White Rabbit ice cream, handbags, cocktail – everyone’s favourite Chinese candy, a Lunar New Year staple, is keeping up with the times
- White Rabbit Creamy Candy is a favourite of people around the world. With an 80-year history, it is taking new forms to stay relevant – and milk nostalgia
- The rabbit hasn’t always been on the wrapper – until 1959, when China ruled him evil, Mickey Mouse was the symbol of what were then ABC Mickey Mouse Sweets
For many people, White Rabbit Creamy Candy hits the sentimental sweet spot, transporting them back to childhood. Agung Prabowo has fond memories of the milky delights.
“The thin piece of edible rice paper that the candy is wrapped around makes it very special,” he says, referring to the translucent rice paper that prevents the candy from sticking to the wrapper.
“It was my favourite childhood candy and I think that is the same for a lot of Hongkongers.”
To honour the sweet, Penicillin now has a White Rabbit-inspired cocktail called How Bad Are Bananas?, comprising redistilled White Rabbit candy tequila, fresh lime juice, banana whey liquids and celery syrup.
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Harnessing the power of nostalgia by incorporating the eye-catching red, white and blue wrapper is clever marketing.
But the rabbit has not always been the ambassador of the brand, whose 80-year-old roots can be traced to ABC Company, which was founded in Shanghai in 1943 and later sold to its current owner, the state-owned Guan Sheng Yuan Food.
Mickey Mouse – Disney’s famous rodent and an icon of American capitalism – was originally on the waxed wrappers. Back then, the candy was known as ABC Mickey Mouse Sweets. But he got the boot in 1959 after ABC became state-owned and “evil” Western imagery was frowned upon.
It is not the only time the sweet has been politicised.
Today, White Rabbit candy is spread around the globe, as are its fans, the sweet having followed the Chinese diaspora.
Singaporean Lydia Kuan says White Rabbit candy was always in the house when she was a child.
“Singapore is a very multiracial country,” Kuan adds. “We have Malays, Indians, Eurasians, Caucasians and we have the Chinese community, so everybody knows White Rabbit because we have it in mom-and-pop stores, in convenience stores, in supermarkets.”
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Kuan says that while most people identify with the original White Rabbit candy flavour, which is one that holds a special place in her heart, she is excited by the range of new flavours.
“For Chinese New Year, we have a lot of new flavours including coffee, plum, matcha and yogurt.”
It is not surprising White Rabbit is evolving. To attract young consumers it must change with the times. Cool collaborations are also helping.
In 2018, the brand partnered with Shanghai cosmetics company Meijiajing to launch a limited-edition lip balm. The first batch of 920 sold out in seconds.
Companies outside China keen to cash in on its huge market have also turned to collaborations.
In 2011, US sportswear giant Nike dropped a limited-edition Air Force 1 Supreme Low Year of the Rabbit shoe inspired by the iconic sweet.
But it has not always been smooth sailing for the brand. In 2008, suppliers of Guan Sheng Yuan Food’s powdered milk – a key ingredient in the sweet – were caught up in the Chinese tainted milk scandal, which left 52,000 children unwell after consuming melamine-laced dairy products.
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Today the brand is back stronger than ever. And fans wanting to go deep down the white rabbit hole for a full-on candy wonderland experience should head to Shanghai.
Last year, the brand’s first permanent flagship store – a whimsical space with walls inspired by the flow of milk – opened in the city, selling not just the sweets in a range of flavours but White Rabbit-themed merchandise from hand lotions to umbrellas.
In Singapore, Kuan also came up with a White Rabbit sensory experience for children.
“Over the festive period, we created a pop-up, a happy space where kids can make White Rabbit origami. We want to create happy moments and we want kids to know that this is a brand from childhood and that their parents grew up eating this candy.”
