WE LABO × TKDS Jointly Develop 'Sweets Bouquet' with "Sweet Words" Based on Oshi-katsu Culture and Birth Month Colors, Proposing a New Gift Scene to "Take Photos, Decorate, Gift, and Taste"

WE LABO [Institute of People, Things, Objects, and Places]*, operated by WEGO Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kyosuke Sonoda), has jointly developed and launched 'Colonche,' a sweets bouquet that bundles emotions with 12 months of 'sweet words,' in collaboration with TKDS LLC. This product is a new giftable sweet born from the combination of the youth's oshi-katsu culture and attachment to birth month colors, with the emotional need to more casually express everyday 'thank yous' and 'great jobs.'

Among young people, a culture of incorporating birth month colors and oshi colors into their daily belongings and actions is spreading. However, there were not many products that sublimated this 'attachment to color' into an emotional experience. Through daily research into the emotional and cultural changes of young people, WE LABO discovered many voices expressing a desire to 'casually convey small thanks' and 'incorporate the world of oshi-katsu into daily life.' Therefore, they partnered with TKDS, which possesses solid confectionery development capabilities and a 'technology for shaping emotions,' to embark on the development of a new giftable sweet that carefully shapes the emotions and culture of young people.

In the development of 'Colonche,' WE LABO's daily accumulated youth insights and emotional design knowledge served as the starting point, proceeding with a careful co-creation process with TKDS. First, they conducted emotional analysis of young people regarding oshi-katsu, gift-giving habits, and birth month culture, deciphering delicate emotions such as 'attachment to color' and 'shyness in conveying feelings' residing in their SNS behavior and everyday small choices, and explored what kind of experiences would naturally move their emotions. Next, they conducted repeated verifications from both sensory and emotional perspectives, including the shape, color, and flavor of the financiers, aiming for the excitement upon picking them up, the cuteness when captured in photos, and the emotional fluctuations when thinking of the recipient. Furthermore, for each of the 12 months, they set 'sweet words' that would naturally move the emotions of both the giver and the receiver. While embracing the world of birth month colors, they selected words that would serve as a catalyst for more frequent exchanges of 'modest gratitude' and 'feelings of appreciation,' constructing it so that color, taste, and words connect as a single experience.

Ultimately, they designed the experiential value of 'decorating, photographing, gifting, and tasting,' creating a 'gift experience that moves emotions.' 'Colonche' is not just a sweet, but has taken shape as an 'experiential gift' that bundles and conveys emotions.

Additionally, to commemorate the launch of 'Colonche,' a POP UP SHOP was held for three days from Friday, March 13, 2026, to Sunday, March 15, 2026, in front of the WEGO Harajuku store. A POP UP-exclusive flavor was also introduced, and many people had the opportunity to experience it.

WE LABO editorial article here →https://we-labo.jp/contents/column/20240313/