Now, last I recall when I was in America, the most popular donut shop was Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts. Here in Japan, it’s Mister Donut… or so it may seem at first. Fun fact: Dunkin and Mister are one in the same! “Dunkin Donuts” used to be called “Mister Donut” before it was acquired by another company, which means that the most popular donut shop in the US is secretly the same most popular donut shop in Japan.
(I don’t know why I felt so clever upon learning that… all I had to do was look at the Wikipedia page…)
Anyway. Regardless of its origins, Mister Donut is quite popular here in Japan, and I think one of the reasons for that is their seasonal, limited-time-only specials. In September, there were kinako donuts (kinako – written as 黄粉 – being a sweet flour made from roasted soybeans often used in Japanese sweets); when Halloween rolled around, they were, of course, Halloween donuts.
They have these pretty regularly and I can only assume they must be effective at reeling customers in (I know it works on me). Above you can see the very cute ghost and black cat designs, which are especially appealing to kids. (Or at least, the ghost would be if it weren’t made using white chocolate. Both of my kids turned their nose up at it.)
Now, okay, I know I’m a little late on this since Halloween has already passed us by… buuuut I took these cute pictures two weeks ago and couldn’t possibly let them go to waste!
After a web search, I found that they have done rather similar designs in previous years, which you can take a look at here:
I’d call them lazy thanks to the similarity of the designs, but as a fellow lazy person, I can’t help but admire the efficiency.
Besides, there are some very distinct differences that shows that someone definitely put some effort into it.
How Did the Mister Donut Donuts Taste?
Although you can’t exactly see this in the pictures, the 2021 version had whipped cream underneath the chocolate coating (both for the ghost and black cat donut). I’m not sure if they’ve done it in past years, though I would guess not from looking at the pictures. The variation in texture was a very pleasant surprise, with the whipped cream adding a welcome bit of lightness compared to the heavier donut portion.
In any case, I enjoy the variety offered by the seasonal specials. Even if I don’t always buy them (my waistline would never forgive me), they’re a nice little reminder of the changing seasons.
