A Bittersweet Tale of Supply vs Demand
As long time Animal Crossing fans we were really looking forward to this collaboration. What better timing for a relaxing game mixed with delicious ice cream than summer?
Fun fact: Baskin Robbins is actually called Thirty-One in Japan. It took me a while when trying to communicate with Japanese friends to realize what was getting lost in translation back in the day.
However, just like the unpredictability of the turnip market in game, Baskin Robbins failed to anticipate the excitement of fans and after the first weekend pretty much all of the collaboration exclusives were gone.
Baskin Robbins first posted a statement on Friday, July 3 explaining that already before the weekend had even officially arrived many of the popular menu items and merch were already sold out. Just today when we were able to finally go there was a similar announcement once again apologizing that the majority of the stores no longer had much of anything left in stock. It’s a tale as old as time these days when it comes to popular collaborations and fans no matter if it’s video games or otherwise.
Source: Game Watch
Normally I would go into detail about each menu item and the merch but considering it all is already sold out I don’t want to waste anyone’s time or get hopes up. I may come back to archive for future reference and in hopes they rerun the campaign later but for now enjoy the cute official photos of the main menu.
We went to a large mall that had three Baskin Robbins locations and each and every one was completely cleared out of the more exclusive items. If we had checked the official social media posts we would have already known what we were in for so that’s a lesson learned the hard way. While we were disappointed we missed out on so much at the very least some of the designed cups and one collaboration menu item were available.
We got to try out the exclusive Animal Crossing ice cream flavor Animal Crossing Summer Island Feast as part of the Gulliver’s Washed Ashore Blue Soda dessert. The ice cream was very sweet and matched great with the blue soda colors and taste all in all resulting in a fun and refreshing summer treat. I can’t say I was a big fan of the chocolate fish in the ice cream but for kids it is definitely a fun little touch and very on theme. As expected of the neon colors, it dyed our tongues as well which is another playful note.
The design on the cup was very cute and brings back a lot of nostalgia from the game. They did a really wonderful job with the theming on everything honestly. It’s just a real shame that it all sold out so quickly most people won’t get to enjoy them now. Such is the way of supply and demand of otaku and other exclusive collaborations.
Also shoutout to the staff at all locations who weathered this storm. Many online comments mentioned how slammed the workers at the Baskin Robins were and I can’t even imagine what it was like those first few days. The store was visited only had one or two staff members at a time and we were there in the afternoon on a regular slow Monday. Please always be patient and cordial with staff at stores hosting collaborations.
Were you fortunate enough to try out the Animal Crossing x Baskin Robbins collaboration menu before they sold out? Have you ever experienced missing out on a collaboration because they sold out too quickly? Tell us what you think or share your stories in the comments!
Useful Links
Animal Crossing Official Website: https://www.nintendo.com/jp/character/mori/index.html
Baskin Robbins Official Website Japan: https://www.br31.jp/
Game Watch Article on the Collaboration: https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/2120624.html
