KBO Bread offers baseball fans fun beyond the stadium

A new craze has taken hold among Korean baseball fans — KBO Bread, a packaged pastry themed after Korea’s professional baseball teams, sold for under 2,000 won ($1.40).

Nine varieties of KBO Bread [SPC Samlip]

A new craze has taken hold among Korean baseball fans — KBO Bread, a packaged pastry themed after Korea’s professional baseball teams, sold for under 2,000 won ($1.40).

It's not just the taste the fans are going after but the collectible stickers that come in each pack, similar to the Pokémon Bread craze that swept Korea in 2022.

Their popularity was evident during a recent visit by the Korea JoongAng Daily to three convenience stores near Mapo District Office Station. Restocking typically occurs late at night, according to store staff, and shelves were nearly empty by the following morning. Two stores — CU and 7-Eleven — had only two packages remaining from a restock of nine, while a third store had just one loaf left out of four.

Only one KBO Bread remains on the shelf at a convenience store near Mapo-gu Office Station. [WOO JI-WON]

Following the KBO League’s record-breaking season that drew 10 million spectators last year, food manufacturer SPC Samlip teamed up with the league to launch a series of KBO-themed breads in March.

The KBO Bread series features nine different varieties, each representing a KBO team, along with an additional premium edition. Each item is branded with the team’s name, such as the “Bears' Bear Paw Honey Bread” representing Doosan Bears and the “Lions Blueberry Pastry” representing Samsung Lions with distinct flavors. Only Lotte Giants has declined to be part of the bread series, citing business overlap issue with its confectionary affiliate.

Within just three days of its launch on March 22, KBO Bread sold over 1 million units — outpacing the Pokémon Bread that sold 750,000 units in the same period. Pokémon Bread was also produced by SPC Samlip.

What makes these sales statistics even more interesting is that most of the customers are young adults — meaning the success wasn’t driven by the nostalgia of those in their 30s and 40s, as was the case with Pokémon Bread.

Stickers fuel the craze

Inside each KBO Bread package is a randomly inserted detachable sticker known as a “Ttibuseal.”

A total of 215 sticker designs are available: 189 of them feature 20 leading players and mascots from the nine participating teams, while 26 are special stickers. Though the stickers can be used, most fans are expected to preserve them as collectibles.

Baseball fans have started collecting stickers of their favorite teams and players, often buying multiple items of KBO Bread at once in hopes of securing specific stickers.

On online secondhand marketplaces, like Karrot, users actively buy, sell and trade stickers — in some cases creating a price bubble driven by hoarding and high demand.

Stickers featuring popular players are especially sought-after. The sticker of KIA Tigers’ Kim Do-yeong has been listed for as much as 7,000 won — more than three times the price of the bread item.

Screen captures from online secondhand markeplace Karrot show posts selling, buying and trading collectable stickers from KBO Breads [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Brands ride baseball's boom

KBO Bread reflects a broader trend, as the KBO continues to expand its partnerships across industries — particularly with food and beverage brands looking to capitalize on the sport’s rising popularity.

Convenience store CU collaborated with the Doosan Bears to release 14 snack items — including beer and chicken — featuring the team’s logo on Tuesday.

People hold up snack items released in collaboration between convenience store CU and the Doosan Bears.[CU]

Domino’s Pizza launched “Subzz” designed to be eaten with one hand only while cheering during games. Woongjin Foods also joined to release a KBO Edition of its popular barley tea Haneul Bori.

Yet KBO Bread stands out as the most successful collaborative food product to date, largely thanks to the inclusion of the ttibuseal sticker.

Prof. Lee Eun-hee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Sciences explained that the sticker extends the ballpark experience into fans' everyday life.

“When fans go to the stadium, they often buy merchandise like T-shirts of their favorite players,” she explained. “In that context, a bread item that includes a collectible sticker feels like a continuation of that excitement. It brings a part of that stadium experience into people’s daily lives.”

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]