On 21 September, Jellycat CAFÉ opened its doors at the Jing An Kerry Centre in Shanghai. The immersive experience with city-exclusive plushies is a part of the pop-ups the British toymaker has been bringing to its stores all over the world. The pop-up will be open to the public every day between 10am and 10pm. However, if you want to visit the time-limited toy café, you will have to prebook your visit on the Jellycat WeChat Mini Program, with new slots available at noon every Thursday.
Like the New York Diner, Paris Pâtisserie and London Fish and Chips shop, the Café pop-up also includes limited edition food-themed plushies exclusive to the experience. Not only do the exclusive offerings pay tribute to the city’s vibrant coffee culture but they also incorporate the city flower Yulan magnolia. It includes a “Yulania Latte” and a “Yulan taro cake” plushie, along with a teapot, a pair of teacups as well as Jellycat’s iconic Bartholomew Bear with a cupcake.
Like the other pop-ups around the world, it is decorated in the theme of a café and the plushies are sold by staff members dressed like café staff, baristas and pastry chefs. Each purchase is made to a performative checkout and packaging as staff members act out the “making” of the items, be it food or beverages. Interestingly, it was reported that in Shanghai Jellycat has teamed up with Xiaohongshu to recruit influencers to perform the duty, adding engagement and “seeding” (种草) for the event.
Jellycat has been going strong in China this year and the latest pop-up experience will only add more interest to the brand. However, it seems that imitators are now popping up around China as well, from the Gansu Museum to the latest Auntea Jenny launch. In fact, the Auntea Jenny merch coinciding with Jellycat might have brought both brands more buzz online.
