"Chinese hamburger" toys captivate youth with creative design, consumption scenarios

XI'AN, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese street-food snack called "roujiamo" -- often referred to as the "Chinese hamburger" -- is made by baking flatbread to a slight crisp and inserting a filling, usually succulent pork that has been drenched in aromatic sauce. However, this mouth-watering food is no longer limited to restaurants, but is also emerging in toy stores.

It is a common street-food item in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Now, a palm-sized stuffed toy ROMOMO, modeled on the Chinese hamburger, with a smiley face and small limbs, has gone viral in Xi'an, igniting a buying frenzy since its debut this past summer.

Young locals and tourists sometimes wait in line for over an hour to snag their ROMOMO toys, drawn by the product's creative design and its link to the culinary experience.

The retail process of the ROMOMO toys has been designed to mimic the preparation of the real-life snack. A "chef" dressed in traditional Hanfu robes uses a plastic knife to mime the chopping of the toy's meat element, and then inserts it into the bread element, simulating the completion of the cooking process.

During the process, the "chef" usually interacts with customers to learn their preferences, asking questions like: "Would you like lean meat or fatty meat?" or "Shall I add some more juice?"

Young people are eager to share their shopping experiences on social media, such as the lifestyle-focused platform Xiaohongshu. Meanwhile, ROMOMO employees broadcast the interactions on livestream platforms, generating over 50,000 daily views recently.

"It is adorable and affordable, priced at just 49 yuan (about 6.9 U.S. dollars). It reminds me of kitchen toys during my childhood," said Wang Yichen, a college student, who bought three ROMOMO for herself and her friends.

Zhang Bo, 26, is the designer of ROMOMO. He has been engaged in 3D printing and art derivatives since graduating from college. Recognizing the burgeoning market for cultural and creative products, he and two partners conceived the idea of designing toys in the shape of Chinese hamburgers a year ago, and later founded Daxiang Culture and Technology Company.

"When I traveled during my childhood, I would buy keychains or ornaments as souvenirs with patterns such as miniature landmarks," he said. "Today, many youths are weary of generic products. By incorporating traditional culture elements as well as contemporary aesthetics, designers can provide customers with creative and unique products."

China's cultural and creative market is rapidly evolving. According to a report by Zhiyan Consulting, its market size reached 16.38 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, a year-on-year increase of over 13.09 percent. Cultural and creative product planners and operators have been included in a list of new professions by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security this year.

More than 200,000 ROMOMO have been sold since the product entered the market in June, with orders from souvenir shops, online platforms, and even clients from New York and Sydney, according to statistics from Daxiang. The product is also being showcased at the seventh China International Import Expo which concluded on Sunday via the booths of Xi'an exhibitors.

In addition to the standard pork-and-bread model of ROMOMO, Daxiang has introduced various side products, such as plush toys modeled after green chilies, potato chips and lettuce leaves, as locals might also add these ingredients when eating Chinese hamburgers.

Stuffed toys inspired by local dishes, cultural relics and landmarks are gaining in popularity in China, along with the creative consumption rituals and scenarios they create.

For instance, at the Gansu Provincial Museum, visitors can select a range of vegetable and meat toys, and watch them being "cooked" on a little stove to form a replica of the spicy dish Malatang, an iconic hotpot in Gansu's Tianshui that has dominated trending topics and drawn numerous tourists.

These Chinese souvenirs are also a nod to the amusing and personalized toys of the popular British brand Jellycat, which offers consumers a sense of ceremony and appeals to those young people pursuing spiritual comfort.

Data from the China Toy and Juvenile Products Association reveal that the post-00s generation has become the largest consumer group for stuffed toys, accounting for 43 percent of total buyers, while people in the post-90s comprise 36 percent.

For China's Generation Z, emotional companionship and sentimental value play a significant role in their consumption habits, compared with other generation groups, according to a report by McKinsey &Company this year on China's consumption trends.

Zhang Yan, director of the Culture and Tourism Center at the Shaanxi Academy of Social Sciences, said that the younger generation is increasingly seeking spiritual comfort amid the pressures of urban life, and cute plush toys provide a degree of emotional comfort.

"Seeking instant gratification through experiential consumption with affordable prices is a good choice for the youngsters," she said, adding that young people prioritize cost-effectiveness for daily essentials, but are also willing to spend on their own interests.

"By sharing photos and videos online, they build social connections with those who have similar hobbies," Zhang added.

Fierce market competition has made many creative cultural products a short-lived success. In the face of these challenges, Liu Ziqi, a co-founder of ROMOMO in charge of marketing, said that Daxiang is adopting a diversification strategy to respond to the rapidly changing market.

Liu said Daxiang has produced a set of postcards that depict ROMOMO visiting iconic relics and landmarks in Xi'an, including the Terracotta Warriors and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, and is planning to release a ROMOMO-themed short animation.

"We will continue to seize the resonance with young people by utilizing historical elements and traditional culture," said Liu. "Furthermore, we will try to incubate more popular IPs and explore pathways for global reach."