemic Generation
There may be a generational reason why these shiny, tactile stickers are resonating so strongly. Many of today’s elementary schoolers spent their early years during the COVID-19 pandemic, with limited face-to-face interaction outside their families. Smartphones and tablets became their main window to the world.
Naoko Kuga, a senior researcher at the NLI Research Institute, says that for this digitally raised generation, physically trading stickers with friends feels novel and exciting—an experience that is “hard to replicate on a screen.”
One girl, clutching a small collection of her favorites, summed it up simply: “All my friends have sticker books. We trade the expensive or rare ones, and swap the cheaper ones for other cheap ones.”
For girls growing up in the digital age, glossy, puffy stickers have become a means of social interaction. (©Sankei)
Parents Feel the Pressure
Not every parent is satisfied with alternatives. In March, a 41-year-old woman from Chiba Prefecture rushed to a craft store after hearing from another parent that Bonbon Drops might be in stock. “Even if they cost a little more than retail, it’s a small price to pay for my daughter’s friendships,” she said. She searched the entire store—only to leave empty-handed.
Stores themselves appear to be feeling the strain. Staff fielding a constant stream of phone inquiries have reportedly resorted to telling callers, “We don’t know when the next shipment will arrive.” After one such call, an exhausted clerk was overheard muttering, “We just don’t have them.”
The hugely popular “Bonbon Drop” stickers, which sparked the puffy stickers boom. (©Sankei)
Counterfeits and Crackdowns
As the Bonbon Drop craze intensifies, counterfeit stickers are flooding the market, and arrests are increasing. In February, police in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, arrested two street vendors for allegedly selling 201 fake stickers in violation of trademark law. In April, Osaka Prefectural Police seized 1,045 suspected counterfeits linked to a card shop owner arrested on similar charges.
Kuga notes that some buyers may not question whether what they’re purchasing is genuine—or may simply not care, drawn in by the appearance alone.
For those who want to be sure, Q-Lia—the Osaka-based stationery company behind Bonbon Drops—offers a guide on its online store: authentic stickers have Japanese safety warnings printed on the back of the mount and list only two company names—Q-Lia and Sun-Star Stationery.
(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Akari Hasegawa, The Sankei Shimbun
Continue Reading