If you have been to Bangkok recently, you would have spotted the long queues at shops bearing the name Butterbear.
On Tiktok, you might have also seen videos of the same bear doing dance covers to K-Pop songs, or dancing alongside your favourite T-Pop groups.
This is Butterbear, the cookieshop mascot – or “Your buttery best friend” – that has captured everyone’s hearts and minds, and basically taken social media by storm.
It even released its own single – น่ารักมั้ยไม่รู้ (Narak Mhai Mai Roo) – in June. It debut at number 3 on the T-Pop Stage Show charts.
Butterbear the mascot started out as a cartoon adorning the packaging of Butterbear cookies. Thai media reports suggest that the cookie shop is owned by the same family behind the famous Coffeebeans by Dao group.
The character, named Noey, is the creation of an artiste named Lalalhuay, whose cute drawings adorn the boxes of Butterbear cookies.
As a physical mascot, it wasn’t until early 2024 that Butterbear truly hit global fame. A clip of Noey the mascot dancing at Bangkok’s Emsphere went viral, with many commenting that the mascot’s moves were impressive and cute.
Things got better (or butter, should we say?) from this point on, with the mascot fronting marketing campaigns for the brand, performing with T-Pop groups (like BUS Because of you I shine and PERSES), and releasing its own single.
More importantly, its popularity has boosted business significantly – reports suggest sales at the cookie shop have gone up ten-fold. Queues at the Buttershop outlets in Emsphere often snake round the mall.
Fans still pack Emsphere on weekends when the mascot makes a special appearance, and Butterbear’s song actually charted on the T-Pop Stage Show chart, where it also won ‘Best Rookie’.
The Butterbear wave shows no signs of ebbing – and its popularity is only growing worldwide. I guess we could say it does gets better – or butter.
