This article is by Noh Yu-rim and read by an artificial voice.



Kancho cookies are flying off shelves after Lotte Wellfood released a 40th anniversary edition engraved with names, turning the long-loved chocolate snack into a viral sensation.

"Initially, we considered printing positive words like 'love' and 'thank you' or drawings of cultural heritage sites on the Kancho cookies," said Noh Hye-rim of Lotte Wellfood's biscuit marketing team, who came up with the idea. "But in the end, we decided to engrave names to give consumers a more personal experience."

Lotte Wellfood's chocolate snack Kancho is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and the special edition cookies engraved with names have become a nationwide craze since their release on Sept. 11.

"The idea was planned a year ago," Noh said in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Monday at the company's headquarters in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul. "We wanted to give each consumer a nostalgic memory, which is why we chose names instead of common words."

The 40th anniversary Kancho comes with 504 different names and 90 heart designs engraved on individual cookies. The names include the four official Kancho characters - Kani, Choni, Chobi and Lovey - along with 500 of the most registered baby names in Korea from 2008 to 2025.

Kancho cookies are made using a stencil technique, in which edible ink is applied to a metal screen and imprinted onto dough. Each batch can accommodate up to 594 unique designs, limiting the number of names that can be included.

Since the launch, Lotte has been running a "Find My Name" event through Nov. 16, where customers who find their names on Kancho cookies and share a photo with the hashtag on social media can win prizes.



But even outside the official event, the hunt for name-engraved Kancho has gone viral online. Singer IU, whose real name is Lee Ji-eun, showed off a Kancho with "Ji-eun" printed on it during a livestream on Sept. 20.

Jung Byung-hee, 32, posted a short-form video of himself and his wife searching for a Kancho with their son's name, Jian.

"We bought more than three boxes to find it," Jung said. "It's fun to search for the names of loved ones while also enjoying the snack - it feels like returning to childhood." His video garnered approximately 560,000 views in just four days.

The frenzy has pushed production into overdrive. Lotte expanded Kancho's production line from two days a week to six, with the first shipment of more than one million units selling out in two weeks. Sales at GS25 convenience stores between Sept. 9 and 22 rose 425 percent compared to the previous month, while CU reported a 754 percent jump during the same period.

Developers faced challenges in ensuring legibility of certain Korean consonants, which are prone to smudging, and names with final consonants that can lose shape when baked. In the days leading up to launch, the development team even stayed at the production plant in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang, to monitor print quality.



"Consumer response was so strong that even the plant manager rolled up his sleeves to boost output," Noh said.

"Products with names have rarity value and satisfy the desire for personal ownership, making consumers view them as special experiences," said Hwang Jin-joo, an adjunct professor of consumer science at Inha University. "If Lotte expands this into limited-edition or giftable products, consumer interest can be sustained."

"We are considering adding new names, as well as English and Japanese names, to better appeal to global consumers," said Park Young-jin, head of Lotte Wellfood's biscuit marketing team.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.