Kentucky Fried Chicken has a new series of “Otaku” menu items for anime fans — but it’s only available at stores in Spain.
SoraNews24 wrote about the new menu items and their current marketing campaign in Spain. The signs feature Japanese slogans and a chibi version of Colonel Sanders, as well as the word “Otaku” front and center. The Japanese word otaku means a hardcore fan, typically an anime fan. The website page for the menu items says the chain generously slathered teriyaki sauce onto its offerings, which makes them “super Japanese.” The sweetness of the sauce contrasts with the salty, savory burger. The menu also includes teriyaki-coated fried chicken and a combo meal, including bacon fries.
This special menu isn’t the first time KFC Spain has referenced anime fandom in their marketing. Back in October, the Spanish KFC Twitter posted an Evangelion meme and received comments jokingly asking for a future collaboration with the anime. While the current campaign doesn’t feature any Evangelion characters, they may have gotten some inspiration from the Internet’s response.
The KFC Christmas Tradition
The signage at Spanish KFC locations mentions the tradition of eating fried chicken at Christmastime, and it appears the company would like to spread that custom to other countries. The Otaku menu will remain available after Christmas, though, up until January 16.
In the mid-1980s, Japan’s economy was growing at a shocking rate. The rising consumer culture stoked new interest in Western franchises and pop culture. Kentucky Fried Chicken became popular, with new stores popping up all over the country. There are conflicting stories about how exactly Christmas became connected to the fast food chain. The population of Japan adopted the celebration of Christmas, but as Christianity itself is uncommon, many people were left searching for their own traditions. Since traditional holiday dinners like turkey are uncommon in the country, foreigners living abroad would sometimes eat chicken instead.
KFC in Japan started marketing campaigns linking fried chicken to a wholesome American Christmas, even if that wasn’t exactly true to reality. The advertisements included slogans like “Kentucky is Christmas.” The commercials were a great success, and holiday buckets only became more popular as the years went on.
People who want to reserve a chicken bucket for Christmas often have to do so weeks in advance, or they’ll find themselves stuck waiting in long lines.
Source: SoraNews24
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