(Yicai) Aug. 14 -- Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, the largest tea chain in China, plans to launch its first internet animation film series, featuring the brand’s popular mascot Snow King, on Aug. 25.

The series is produced by Tianjin-based Nice Boat Animation, Mixue said on WeChat on Aug. 13, without disclosing the name of the platform that will host the videos.

Mixue introduced the snowman mascot in 2018 and fans can now buy Snow King-themed merchandise such as toys and tumblers through its official Tmall store. With sales of more than 5,000 a month, one of the most popular items is the vacuum-insulated cup.

Snow King has been successful because it looks cute and friendly and it enjoys high consumer recognition thanks to the Zhengzhou-based firm having over 20,000 outlets in China and overseas, according to food industry analyst Zhu Danpeng.

A number of other brands in China’s food and beverage sector also have well-known mascots. For example, snack chain Three Squirrels has created clothes, cartoons, and short Douyin videos based on its squirrel characters and has a theme park in Wuhu called Squirrel Town.

In 2021, Mixue had an online hit with a catchy theme song. It has been viewed more than 20 million times on video platform Bilibili and was once on Weibo’s trending list.

Editor: Emmi Laine