上海“大白兔”热销全球

文/莉莉·马库斯 玛吉·秀芙·王（音译） 译/范婕

When ice cream maker Adrienne Borlongan first experimented with a White Rabbit flavor, she thought it tasted like “cheap vanilla”.A few weeks after adding it to the rotating lineup at her Los Angeles shop, Wanderlust Creamery, visitors were about as meh on it as she was.But when Borlongan posted a photo of an ice cream cone wrapped in White Rabbit-branded paper, word quickly spread on social media.The candy, first manufactured in Shanghai in the 1940s, is known for its iconic red-white-and-blue packaging and beloved by kids all over China.And when Chinese people began emigrating all over the world, their love for the white, creamy candy went with them.

2Soon after Borlongan posted that photo, people were driving to Wanderlust from all over California.And that’s when she realized she had a phenomenon on her hands.Since then, White Rabbit has been a mainstay of Wanderlust’s ice cream lineup and is regularly sold out in their webshop.

冰淇淋制造商阿德里安娜·博洛根第一次试吃大白兔奶糖味的冰淇淋时，她觉得这尝起来像“廉价的香草味”。在她位于洛杉矶的冰淇淋店“漫游癖”里，她把大白兔奶糖味的冰淇淋添进了轮换菜单。几周后，客人们的反应和她当初一样冷淡。后来，博洛根在网上发布了一张圆筒冰淇淋的照片，这个圆筒冰淇淋包在印有大白兔奶糖商标的纸托里。照片一发布，相关信息迅速在社交媒体上传播开来。大白兔奶糖最早于20 世纪40年代在上海生产，以其标志性的红白蓝包装为人熟知，深受中国各地的孩子喜爱。随着中国人开始移居世界各地，他们把对这款白色奶糖的喜爱也带到了当地。

2博洛根发布那张照片后不久，加利福尼亚州各地的人们纷纷驱车前往“漫游癖”。这时博洛根才意识到自己手上的这款冰淇淋是个宝贝。自此，大白兔奶糖味冰淇淋成了“漫游癖”冰淇淋系列的主打款，在他们的网店上也经常被抢购一空。

3But the story of a bestselling ice cream is about way more than taste—it’s about the overseas Chinese, the power of nostalgia, and adorable, eye-catching branding.

Made in China

4White Rabbit’s origins date back to a now-defunct business called the ABC Company, founded in Shanghai in 1943.It was later sold to the stateowned Guan Sheng Yuan Food Group,which owns it to this day.Originally,the candies had a picture of Mickey Mouse on their wrappers—perfect for appealing to children.But as Chinese national pride soared and it became less fashionable to use Western images, the company rebranded and put a cartoon rabbit on the packaging instead.

5The mix of colorful, easy-to-spot wrappers and the sweet milky taste proved a winner.Kids from Beijing to Hong Kong grew up on the sweets, and it also became a national symbol of the country—most famously, US President Richard Nixon was given some when he made his historic visit to China in 1972.

3然而，这款畅销冰淇淋的故事讲述的远不止味道，还关乎海外华人、怀旧的力量，以及可爱醒目的品牌形象。

中国制造

4大白兔奶糖源自上海“爱皮西糖果厂”，该糖果厂成立于1943 年，现已不存在。后来，这款奶糖被卖给了国营的冠生园食品集团，至今一直为该集团所有。起初，奶糖包装上的图案是一只米老鼠，非常适合用来吸引孩子。然而，随着中国人的民族自豪感高涨，使用西方形象就不怎么时兴了，于是冠生园为这款奶糖重新设计了品牌形象，在包装上改用一只卡通兔子的图案。

5香甜的奶味加上显眼的彩色包装使大白兔奶糖大获成功。从北京到香港，全中国的孩子都是吃着大白兔奶糖长大的。这款奶糖还成为中国的一个国家象征——最著名的事件便是1972 年美国时任总统理查德·尼克松对中国进行历史性访问时，收到了中方送他的大白兔奶糖。

6As for the flavor? The creamy consistency comes from actual milk, and there’s an edible piece of rice paper between the candy and the wrapper to prevent melting.Over the years, White Rabbit tried out other flavors, including red bean and peanut.But it’s the original version that has the most nostalgia connected to it.

7However, the candy’s popularity can be easily seen in the enthusiastic response in the market towards all things White Rabbit.The White Rabbit brand has amassed a devoted following among the newer generation that has moved beyond its various flavored candies.When it teamed up with a local beauty brand to sell White Rabbitinspired lip balms online in 2018, the first batch of 920 products sold out in half a minute.An additional 10,000 sets of lip balm sold out in three hours when sales opened the next day.In 2019, a pop-up White Rabbit Milk Tea shop in Shanghai was so popular that people were willing to wait in line for up to four hours for a cup of milk tea.

A new generation

8Some of the kids who grew up snacking on White Rabbit candies are now artists, chefs and entrepreneurs doing their part to evolve the brand.“I did grow up with White Rabbit.During my childhood the variety of candy was not very rich, the White Rabbit candy was very popular, even a little extravagant,”says Li Xiang, founder of X+ Living and chief designer of the White Rabbit Flagship store in Shanghai.“It sweetened the childhood of many people.”

6这款奶糖的味道如何呢？那浓浓的奶味源自纯牛奶，为防止软化，奶糖和外包装纸之间还裹着一层可食用的米纸。多年来，“大白兔”也曾尝试推出其他口味，包括红豆味和花生味，但还是原味最能勾起人们的怀旧之情。

7只要是与“大白兔”有关的东西，市场反响都很热烈，可见这款奶糖有多受欢迎。大白兔品牌在年轻一代中积累了一大批铁杆粉丝，他们购买的可不仅仅是各种口味的大白兔奶糖。2018 年，“大白兔”联合中国某本土美妆品牌，在网上销售以大白兔奶糖为灵感来源的润唇膏，第一批920 支仅用半分钟就卖完了。次日追加的1 万套润唇膏，上架3 小时便售罄。2019 年，上海的大白兔奶茶快闪店也颇受欢迎，为买到一杯奶茶，人们愿意排长达4 小时的队。

新一代“大白兔”人

8吃大白兔奶糖长大的孩子，有的如今已是艺术家、大厨、企业家，他们在为这个品牌的发展尽自己的一份力。“我就是吃着大白兔奶糖长大的。在我的童年，糖果种类不是很多，当时大白兔奶糖非常受欢迎，甚至有点奢侈。”李想说道。她是建筑设计公司唯想国际的创始人，也是位于上海的大白兔全球旗舰店的首席设计师。“大白兔奶糖让许多人拥有了甜甜的童年。”

9Growing up in Harbin in northern China, Li remembers White Rabbit as being closely linked with festivities in China—a luxurious gift for children as a special reward.But what inspires Li the most is the brand’s evolving business philosophy.“As the modern business develops, their business philosophy also evolves, such as collaborating with other brands, opening pop-up stores,selling merchandise and opening their first flagship store,” says Li.

9李想在中国北方的哈尔滨长大。在她的记忆中，大白兔奶糖与中国的各种节日密切相关，是作为特别奖励送给孩子们的一份奢侈礼物。不过，最让李想受启发的是这个品牌与时俱进的经营理念。“随着现代商业的发展，他们的经营理念也不断发展，比如与其他品牌合作、开快闪店、销售衍生产品、开设首间旗舰店，等等。”李想说道。

10当代“大白兔”的品牌形象反映在其首家常驻旗舰店的装修布局上，店里还销售以“大白兔”为主题的衍生产品，如护手霜、服装和雨伞。这家旗舰店给人的感觉更像是一个未来主义风格的游乐场，而不是糖果店。一进门，映入眼帘的是一个3D 打印的白色艺术装置，其设计灵感来自流动的牛奶。整个装置曲折贯穿于200平方米的店内空间，客人们身在其中会有一种“掉进了兔子洞”的奇幻之感。“我们希望消费者一走进来，不仅能被各种艺术装置打动，还能感受到这个品牌的精神。”李想说道。

10The brand’s modern identity is reflected in the decor of its first permanent flagship store, which also sells White Rabbit-themed merchandise like hand lotions, apparel and umbrellas.It feels more like a futuristic playground than a candy shop.Greeted by a white,3-D printed art installation—inspired by the flow of milk—that curves through the 200-square-meter space, visitors experience a whimsical feeling of “falling down a rabbit hole1兔子洞，比喻奇妙的未知世界。该典故出自《爱丽丝漫游奇境记》（Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland）。.” “We hope when customers walk into the space, they are not only impressed by the artistic installations, but can also feel the spirit of the brand,” says Li.

Courting global audiences

11By collaborating creatively with different brands, the candies have not only regained lost ground but have become even more popular among global audiences in recent years, with reports claiming the brand exports its candies to more than 40 countries around the world.Meanwhile, White Rabbit is regularly credited as an inspiration for food products and branded items.

12Hip New York City store Chop Suey Club sells socks with the White Rabbit logo on them, while parents can pass their fandom on to the next generation with Wee Bean’s candy-printed onesie.Meanwhile, online portals like Etsy and Society6, where artisans can sell their products directly to consumers, feature dozens of White Rabbit pillowcases, T-shirts and other crafts.

13But the company itself doesn’t always view these items in a positive light.There’s often a gray area in which companies or designers create products inspired by the famed brand but without its endorsement.In 2021, Bright Dairy& Food Co, which had the official rights to produce White Rabbit dairy products,filed a lawsuit against two companies in China for creating an unlicensed version of White Rabbit-flavored milk and milk tea powder.Bright Dairy & Food Co won the case and received a payment of $39,000.

迎合全球消费者

11通过与不同品牌开展创意合作，大白兔奶糖不仅成功收复失地，近几年还在全球受到了更多消费者的喜爱，有报道称该品牌的糖果出口到了全球40 多个国家。与此同时，人们常常将“大白兔”视作食品和品牌商品的灵感之源。

12纽约一家名叫“杂碎俱乐部”的时尚商店销售带有“大白兔”标识的袜子，而父母给孩子购买“小豆子”品牌印有大白兔奶糖图案的连体衣时，也能把他们的喜好传给下一代。与此同时，在手艺人可以将自己的产品直接卖给消费者的门户网站上，如Etsy 和Society6，也有不少“大白兔”商品，包括枕套、T 恤和其他手工艺品。

13然而，冠生园并不总是以积极的态度看待这些商品。通常存在这样一片灰色地带：有的公司或设计师未经许可便以这一驰名品牌为灵感来源设计生产各种产品。2021 年，拥有“大白兔”乳制品官方生产权的光明乳业股份有限公司对中国国内两家公司提起诉讼，原因是它们未经授权生产了大白兔奶糖味的牛奶和奶茶粉。光明乳业胜诉，获赔3.9 万美元。

14There are also debates surrounding Wanderlust’s White Rabbit ice cream.While Guan Sheng Yuan stated that the ice cream shop didn’t obtain the rights to sell White Rabbit ice cream with its branding, it was also pointed out on local news sites that the ice cream shop serves White Rabbit ice cream in a plain cone in the store, unlike the photo that Borlongan shared online.As a manager at Bright Dairy & Food Co said in an interview with local media,“Seeing these time-honored Shanghainese brands frequently become trending items overseas has inspired us to go global faster.” ■

14“漫游癖”的大白兔奶糖味冰淇淋也引起了不少争议。冠生园表示该冰淇淋店并未获得许可，无权销售印有“大白兔”商标的大白兔奶糖味冰淇淋。洛杉矶当地的新闻网站也指出，这家店卖的大白兔奶糖味冰淇淋用的就是普通的圆筒纸托，并不像博洛根在网上发的那样带有“大白兔”商标。正如光明乳业的一位经理在接受中国国内媒体的采访时所说，“看到这些上海老字号的产品频频在海外成为热销品，这激励我们要加快开拓国际市场的步伐。” □