Pepero Day 2026 (11/11): Limited Editions and Ordering from Abroad

Pepero Day is November 11, when people in Korea give each other Pepero, Lotte Wellfood's chocolate-dipped biscuit sticks. The date's four ones look like four sticks. For 2026, Lotte Wellfood announced 10 limited packages on October 14, including two Stray Kids packs, four Sanrio Characters packs and a Ganadi set. Plain Pepero is sold in dozens of countries, but the seasonal packs are made for the Korean market.

This guide covers what is in the 2026 lineup, where the day comes from, what Pepero costs in Korea, and how to get the Korea-only packs abroad.

Quick facts

Item	Value
Date	November 11 every year (Wednesday in 2026)
Maker	Lotte Wellfood (formerly Lotte Confectionery)
Pepero launched	1983
2026 limited lineup	10 packages, announced October 14, 2026
2026 collaborations	Stray Kids (2), Sanrio Characters (4), Ganadi (1)
2026 gift sets	Sampler 6-pack, Carrier 4-pack, Gift 6-pack
Purchase gift	Spend ₩30,000+ on Pepero: Stray Kids tarpaulin bag and keyring, or Ganadi hand mirror
Regular Choco Pepero (54g)	Recommended price ₩2,000 after a February 2025 increase
Sold abroad	57 countries, according to Lotte Wellfood (2025)

Checked on October 15, 2026.

What is Pepero Day?

Pepero Day (빼빼로데이, Ppaeppaero Dei) is an unofficial gift day on November 11. Friends, couples, classmates and coworkers give each other Pepero, often in decorated boxes or homemade bundles. The date was chosen because 11.11 looks like four Pepero sticks standing side by side.

The name comes from the snack. Pepero (빼빼로, ppaeppaero) plays on 빼빼 (ppaeppae), a Korean word for very thin. Lotte Confectionery launched it in 1983, and the range grew from the original chocolate stick to almond, nude (filled), Crunky and white chocolate versions.

Where the day came from. Most accounts trace it to schoolgirls in Busan and the wider Gyeongsang region in the early 1990s, who swapped Pepero as a wish to stay slim. Herald Economy dates the trend to 1993 and the first news coverage to 1996. Lotte Wellfood says the company did not invent the day; it grew out of student culture, and the company began marketing it heavily once sales took off.

How big it is. Retail data reported by Asia Economy in 2022 put the November share of annual Pepero sales at 36% to 52% depending on the store chain. Herald Economy reported that about half of Pepero's annual sales happen around November 11. In a survey cited by Asia Economy, unmarried adults ranked Pepero Day fourth among important anniversaries, ahead of Valentine's Day.

How do people in Korea celebrate it?

There is no fixed ritual, which is part of why it spread. Typical scenes on November 11:

• Classrooms and offices. Students hand out single packs to classmates. Coworkers leave a box on each other's desks. It is low-stakes, closer to sharing candy than to a romantic gift.
• Couples. For couples it works like a small Valentine's Day, with bigger gift boxes, sometimes paired with flowers or a stuffed toy.
• Homemade Pepero. Some people dip breadsticks in melted chocolate and decorate them at home, which is cheaper and more personal than store boxes.
• Store displays. Supermarkets and convenience stores build seasonal displays of gift boxes, baskets and character bundles.

The other November 11. The same date is also Farmers' Day (농업인의 날, Nongeobin-ui Nal), an official commemoration day. The characters for "soil" (土) look like 十 and 一 stacked, and the doubled character reads as 11/11. Since 2006, Korea's agriculture ministry has promoted it as Garaetteok Day (가래떡데이), encouraging people to share long rice cake sticks instead of Pepero to support rice consumption. You will see both in Korean news every year.

What is in the Pepero Day 2026 lineup?

Lotte Wellfood announced its 2026 season packages on October 14, 2026. There are 10 of them:

Package	Number	What we know
Stray Kids	2	Almond and White Cookie flavors; Stray Kids is Pepero's global ambassador
Sanrio Characters	4	Hello Kitty, Pochacco, Cinnamoroll and Hangyodong; Choco, Crunky and two assorted packs; includes character goods such as stickers and bookmarks
Ganadi assorted 5-pack	1	Ganadi is a popular Korean character; includes character goods
Sampler 6-pack	1	Six flavors in one box
Carrier 4-pack	1	A box shaped like a carry bag
Gift 6-pack	1	Premium gift packaging

Lotte is also bringing back Pepero Double Rich Salty Vanilla, a dessert-style premium Pepero that sold as a limited item in the first half of 2026.

Purchase gifts. Shoppers who spend ₩30,000 or more on Pepero products can get a Stray Kids tarpaulin bag and keyring or a Ganadi hand mirror, according to the announcement. Financial News also reported a random Sanrio shopping bag (one of four designs) for ₩30,000+ purchases that include a Sanrio package. The articles did not say which stores run these gifts or until when, so treat them as possibly store-only and while stock lasts.

Prices for the 2026 packages were not in the announcement. Check the product page before ordering.

How did Pepero Day lineups look in past years?

The pattern is consistent: a celebrity or character tie-in, gift-style packaging, and a launch in October.

Year	What Lotte did around Pepero Day
2023	Global campaign with NewJeans
2024	Global campaign with NewJeans; "Show your love with Pepero" slogan; Seongsu pop-up in Seoul on October 19-20 drew over 3,000 visitors; campaigns in 15 countries including a Times Square ad
2025	Stray Kids named global ambassador; campaign events in Singapore, the Philippines and Mexico
2026	10 limited packages announced October 14, with Stray Kids, Sanrio and Ganadi

If you are reading this after November 11, 2026: Pepero Day packages are seasonal. Next year's lineup will most likely be announced in October again, based on the timing of the last several years, but nothing is announced until Lotte announces it.

Can you buy Pepero outside Korea?

Plain Pepero, yes. Lotte Wellfood told SBS Biz in 2025 that Pepero is sold in 57 countries, with North America and the Philippines as its main markets, and that exports passed 100 million units in 2024. An assortment pack reached Costco Canada in March 2024 and Costco stores in the US Northeast that October. Lotte also began producing Pepero in India in 2025.

The growth is recent. Pepero exports were ₩29.4 billion in 2020 and ₩70.1 billion in 2024, up 30% on 2023, according to the same report. Since 2020, Lotte has run global Pepero Day campaigns timed to November 11, and Money Today reported in November 2025 that the number of target countries rose from 13 in 2023 to 15 in 2024. In other words, Pepero Day is something Lotte is actively exporting, not only the snack.

So for Original, Almond or Crunky, check your local Asian grocery or big-box store first. It will usually be the cheapest option.

The Korea-market Pepero Day packages are a different matter. The Stray Kids and Sanrio boxes, the gift sets and the purchase gifts are made for Korean stores during the season. Whether any of them appear abroad is up to Lotte's local distributors.

	Buy direct	You buy, we ship (package forwarding)	We buy for you (HaulKorea)
Regular Pepero	Local Asian grocery, some big-box stores	Not worth the shipping alone	Only as part of a bigger box
Korea-only 2026 packages	Not sold abroad by Lotte, as far as we know	Only if you can order on a Korean site	Possible from online listings; food rules apply
₩30,000 purchase gifts	No	Depends on the store running it	Not promised; often store-only
Korean phone verification	Not needed	Needed on most Korean sites	Not needed

Where are Pepero Day packages sold in Korea?

In Korea, Pepero Day is largely a convenience store event. The 2022 Asia Economy figures show November accounting for up to half of a year's Pepero sales at chains like GS25. Supermarkets and hypermarkets carry the packages too.

Online, Pepero listings appear on the big Korean marketplaces such as Coupang, Gmarket and 11st. A listing that says 빼빼로데이 기획 (ppaeppaero dei gihoek, Pepero Day special pack) is the one you want. Check the photos to see which design you are getting, because sellers often list several under one link.

How do you order Korea-only Pepero from abroad?

Pepero is food, so start with the rules, then the steps.

Food rules. Every country treats imported food differently. Chocolate products may contain milk, and some places restrict dairy products in parcels. For the US, the FDA's policy on gifts covers food bought by an individual and shipped by that individual, not food shipped by a business; shipments from a business generally fall under prior notice rules. Carriers also set their own food rules. Read what you cannot ship from Korea, and ask us before you order any food.

If we confirm it can go to your country:

1. Find the listing on a Korean marketplace and copy the address.
2. Write the exact design. "Stray Kids, White Cookie" or "Sanrio, Cinnamoroll Choco." Collaboration listings bundle several designs under one link.
3. Add other things you want from Korea. A box of Pepero alone is mostly air and costs a lot to ship for what it is.
4. Check the total. It includes international shipping. You pay once by PayPal, with no Korean phone, card or account.
5. We buy and receive the items at our warehouse in Korea.
6. Check the inspection photos before shipping, especially the design and the box condition.
7. We ship. If the box weighs less than estimated, we refund the shipping difference. There is no second charge.

Duty and tax are not included in the total. In every country, including the US, the recipient pays local duty, tax and any carrier clearance fee on arrival.

Will it arrive by November 11?

That depends on your country, the carrier and customs, and we do not promise delivery dates. Some practical points:

• The 2026 packages went on sale in mid October. The earlier you send a link, the more time there is.
• Popular designs can sell out. Have a second choice ready.
• It does not have to be on the day. Many people abroad treat Pepero Day packs as a collectible or a late gift. The boxes are the point.
• Combine with year-end shopping. November also brings Korea's 11/11 marketplace sales. See Korea 11.11 sales 2026.

What does Pepero cost in Korea?

Lotte Wellfood raised prices on 26 snack products by an average of 9.5% on February 17, 2025. Choco Pepero (54g) went from a recommended ₩1,800 to ₩2,000, SBS Biz reported. Convenience stores and marketplaces set their own selling prices, and Pepero Day bundles are priced separately, so check the listing (prices as of October 2026 vary by seller).

What makes a Pepero order expensive from abroad is not the snack. It is the shipping. Gift boxes are light but bulky, and international carriers charge by size as well as weight. That is why a Pepero box makes the most sense tucked into a parcel that is going anyway, with skincare, books or clothes. See combining orders from Korea.

What else do people send for Pepero Day?

Pepero Day sits in a busy gift season. Some ideas that are not food:

• Character goods. The Sanrio and Ganadi packs include stickers and bookmarks; Korean character shops sell much more. See Korean character goods.
• K-pop items. If the recipient is a Stray Kids fan, the official merchandise route is through the agency's own shop. See where to buy K-pop merch.
• Gift sets. Korea's year-end gift sets are a category of their own. See Korean gift sets.
• Snacks more broadly. See our page on Korean snacks, with the same food rules.

What can go wrong?

Melted or crushed sticks. Pepero is thin and chocolate-coated. Boxes get crushed, and chocolate softens in warm warehouses or trucks. November weather helps in the northern hemisphere, not in the southern one.

Expiry dates. Korean labels show 소비기한 (sobi gihan, consume-by date). Check the photos.

Wrong design. Collaboration listings hold several designs. Name the one you want.

Purchase gifts not included. A ₩30,000 gift run by one store chain does not come with a marketplace order. Assume no gift unless the listing says it is included.

Customs holds. Food is the category customs looks at most closely. Ask us before you order.

Bundling with goods. Collaboration packs that include stickers or bookmarks are still food packages. The goods inside do not change how the parcel is treated.

FAQ

When is Pepero Day 2026?

Wednesday, November 11, 2026. It is the same date every year, chosen because 11.11 looks like four Pepero sticks.

What are the Pepero Day 2026 limited editions?

Lotte Wellfood announced 10 packages on October 14, 2026: two Stray Kids packs, four Sanrio Characters packs, a Ganadi assorted 5-pack, and Sampler, Carrier and Gift sets. Double Rich Salty Vanilla also returns for the season.

Is Pepero Day a real holiday in Korea?

No. It is not a public holiday. It is a gift custom that grew from student culture in the 1990s and is now a big retail event.

Who started Pepero Day?

Most accounts point to schoolgirls in the Busan area in the early 1990s. Lotte Wellfood says the company did not create it, though it later marketed it heavily.

Can I buy Pepero in the US?

Regular Pepero, yes. Lotte says Pepero is sold in 57 countries, and it reached Costco stores in the US Northeast in 2024. Korea-only Pepero Day packages are a separate matter.

Can HaulKorea send Pepero abroad?

Pepero is food, and food rules differ by country and carrier. Ask us before you order, and we will tell you whether it can go to your address.

How do I get the Stray Kids Pepero gift?

The 2026 announcement says shoppers spending ₩30,000 or more on Pepero can get a Stray Kids bag and keyring or a Ganadi mirror. It did not name the participating stores, so the gift may only be available in person.

How much is Pepero in Korea?

Choco Pepero (54g) has had a recommended price of ₩2,000 since February 2025. Pepero Day bundles cost more and vary by seller.

Ready to plan a Pepero Day box?

Pick the design on a Korean listing, write out exactly which pack you want, and send us the link together with anything else from Korea. We will check the food rules for your country and show you the full total before you pay.