Is it ice cream, or is it chocolate? It’s Caplico! This chocolate snack is designed to look like your favorite ice cream cone, so you can enjoy the treat without feeling cold. Created by Japanese food company Glico, Caplico is an airy chocolate treat that’s popular among Japanese pop culture fans. Let’s unwrap the magic of this yummy treat and discover why it’s the snack you didn’t know you needed!
- Japanese name: カプリコ (Pronounced kapuriko)
- Manufacturer: Ezaki Glico
- Fun fact: In order to promote Caplico, Glico created a pretend company where children can be employees!
WHAT IS A CAPLICO?
An ice cream cone that won’t melt on a hot summer day? That’s Caplico for you! Also known as Giant Caplico, this sweet treat is shaped like an ice cream cone, but surprise, surprise, it’s not really ice cream! Instead of ice cream, the crispy wafer cone is filled with light and fluffy aerated chocolate achieved through a special whipping process.
Caplico is created by Glico, a well-known Japanese confectionery company. One of the main selling points of this chocolate treat is its playful look. Caplico mimics an ice cream cone, making it instantly appealing, especially to children. It’s often seen as a mess-free alternative to real ice cream! Additionally, some Caplico may come in small variants in the form of mini cones, stars, and hearts. Check out these variants in our Caplico collection!
WHAT DOES CAPLICO STAND FOR?
Caplico might sound like a funny word, but it's actually a blend of two cool things! First, there's "kapuri," an onomatopoeic Japanese word that means “having a bit of something.” Then, there's "Capri," which is an island known for its happy vibes. So, when you put it all together, "Caplico" could mean having a bit of happiness in a fun, refreshing way!
HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE CAPLICO?
When you say Caplico, it sounds like “cap-lee-koh.” But in Japanese, it’s a little different. It’s more like “kapu-ree-koh,” since Ls in Japanese are pronounced as Rs. Try pronouncing it the Japanese way and have bonus points if you say it while striking a cute pose!
WHERE IS CAPLICO MADE?
Caplico is made in Japan, the land of sushi, manga, and other interesting things! Since 1970, it has been created by a food company called Ezaki Glico, commonly known as Glico. This Japanese company is famous for making lots of yummy snacks and treats like Pocky, Pretz, and Collon. So, when you’re enjoying a Caplico, you’re tasting a piece of Japan!
HOW ARE CAPLICO ICE CREAM MADE?
Making Caplico is like creating a tiny piece of magic! Here's how they put it all together: they fill the cone with the special whipped chocolate mixture. After filling it up, they let the chocolate expand and cool down til it’s super cold at around -30°C! Finally, they pinch the top of the package and seal it up tight from all four sides. When you want to eat it, you just pull open the side of the package. Caplico is made with lots of care to give you a delicious and unique snack experience!
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS IN CAPLICO ICE CREAM?
This ice cream-looking treat is made with a mix of ingredients that make it taste so good! It starts with sugar for sweetness and vegetable fat to give it a creamy texture. There's also whole milk powder for a milky flavor, and cocoa butter and cacao mass for that rich chocolate taste. They add whey powder and milk sugar to boost the milkiness even more. Different flavors are mixed in to make it just right, and a pinch of salt helps balance out the sweetness. For the crispy wafer, they use starch and wheat flour.
ARE THERE OTHER CAPLICO VARIANTS?
If you ask a Japanese friend about yummy ice cream treats, they might think of the Glico Giant Caplico right away! It's been a super popular snack in Japan for a long time. But now, it comes in different varieties that you can choose from!
Giant Caplico
This classic Caplico is a large wafer cone filled with aerated chocolate that resembles a honeycomb. It’s milky and mildly sweet, with a pleasant crunch. The Giant Caplico flavors you can try are strawberry, milk, and banana. There used to be Chocolate Mango, Super 4, and Rainbow flavors, but they were discontinued.
Mini Caplico
If you want to enjoy this Japanese chocolate in small servings, you can grab a bag of Mini Caplico. They have the same goodness as the two-layered chocolate filling of the Giant Caplico, but they’re a lot smaller, like sticks! Mini Caplico comes in an assortment pack of three flavors – chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla.
Caplico no Atama
Atama means “head” in Japanese. These bite-sized Caplico treats are called “Caplico no Atama” because they don’t have cones. All that’s left is the bubbly chocolate in the shape of hearts or stars. There are two variants for this chocolate treat. One is the Strawberry Collection with two layers of chocolate and strawberry milk in the shape of a strawberry. The other is the Milk Star Collection, which are star-shaped treats with bubbly milk and chocolate layers.
Region-Limited Caplico
Did you know Caplico has special flavors for certain places in Japan? These are region-limited flavors, which are usually bought as souvenirs. Caplico has flavors like Kyoto Uji Matcha from the Kinki region, Shinshu Apple, and Yubari Melon from Hokkaido.
Discontinued Caplico Variants
Caplico has had some fun and unique variants over the years, but some have been discontinued now. One example is Caplico Z which has the same aerated chocolate but is combined with crispy malt puffs. There’s also the Caplico Mega Combo. It looks like an ice cream sandwich with the fluffy chocolate between two crispy wafers. While you can't find them anymore, they were a hit with fans who loved trying something different from the usual Caplico.
REDUCE FOOD WASTE WITH IRREGULAR CAPLICO
Aside from the regular Caplico products, there’s also the special kind called “Irregular Caplico.” This one is a bit different because it didn’t pass the quality control due to chipped cones or extra hole in the chocolate. But even if they look flawed, they still taste just as good!
Selling Irregular Caplico is Glico’s effort to reduce food waste. Before, when they had these irregular ones, they would use the cone for animal feed and the chocolate as a raw material. But this still made some food waste. So, they decided to sell these irregular ones! You can buy these Irregular Caplicos at some supermarkets in Japan or online. People really liked this idea of reducing food waste!
MEET THE CAPLICO CHARACTERS!
Glico made munching on a Caplico even more fun with its adorable mascots. Together, they help promote the product and spread happiness! Let’s get to meet Caplico’s image characters!
Kapusuke (カプすけ)
Kapusuke is a special image character who looks just like a strawberry-flavored Caplico. He lives in a cute house located at 1-5 Ichigocho. He likes reading and eating watermelons!
Kapumi-chan (カプ美ちゃん)
Kapumi-chan is Kapusuke’s best friend and also has a strawberry flavor. She’s super cute and is always ready for fun.
Crunch-kun (クランチくん)
Crunch-kun is another friend of Kapusuke. He has a crispy crunch flavor and is a bit like a rockstar!
The Three Minicap Brothers (ミニカプ3兄弟)
Last but not least, we have the cute trio of Kapusuke’s cousins, the Three Minicap Brothers! Kapuichiro is the eldest and is strawberry-flavored, Kapujiro is the vanilla-flavored second brother, and Kapusaburo is the chocolate-flavored Mini Caplico.
HOW TO ENJOY CAPLICO
Eating a Caplico is super fun! It adds a playful twist to snack time because even though it looks like an ice cream cone, it isn’t as messy to eat. Glico actually wanted it to be a snack that you can easily eat with one hand. You can pull the top of the packaging apart of peel off the side tabs, and you’re ready to enjoy this tasty chocolate treat!
Another fun way to enjoy Caplico is by decorating it! Some people like to add sprinkles, tiny candies, or even drizzle some chocolate sauce on top! It's like giving your Caplico its own special outfit. Decorating makes snack time even more exciting and personalized! If you want to decorate your own Caplico, head over to our Caplico collection!
CAPLICO FAN MEETING
Caplico had its first-ever fan meeting for kids in Japan which was held in 2022. Even though the call for kids who love Caplico got over 300 applications, only 44 groups of elementary school kids and their parents got to join the fun!
At the event, kids got to enjoy tasting special Caplico flavors, like the Giant Caplico Uji Matcha flavor. They also watched a video of how Caplico is made, and they even saw how Kapusuke’s face was drawn on a Caplico cone. But the best part was decorating their own Caplico! Kids used chocolate pens and sweets to make their cones look special.
HAVE A LUCKY DAY WITH CAPLICO!
Did you hear about the fortune-telling Caplico? Glico hid edible drawings of Kapusuke’s face on some of the Caplico no Atamas and Giant Caplicos. If you find Kapusuke’s face on your Caplico, it means you’ll have a lucky day ahead! So, next time you open a Caplico, keep an eye out for Kapusuke and get ready for some good luck!
WIN A SPECIAL CAPLICO PRIZE!
Caplico also regularly holds a super fun special campaign just for fans. When you buy a specially marked Giant Caplico, you can enter a raffle to win an awesome remote-controlled Caplico robot! The first one was Caprobo, and then there’s Caprobo X and the latest Space Capri Car! How cool is that? 5,000 prizes were given for each campaign!
WORK IN A CAPLICO COMPANY!
In 2014, Glico made a fun way to show kids how great Giant Caplico is with a pretend company called "Kodomo Kapu Shiki Company." Kids got to be "workers" and help out in promoting the Japanese treat! The famous comedy trio "Robert" helped out too! Ryuji Akiyama was the president and Hiroshi Yamamoto and Hiroyuki Baba were his helpers. Miru Shiroma from J-pop group NMB48 was the secretary.
They started a “Business Card Giveaway” where kids could win a special card with their name on it. They also had a "President's Telephone" where kids could call and talk with President Akiyama. This campaign was based on the concept that Caplico is a company run by children, for children.
GIVE AWAY A CAPLICO BOUQUET!
Looking for a special treat to give your loved ones? Instead of flowers, why not try something unique but equally sweet, like a Giant Caplico bouquet? You can download and print an original bouquet wrapper from Glico’s website. There are four different designs to choose from! Just wrap the Caplicos in the cute paper wrapper and give it as a tasty gift to show how much you care.
CAPLICO’S ANIME COLLABORATIONS
Caplico teamed up with some popular anime shows to make snack time even more exciting! They've collaborated with popular anime shows Detective Conan and Jujutsu Kaisen to create special Caplico treats. These anime-themed Caplicos come with cool designs featuring characters from the shows. Fans can enjoy their favorite anime while munching on their favorite snack!
CAPLICO X HELLO KITTY
That’s not all! Caplico also entered the kawaii-sphere by teaming up with Hello Kitty! Glico and Sanrio brought a giveaway campaign where a total of 2,000 lucky people won limited edition goodies featuring Kapusuke and Hello Kitty. Caplico consumers simply had to paste the barcode from their Giant Caplico onto a special postcard and send it in. This was truly a kawaii collaboration!
WHERE CAN I BUY CAPLICO?
Craving some Caplico? You can snag these treats at Japanese supermarkets or konbinis. If you’re not in Japan, you may find Caplico in the imported snack aisle of your local grocery stores. But for a sure Caplifo fix, check out or Caplico collection on Japan Candy Store! Choose from our selection of Giant Caplico, Mini Caplico, and Caplico no Atama.
So there you have it! Caplico is more than just a treat; it's a little piece of Japanese joy that you can hold in your hand. Glico’s Caplico stands out in the crowded world of confections with its unique design, delightful texture, and variety of flavors. If you ever want a sweet treat that’s as cute as it is delicious, Caplico is the way to go!
Whether you're into the cones, the candy, or just the fun of trying something new, Caplico is sure to add a pop of sweetness to your day. Have you tried Caplico? What's your favorite flavor? Share your experiences in the comments below!