You may have seen this holiday on your phone calendar, but what is Pocky Day? Well, most people now probably know about the famous chocolate-covered biscuit, Pocky. But why does it have its own holiday?
International Pocky Day is held on Nov. 11, because the “1” in the date is similar to the looks of a Pocky stick. Pocky Day is largely celebrated in Japan and South Korea. It was established in 1999, by Glico, the company Pocky comes from. This holiday is a great time for fans of Pocky to enjoy their favorite treats.
People love Pocky so much that on Nov. 11, 2013, a Guinness World Record for the most mentions of a brand name was broken. Pocky was mentioned a total of 3.7 million times!
Many find this treat addictive and delicious. Flavors range from the original chocolate to cheesecake! Many flavors can only be found in a single country, making new flavors very hot commodities. But, Pocky had to start somewhere. In 1963, Pocky was created by Ezaki Glico. These biscuits were an instant hit, but many found the chocolate to melt in their hands. To solve this issue, Glico decided to remove the chocolate from the bottom of the stick. This gave consumers a place to hold their Pocky without getting their hands dirty.
Pocky became a huge success. Years after their creation, flavors evolved from just chocolate to a variety of flavors like almond and strawberry. Pocky spread all across Asia, finding its place in various countries like Thailand and South Korea.
By 2003, Pocky had successfully made its way to North America. More Westernized flavors were made available, like Cookies & Cream, Chocolate, and Strawberry. Matcha was also sold, but the flavor was noticeably less strong than the original Japanese version. Now, Pocky is widely enjoyed in the United States. Plus, with the increase in imported foods from Asia, we have more flavors available to us than ever. If you decide to step into an Asian grocery store, you’ll find Pocky.
Pocky Day isn’t a super widespread holiday. Still, it can be as fun as you make it. It’s the perfect day to enjoy Pocky for all it is. You can even try a bunch of different flavors with friends and rank them!
Overall, Pocky is a very popular treat in Asia and the West. Feel free to celebrate to your heart’s content, by eating tons of delicious Pocky.