popularity poll – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today. Sun, 17 May 2026 09:00:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/05/en_rocket_1024.png?w=32 popularity poll – SoraNews24 —Japan News— https://soranews24.com 32 32 176746664 Baskin-Robbins Japan’s 2026 popularity poll results are in and the champion flavor is crowned https://soranews24.com/2026/05/17/baskin-robbins-japans-2026-popularity-poll-results-are-in-and-the-champion-flavor-is-crowned/ https://soranews24.com/2026/05/17/baskin-robbins-japans-2026-popularity-poll-results-are-in-and-the-champion-flavor-is-crowned/#comments Sun, 17 May 2026 09:00:29 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=733177

One flavor still rules the nation.

For the last five years, Baskin-Robbins Japan (colloquially known as “31”) has been holding an annual Flavor Election that petitions fans of its ice cream to vote for their top flavors to discover the nation’s favorite.

Out of a possible 1,400 original flavors that could have been potentially chosen from across the 53 years it has been operating in Japan, Baskin-Robbins narrowed down the contenders to the top 100, based on their own data, for fans to vote on and determine the tops spots in popularity.

Starting with the overall top five, the tallies are:

With more than double the amount of votes as second place, this year’s runaway champion is Love Potion 31, a flavor poised to make you fall in love with it thanks to a delightful mix of raspberry and white chocolate ice cream with chocolate heart accents.

▼ Caramel Ribbon, Strawberry Cheesecake, Cookies and Cream, Dainagon Azuki, Love Potion 31, Very Berry Strawberry

One of the charms of Baskin-Robbins is the rotating limited-edition menu, with new and exciting flavors available each season, necessitating regular visits for anyone with even a hint of a sweet tooth. The most popular among the limited-edition flavors are:

While Cotton Candy was second in the limited-time category in last year’s poll, this year the sweet cotton candy ice cream rose to the top of this sub-section for the first time, with Baskin-Robbins’ cherry ice cream with rich cherry chunks a very close second.

▼ Burgundy Cherry, Cotton Candy, Tea Au Lait, Strawberry Royal Milk Tea, Mandarin Orange Cheesecake, White Tiramisu

Of course, with so many new flavors making appearances each year, there are naturally promising newcomers who are looking to build their fanbase. The flavors that have overtaken their fellow new counterparts in the poll this year are:

Melty Strawberry Chocolate is a mouthwatering addition to Baskin-Robbins’s offerings that’s a mix of a chocolate and strawberry ice creams, further blended with a ribbon of strawberry sauce and chocolate chunks to balance its sweet and slightly sour elements.

This time around, Baskin-Robbins has introduced a new category: Double. The option of choosing two flavors and enjoying double the deliciousness is a highly recommended way to experience the ice cream at Baskin-Robbins, so what better way to find out the next combination to try than learning other people’s pairing of choice.

The top picks for Doubles are:

Considering how popular Love Potion 31 was found to be, it comes as no surprise that a combination featuring it has reached first place with close to three times the votes as second place.

However, the list also has what might seem like an anomaly: every choice in the top five includes the Popping Shower, a flavor of mint ice cream with popping candy pieces mixed in. In fact, it was in every combination in the Top 9. Seeing the mint and chocolate ice cream, mixed with popping candy, featured so often, it is a testament to how beloved the flavor is. In total, Popping Shower enters the top 50 list a total of 19 times, including seventeenth place where it is paired with itself, so its popularity is without question. The fact remains, though, that it does not show up at all in the 100 flavors in the single category. So, why is that?

▼ The legendary Popping Shower

Well, Popping Shower is simply too popular. After its inclusion in the first-ever poll, where it absolutely crushed the competition, it was determined that any future poll would similarly be dominated by Popping Shower, so it was ceremoniously retired into the Hall of Fame and removed from the candidate list from the second poll onwards, giving the other flavors a shot at the glory of being crowned champion. Popping Shower was allowed special entry into the Double category where it demonstrated that its dominance over other flavors has not diminished at all with time.

As a result of the poll, Baskin-Robbins Japan have pledged to turn the overall winner Love Potion 31 into an original keychain to be given to 31 winners selected by lottery from those who voted for it. They also promise to re-release the top three limited-edition flavors in 2027, so keep your eyes peeled for their return. In addition, there will also be gift cards, all-you-can-eat event vouchers, and variety box vouchers up for grabs in the lottery for those who participated in the poll. If you want to be in a chance for winning, keep checking for news of the poll next year.

With the frequently rotating menu, the best time to visit Baskin-Robbins is: always. However, if you don’t eat ice cream very often, but still want to see what all the fuss is about, you can’t go wrong with getting a Double with this year’s champion, Love Potion 31, and the eternal king Popping Shower.

Related: Baskin-Robbins Japan
Source: Baskin-Robbins Japan, PR Times via Golden Times
Images: PR Times
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2026/05/17/baskin-robbins-japans-2026-popularity-poll-results-are-in-and-the-champion-flavor-is-crowned/feed/ 0 733177 main_0ef0ed Baskin-Robbins Japan’s ice cream popularity poll leaves out fan favourite — but why?! https://soranews24.com/2023/04/05/baskin-robbins-japans-ice-cream-popularity-poll-leaves-out-fan-favourite-but-why/ https://soranews24.com/2023/04/05/baskin-robbins-japans-ice-cream-popularity-poll-leaves-out-fan-favourite-but-why/#comments Wed, 05 Apr 2023 13:00:54 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=620329

Baskin-Robbins Japan’s iconic ice cream flavour gets snubbed in this year’s Elections, and we wanna know why!

American ice-cream chain Baskin-Robbins (or as it’s more popularly known here, 31) is celebrating its 50th anniversary of when it first came to Japan. It’s also currently in the middle of its Flavour Election — an annual popularity poll to find out which one of Baskin-Robbins’ many different flavours is the most popular with customers. With close to 200,000 votes having been cast at the time of writing, it’s clear that this is something ice cream fans across the country take seriously, and with the election being in its third year, everyone must be keen to see which flavour will take the top spot this time.

With such an impressive roster of flavours available, it might be hard for you to pick your absolute favourite, but our reporter Ahiruneko had already decided before he’d even opened up the voting page. His vote would be going to…

… Baskin-Robbins Japan’s iconic Popping Shower ice cream. Released back in 2000 under the name ‘Millennium’, Popping Shower is a mixture of white chocolate and mint-flavoured ice cream, with popping candy spread throughout.

But as Ahiruneko went to cast his vote…

… it wasn’t on the list of flavours at all!

Try as he might, Ahiruneko just couldn’t find Popping Shower on the list of flavours to vote for at all. He checked once more and saw, written underneath the link to the voting page —

“Our by-far most popular flavour, Popping Shower has been inducted into the Baskin Robbins Hall of Fame once more this year!”

But why? In the popularity poll’s inaugural contest back in 2021, Popping Shower was declared the winner with a whopping 507,052 votes, and so in 2022’s poll it was added to the Hall of Fame, presumably as ‘reigning champion’.

But last year’s winner, Chocolate Mint, wasn’t inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, despite taking 2022’s top spot. So how come Popping Shower was ‘retired’ into the Hall of Fame after just one year?

Ahiruneko decided to ask a Baskin-Robbins representative, who told him simply, “It gets too many votes!”

In the 2021 Flavour Election, Popping Shower not only won, but by an impressive margin; it beat the second place spot, Love Potion 31, by over 25,000 votes.

▼ On top of that, its popularity was overwhelmingly well spread over all age and gender demographics.

Popping Shower ended up in the top five for all demographics, with the majority of demographics declaring it their favourite. (It’s not clear what happens to Japanese women once they turn 50 that makes them stop liking Popping Shower as much, but it’s good to see that whatever it is disappears when they hit 60.) And according to a report back in 2021, Popping Shower had been the best selling flavour at Baskin-Robbins for 13 years in a row!

So, Baskin-Robbins Japan decided to ‘retire’ Popping Shower from their Flavour Elections for the simple reason that it’s too darn popular, and including it in the election would render the whole thing pointless. Try as he might, Ahiruneko couldn’t come up with any other kind of food with such a universal appeal, transcending generations. Sushi? Yakiniku? Curry? Nope. Popping Shower may be the food that unites all of Japan.

This year’s election includes a whopping 100 different flavours that have been released over the past fifty years to choose from, so although there was no Popping Shower, Ahiruneko would have no problem finding a replacement to vote for.

Of course, the most scientifically accurate way to find out your favourite flavour of Baskin-Robbins ice cream is to sample them all. Luckily for the SoraNews24 team, Baskin-Robbins have re-released their Anniversary Box containing all 31 flavours currently on the roster, so Ahiruneko wouldn’t be alone in choosing his runner-up. Because after all, there’s nothing we like more here at SoraNews24 than eating an obscene amount of Baskin-Robbins ice cream.

Related: Baskin-Robbins Japan Flavour Election
Images: ©SoraNews24
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2023/04/05/baskin-robbins-japans-ice-cream-popularity-poll-leaves-out-fan-favourite-but-why/feed/ 0 620329 IMG_6249 There’s still time to vote for your favorite Sanrio mascot character of 2021! https://soranews24.com/2021/04/23/theres-still-time-to-vote-for-your-favorite-sanrio-mascot-character-of-2021/ https://soranews24.com/2021/04/23/theres-still-time-to-vote-for-your-favorite-sanrio-mascot-character-of-2021/#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2021 01:00:21 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=540186

The preliminary rankings have been called, but it’s still anyone’s game. Who will be crowned the cutest critter in the Hello Kitty crop?

Each year brings with it one of the mightiest challenges in human history. Every year, the best of the best fight tooth and nail to secure their spot on one of the most vaunted ranking lists in the history of capitalism.

We’re talking, of course, about the annual Sanrio popularity poll. Every year, Sanrio’s ample gallery of adorable mascots lines up on a webpage for the common public to peruse and then vote for their favorite. While Hello Kitty serves as the company’s primary mascot and moneymaker, it’s not guaranteed that she’ll secure the top spot: though she ranked first in 2019, it was her first win in six years, and she was quickly dethroned last year when fluffy white dog Cinnamoroll took first place.

Voting is still underway to determine 2021’s champion mascot, but Sanrio released a preliminary shortlist of the current contenders for the top ten places.

The current holder of tenth place is Bad Batz-Maru, a little black penguin with attitude. He came in 14th place last year.

In ninth place, we have classic mascot Tuxedo Sam, a blue penguin created in 1979. He came in tenth last year—could penguins be coming back into style?

Meanwhile, the queen of the company is keeping spot number eight nice and warm. It’s Hello Kitty herself! She placed a respectable fifth place last time around.

In at number seven, we have a surprise contender: the tiny flour dough fairy Cogimyun. She’s been rising in popularity since her creation in 2015, and expressed a desire to rank in the top ten when the results are announced for real. She placed 13th last year.

Pastel-patterned twins Kiki and Lala, also known as the Little Twin Stars, share the sixth spot…for now. They came in ninth place last year and still have a fervent fanbase after all these years.

Fifth place currently belongs to pretty pink bunny My Melody who debuted in 1975, the same year as Little Twin Stars. She’s allegedly Hello Kitty’s best friend and her saccharine strawberry aesthetic is still a big hit with fans: she came in fourth last year.

Speaking of My Melody, her naughty alter-ego Kuromi is sitting pretty at fourth place. She’s much newer than My Melody herself, with a creation date of 2005, and she came in seventh place last year.

Third, we have puppy mascot Pochacco. Pochacco was created in 1989 and had something of a slump in popularity, but he’s back in full force as the kids who grew up with him seek him out once more. Last year he came in third, so maybe he might end up doing even better this year?

Caramel flan puppy Pom Pom Purin is the current holder of the second-place title, and also came in second last year. Purin has won character popularity polls in the past, but has graciously stated that he doesn’t mind losing this year—so long as he wins five years from now, which would mark 30 years since his 1996 debut.

So the current top dog as denoted by these preliminary results is, of course, none other than the cloudy fluffy mass known as Cinnamoroll. He won last year, so can he secure a two-year streak? Only time will tell!

So there you have it. Our current lineup consists of some truly adorable mascots, but who will triumph to take the top ten spots in the end?

You’re welcome to encourage your favorites by voting through yourself on the smartphone-enabled voting website here. You can vote for any of your Sanrio favorites, even the ones not listed here, so don’t panic if you’re desperate to vote for Aggretsuko or Gudetama. Voting lasts until June 8, with another interim result planned to be published on May 13.

In the meantime, why not check out some of the results for other fun polls Sanrio has run over the years?

Related: Sanrio Character Poll Voting Page
Source, images: PR Times
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]]> https://soranews24.com/2021/04/23/theres-still-time-to-vote-for-your-favorite-sanrio-mascot-character-of-2021/feed/ 0 540186 mainsn Sailor Moon fails to take the top spot in Japan’s giant Sailor Moon anime popularity poll https://soranews24.com/2020/12/09/sailor-moon-fails-to-take-the-top-spot-in-japans-giant-sailor-moon-anime-popularity-poll/ https://soranews24.com/2020/12/09/sailor-moon-fails-to-take-the-top-spot-in-japans-giant-sailor-moon-anime-popularity-poll/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2020 04:00:22 +0000 https://soranews24.com/?p=525166

Ordinary-schoolgirl Usagi Tsukino is far less loved than her Sailor Senshi form, but even the celestial star of the show gets outvoted.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK recently wrapped up an online poll asking fans to pick their favorite character from the Sailor Moon anime franchise. The voting is now finished, and while some of the results are no surprise, the big shocker is that Sailor Moon herself failed to capture the top spot in the popularity rankings for her own series.

A total of 82,706 votes were cast, with 89 percent of the respondents being women, and only 11 percent men. Age-wise, the largest groups were respondents aged 30-39, followed by 20-29 (30.6 percent), 19 and younger (11.7 percent) and 40-49 (8.3 percent). Also, before we get to the top 50 results, keep in mind that the poll split each character up into all of his or her alter egos (with the sole exception of Helios/Pegasus, who ended up at number 33). That means, for example, that votes for Sailor Moon, her ordinary schoolgirl persona Usagi Tsukino, her past life Princess Serenity, and her future-self Neo Queen Serenity were all counted separately.

As a result, the Sailor Senshi and their secret identities dominated the upper rankings, accounting for 15 of the top 20. Notable characters pushed out of the top 20 included Setsuna Meioh (Sailor Pluto’s civilian form, ranked 48), Luna (30), Tuxedo Mask (27), Mamoru Chiba (26), Sailor Chibi Moon (25), Chibiusa (23). Sailor Pluto (22) and Rei Hino (Sailor Mars’ secret identity, 21).

OK, with that groundwork laid, let’s look at the top 20 results.

20. Sailor Jupiter
19. Black Lady
18. Luna (human form)
17. Tomoe Hotaru
16. Sailor Mars
15. Usagi Tsukino
14. Sailor Neptune
13. Princess Serenity
12. Sailor Venus
11. Fish Eye

▼ Fish Eye, in case the name doesn’t ring a bell

https://twitter.com/heartmush/status/924023436325900288

The 11-20 group has a surprisingly strong showing from cat mentor Luna’s human form, which she only appears in for the Sailor Moon S movie and briefly in one episode of Sailor Moon Crystal, but left enough of an impression to inspire a wedding gown and lingerie set based on the character’s design. Another unexpected presence is Sailor Moon R sub-villain Fish Eye, and this is also where Usagi Tsukino shows up, putting her in the bottom half of likability for the Sailor Senshi’s everyday identities.

10. Sailor Mercury
9. Ami Mizuno
8. Makoto Kino
7. Sailor Saturn
6. Michiru Kaioh
5. Kou Seiya
4. Minako Aino

▼ Makoto Kino at 8th will seem way too low for fans with refined taste.

IT'S MAKOTO'S BIRTHDAY!! #MakotoKino / #SailorJupiter birthday is December 5th!#木野まこと生誕祭2020#木野まこと誕生祭2020#木野まこと #sailormoon#セーラージュピター生誕祭2020#セーラージュピター誕生祭2020#セーラージュピター #セーラームーン pic.twitter.com/9FfbbORnCe

— Shoujo Mojo (@ShoujoMojo) December 5, 2020

During the Sailor Moon anime’s 1990s TV broadcast, in Japan it was Sailor Mercury/Ami Mizuno who had the most vocally loyal fanbase. NHK’s poll, however, has Sailor Jupiter’s alter ego Makoto Kino beating out both forms of the character, and among the Inner Senshi’s schoolgirl personas it’s Minako Aino (a.k.a. Sailor Venus) who ranks the highest, and who also makes the top four spots a sweep for Sailor Moon’s blonds.

3. Haruka Tenoh
2. Sailor Moon
1. Sailor Uranus

▼ Sailor Uranus

セーラーウラヌス1位！！！！！
推しが一位を取りました！！！！
おめでとうううううう！！！！！#全セーラームーン pic.twitter.com/tWWdKCLIy3

— ほしのひかり✩⡱ (@hoshinohikarico) December 5, 2020

In the end, Sailor Moon only manages to climb to the number-two spot, sandwiched between Haruka Tenoh and her Outer Senshi form of Sailor Uranus.

NHK’s results don’t mention the exact vote count for each character, so there’s no way to tell how wide Sailor Uranus’ margin of victory was. However, with Uranus/Haruka finishing at numbers 1 and 3, compared to Moon/Usagi’s 2 and 15, pooling the alternate-form votes would likely have the Outer Senshi well ahead of the anime’s titular star.

As a matter of fact, with the exception of the oft-forgotten/off-screen Setsuna, none of the Senshi had a bigger gap between their Sailor and non-Sailor forms than Usagi and Sailor Moon. Maybe that shouldn’t be so shocking, considering that the anime’s commitment to consistently showcasing Usagi’s lazy or selfish tendencies can sometimes end up making her personality grating instead of relatable, and it’s possible that aspect of the character is part of what ultimately made even her role as Sailor Moon less admirable in voters’ eyes than the always strong and cool Sailor Uranus.

Source: NHK
Top image: NHK
Insert image ©SoraNews24 
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