'KPop Demon Hunters' Leaves a Lasting Impact on K-Pop Culture... Spurring a Wave of Merchandise in Food and Fashion Industries

Netflix’s animated series ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ has evolved beyond being merely a streaming content to become a global cultural phenomenon, prompting food and fashion brands to rush into collaborations. The show centers on the fictional girl group ‘HUNTR/X’ and the boy group ‘SAZABOYZ,’ who function as K-Pop idols during the day and demon hunters at night. Created by American-Korean director Maggie Kang based on her personal experiences tied to her Korean heritage, the series is notable for portraying its characters as ‘ordinary girls’ rather than perfect idols. By capturing the authenticity of K-Pop culture through animation, it has gained widespread acclaim worldwide. Especially after rapidly spreading through online communities and social media, challenges featuring the series have flooded platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, primarily driven by idol fanbases. Its global influence even extended to the point where the theme song ‘Golden’ was performed at a Royal Air Force band change ceremony in the UK. Food companies were among the first to act. When the instant noodles Shin Ramyun and shrimp chips featured in the series appeared, Nongshim seized this as a marketing opportunity. Responding to orders on its online platform, the company decided to enter into a formal partnership with Netflix. Starting September 29, 1,000 limited sets of six Shin Ramyun cups, each depicting two members of HUNTR/X—Rumi, Mira, and Joy—were sold. Throughout that month, campaigns themed around Shin Ramyun and shrimp chips were launched in large discount stores and retail outlets. Last month, Nongshim also released an all-in-one noodle sauce featuring the three series characters alongside a blue tiger motif in select countries across North America, Europe, Oceania, and Southeast Asia. SPC Group’s global bakery franchise Paribagette introduced cakes and pastries inspired by the series. Five new products, including a soda pop cake depicting SAZABOYZ and a Golden Butter Bun themed around HUNTR/X, were unveiled on Friday, with additional cakes, breads, and desserts set to launch this month. Paribagette has applied ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ branding to the exteriors of five key stores in Seoul, Pangyo in Gyeonggi Province, Incheon International Airport, and Jeju Island, with more campaigns planned. A Nongshim official stated, “Consumers voluntarily shared information about our products in the series, driving significant attention.” They added, “Since ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ has promoted K-culture around the world, we intend to continue introducing K-noodles and K-snacks to global consumers.” Meanwhile, the series’ original soundtrack track ‘Golden’ reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 main singles chart, marking it as the first K-Pop song performed by a female singer to achieve this milestone.