Pepero Day in Korea: Facts about Pepero Day!
In this article we will share about pepero day in south korea, what is pepero day, from it’s secret origin until it’s fun facts concerning this beautiful pepero day in south korea. make sure you read until it’s finish to know all the informations.
Pepero day is an unofficial day in South Korea that’s celebrated by exchanging boxes of Pepero. Pepero itself is the most famous korean little snacks that you can easily purchase at any convenient store in South Korea. It is a long and slim chocolate covered cookie stick, with the shape similar to ‘1’.
November 11th (11/11) became Pepero Day in South Korea due to it’s similarity with Pepero Shape. On this day, friends and couples give each other Pepero. Pepero is really delicious, and this is a marketing genius that not just it’s become a celebration, it’s almost becoming a cultural event.
However, you need to know what is the secret origin behind this day, we will share to you shortly. Keep scroll down and read more.
Secret Behind Pepero Day in Korea
Pepero Day is actually originated back in the 1980s among school girls in Busan. The company that sells Pepero in South Korea, start notice there is unusual purchase habit every single year on the day of November 11, as their sales drastically increase in Busan areas.
The company end up asking their marketing team to find out what is actually happen within this area on November 11. Their team find out that Busan school girls having a local event during this date with their famous products Pepero.
Credit to leobluektb
The students in this region exchanged a box of pepero with one another while praying to stay thin and tall, and teasing each other to lose some weight to looks like Pepero.
They do believe that if they give to one another Pepero in 11/11, while praying to be tall and thin and eat it on 11:11:11 AM or PM, that wish will come true in their life and they will become like Pepero, tall and thin. That’s how Pepero Day’s originally began.
The team learn about this and start apply their marketing campaign as this is a great idea to begin with. No doubt, their campaign was very successful and well known after 1996. This is the stories of how Pepero day actually began.
These days, Pepero Day has become one of the most important days in South Korea to exchange Pepero and also teasing one another. However, later on this day become Korea’s Valentine Day rather than an event to wish each other thin and tall.
Pepero Day's to do list
Pepero Day is not just an event for a young school girls to tease one another. It’s actually a good opportunity to show your affection and respect as well as appreciation to the people you really love and care about. Either it is your friends, family, boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse or colleagues and boss. This Pepero day is actually a day of love and show appreciation to one another.
Show affection by Exchange Pepero
In modern days, Pepero Day is practiced a few different ways, depending on age groups. Children (elementary school) give and receive Pepero to their friends, teachers, and family members. Just as children do on Valentines Day, children give and receive Pepero just for the sake of exchanging sweets.
Confess Love with Pepero
For those youth and teenager, usually Pepero Day become a day when the boy or girl confess their love to someone they like and give pepero to that person. If the other person receive their love then they will take the pepero and eat it together, but if she doesn’t, then she will just reject it politely.
It looks much more like valentine or white day in korea with the difference is that of the products, while valentines or white day usually spent by giving one another flower and chocolate, in Pepero day, it’s much cheaper, only a pocket of Pepero, and this is probably why many male who confess during Pepero Day’s got rejected compare to valentine’s day.
Exchange Pepero Unique Gifts
As Pepero Day’s became highly commercialized in Korea, many stores through out korea sell Pepero and other cheaper brands of the same type of cookie in bulk. There are large displays of Pepero and similar snacks at supermarkets on the days leading up to Pepero Day.
Credit to @1004ceo_jisook
Other business owner also try to grab the opportunity to make some cash on this day. Many bakeries will sell long loaves of bread covered in chocolate (something that resembles a stick of Pepero). Other places will make elaborate packages filled with various types of Pepero, which can get quite expensive.
Credit to @mihome_0228
Gompyo, a flour company, also join the hype by creating a new design into reusable bags and milk carton-style packaging with Gompyo bear mascot munching on Pepero sticks and brand name “Pe-bear”, which is combination of the 2 brands.
Credit to @samyangfoods
Samyang, best known as a leading hot instant noodles company also join the hype by creating simple Ramyeon Chocolate guide, so you can enjoy their ramyeon as an exchange of Pepero stick.
Credit to @aroundbotanic and @epiphany_flowers
Florists also take this opportunity by making Pepero Bouquetes, even though this might looks a little bit stretch, yet they try to join the hype of this Korea’s Valentine Day.
Credit to @cafe.bugloss
Cafes also grab this day opportunity to sell some gift box of Pepero with a mini card to write our message to the recipients.
Credit to @monami_official and @you.are.flowers
Some other business sells Pepero goods such as knitted Pepero stick DIY pens and keychains.
Write Short Message on Pepero
All you need to do is go to a supermarket in your area and buy boxes of Peperos. Then you can simply give it to a friend or write a short message to show your appreciation written on a small space available on the box (normally an image of a letter is printed on top of the box).
Pepero Day's Creative Gifts
Credit to @sweet_dreaming
Recently, koreans aren’t just exchange Pepero cookies stick, but also an aesthetic Pepero inspired gifts, such as macaron sticks, homemade chocolate-covered sticks, and Pepero cakes.
Credit to @beatrice.min
Many home bakers also sell vaguely stick shaped desserts and create whatever appears long and resembles number “1”, as it’s seems appropriate for Pepero Day celebrations.
Credit to @hodoo.2mo
Homemade chocolate-covered sticks are a great way to experiment with the cute topping as the covering above the choco sticks during Pepero day celebrations.
Credit to @_floving
Colorful Homemade chocolate sticks with various covering, made with love are usually felt sincere and pure to the recipients.
Credit to @cake.holic
Pepero’s package also popular during Pepero’s Day in Korea.
Credit to @mond_macaron and @bunni_fy
Some even design their Pepero cakes to appears like the packaging of Lotte’s Pepero to makes it fit with this celebration day while other’s are making the stick covered with various covering as to cover the cake and makes it looks cute.
Credit to @aengdu_ne
Some others even put macarons in order and even combine the choco coverings to create an appearance of number “1”, another unusual gift for Pepero Day.
Credit to @cafe_dalsegno and @dal_doong921
Meringue sticks is also an aesthetic and heartfelt Pepero Day’s gift to your loved ones.
Credit to @mienne06
Stick-shaped shortbread cookies also sell well during this special celebration in South Korea, usually decorated with chocolate to express love and gratitude.
Credit to @dameul_dessert and @dalkoma_ji
There’s absolutely unlimited creativity to create all type of design you want for this Pepero Day’s Gift that will makes the recipient felt the love and be happy.
Different Flavors of Lotte's Pepero Stick in Korea
Each year Pepero developed a new flavors that you and all other people can try and buy for an exchange and it becomes something new and unique each year as this event start to takes place on November 11.
Here’s some flavors of Pepero you can try such as Chocolate (Original), Latte, Peanut butter, dark chocolate, mint Choco, cherry double dip, melon, peanut, black chocolate cookie, green tea and strawberry.
Other than different flavors, they also have different unique style of pepero that you can try during pepero day in korea such as:
- Original Pepero – Chocolate coated cookie
- Double “Dip Pepero – Two coatings coated cookie
- Super Sized Pepero – Giant sized Pepero
- Nude Pepero – The total opposite, Chocolatte inside, kookie outside.
The Original Country of Pepero
I knew it looks like pocky in many ways, however, this Pepero brands is came from South Korea. However, Pocky first created their products, then Pepero brands came out by Lotte company that turns out much more success than Pocky brands.
When is Pepero Day in Korea?
Pepero Day is celebrated in South Korea every year on November 11th. The first Pepero Day was officially celebrated in 1997 in South Korea after finish the research of the school girl behavior in Busan.
Have you ever try Pepero in South korea? or maybe in your country? How do you think about Pepero? Comment below!
