Local Dessert Brand Faces Backlash for Resembling Japan's Tokyo Banana

Tokyo Berry, a domestic dessert brand that has operated pop-up stores in major department stores in South Korea, has been embroiled in controversy for product designs and marketing tactics excessively similar to Japan's iconic souvenir, Tokyo Banana.

Some consumers reportedly purchased the products believing they were new releases or sister brands of Tokyo Banana, and the headquarters of Tokyo Banana has also begun looking into the facts.

According to the retail industry, fresh fruit mochi domestic brand Tokyo Berry recently sold its products through pop-up stores at major department stores including Lotte and Shinsegae.

However, criticisms have been raised that the fruit illustrations on the packaging, the brand logo, the English font and letter spacing, and the overall design are overly similar to the famous Japanese dessert Tokyo Banana.

Tokyo Banana is a representative Japanese souvenir launched in 1991, which is also a popular dessert enjoyed by Korean tourists when traveling to Japan.

Online reviews have continued to surface, with comments such as "I thought Tokyo Banana released a new strawberry product" and "I only found out it was a different brand after searching their official website."

The marketing methods have also come under fire.

In its early stages, Tokyo Berry used phrases like "Tokyo Berry has opened in Korea," and on social media accounts, it employed promotional strategies such as claiming it was "mochi that is hard to find even in Japan."

Pointed criticisms emerged asking whether the domestic startup misled consumers into thinking that a famous Japanese dessert had expanded into South Korea.

In fact, long lines formed at the pop-up stores, and some buyers left reviews saying, "I followed the crowd and bought it because people were waiting in line."

As the controversy grew, Japan's Grapestone, which operates Tokyo Banana, stated that it shared the issue with the responsible department and is verifying the facts.

Lotte Department Store's Busan Branch, which hosted the pop-up, also announced that it does not plan to hold additional pop-ups and is considering an early shutdown of the currently operating pop-up store as well.

As the controversy spread, Tokyo Berry switched most of the promotional posts on its official social media to private.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Seo Byeong-wook | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.