文/莉莉·馬庫斯 瑪吉·秀芙·王（音譯） 譯/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·博洛根第一次試吃大白兔奶糖味的冰淇淋時，她覺得這嘗起來像“廉價的香草味”。在她位于洛杉磯的冰淇淋店“漫游癖”里，她把大白兔奶糖味的冰淇淋添進了輪換菜單。幾周后，客人們的反應(yīng)和她當(dāng)初一樣冷淡。后來，博洛根在網(wǎng)上發(fā)布了一張圓筒冰淇淋的照片，這個圓筒冰淇淋包在印有大白兔奶糖商標(biāo)的紙托里。照片一發(fā)布，相關(guān)信息迅速在社交媒體上傳播開來。大白兔奶糖最早于20 世紀(jì)40年代在上海生產(chǎn)，以其標(biāo)志性的紅白藍包裝為人熟知，深受中國各地的孩子喜愛。隨著中國人開始移居世界各地，他們把對這款白色奶糖的喜愛也帶到了當(dāng)?shù)亍?/p>

2博洛根發(fā)布那張照片后不久，加利福尼亞州各地的人們紛紛驅(qū)車前往“漫游癖”。這時博洛根才意識到自己手上的這款冰淇淋是個寶貝。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，在他們的網(wǎng)店上也經(jīng)常被搶購一空。

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，這款暢銷冰淇淋的故事講述的遠不止味道，還關(guān)乎海外華人、懷舊的力量，以及可愛醒目的品牌形象。

中國制造

4大白兔奶糖源自上?！皭燮の魈枪麖S”，該糖果廠成立于1943 年，現(xiàn)已不存在。后來，這款奶糖被賣給了國營的冠生園食品集團，至今一直為該集團所有。起初，奶糖包裝上的圖案是一只米老鼠，非常適合用來吸引孩子。然而，隨著中國人的民族自豪感高漲，使用西方形象就不怎么時興了，于是冠生園為這款奶糖重新設(shè)計了品牌形象，在包裝上改用一只卡通兔子的圖案。

5香甜的奶味加上顯眼的彩色包裝使大白兔奶糖大獲成功。從北京到香港，全中國的孩子都是吃著大白兔奶糖長大的。這款奶糖還成為中國的一個國家象征——最著名的事件便是1972 年美國時任總統(tǒng)理查德·尼克松對中國進行歷史性訪問時，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這款奶糖的味道如何呢？那濃濃的奶味源自純牛奶，為防止軟化，奶糖和外包裝紙之間還裹著一層可食用的米紙。多年來，“大白兔”也曾嘗試推出其他口味，包括紅豆味和花生味，但還是原味最能勾起人們的懷舊之情。

7只要是與“大白兔”有關(guān)的東西，市場反響都很熱烈，可見這款奶糖有多受歡迎。大白兔品牌在年輕一代中積累了一大批鐵桿粉絲，他們購買的可不僅僅是各種口味的大白兔奶糖。2018 年，“大白兔”聯(lián)合中國某本土美妝品牌，在網(wǎng)上銷售以大白兔奶糖為靈感來源的潤唇膏，第一批920 支僅用半分鐘就賣完了。次日追加的1 萬套潤唇膏，上架3 小時便售罄。2019 年，上海的大白兔奶茶快閃店也頗受歡迎，為買到一杯奶茶，人們愿意排長達4 小時的隊。

新一代“大白兔”人

8吃大白兔奶糖長大的孩子，有的如今已是藝術(shù)家、大廚、企業(yè)家，他們在為這個品牌的發(fā)展盡自己的一份力。“我就是吃著大白兔奶糖長大的。在我的童年，糖果種類不是很多，當(dāng)時大白兔奶糖非常受歡迎，甚至有點奢侈。”李想說道。她是建筑設(shè)計公司唯想國際的創(chuàng)始人，也是位于上海的大白兔全球旗艦店的首席設(shè)計師?！按蟀淄媚烫亲屧S多人擁有了甜甜的童年?！?/p>

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李想在中國北方的哈爾濱長大。在她的記憶中，大白兔奶糖與中國的各種節(jié)日密切相關(guān)，是作為特別獎勵送給孩子們的一份奢侈禮物。不過，最讓李想受啟發(fā)的是這個品牌與時俱進的經(jīng)營理念?！半S著現(xiàn)代商業(yè)的發(fā)展，他們的經(jīng)營理念也不斷發(fā)展，比如與其他品牌合作、開快閃店、銷售衍生產(chǎn)品、開設(shè)首間旗艦店，等等?！崩钕胝f道。

10當(dāng)代“大白兔”的品牌形象反映在其首家常駐旗艦店的裝修布局上，店里還銷售以“大白兔”為主題的衍生產(chǎn)品，如護手霜、服裝和雨傘。這家旗艦店給人的感覺更像是一個未來主義風(fēng)格的游樂場，而不是糖果店。一進門，映入眼簾的是一個3D 打印的白色藝術(shù)裝置，其設(shè)計靈感來自流動的牛奶。整個裝置曲折貫穿于200平方米的店內(nèi)空間，客人們身在其中會有一種“掉進了兔子洞”的奇幻之感?！拔覀兿ＭM者一走進來，不僅能被各種藝術(shù)裝置打動，還能感受到這個品牌的精神?！崩钕胝f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。該典故出自《愛麗絲漫游奇境記》（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.

迎合全球消費者

11通過與不同品牌開展創(chuàng)意合作，大白兔奶糖不僅成功收復(fù)失地，近幾年還在全球受到了更多消費者的喜愛，有報道稱該品牌的糖果出口到了全球40 多個國家。與此同時，人們常常將“大白兔”視作食品和品牌商品的靈感之源。

12紐約一家名叫“雜碎俱樂部”的時尚商店銷售帶有“大白兔”標(biāo)識的襪子，而父母給孩子購買“小豆子”品牌印有大白兔奶糖圖案的連體衣時，也能把他們的喜好傳給下一代。與此同時，在手藝人可以將自己的產(chǎn)品直接賣給消費者的門戶網(wǎng)站上，如Etsy 和Society6，也有不少“大白兔”商品，包括枕套、T 恤和其他手工藝品。

13然而，冠生園并不總是以積極的態(tài)度看待這些商品。通常存在這樣一片灰色地帶：有的公司或設(shè)計師未經(jīng)許可便以這一馳名品牌為靈感來源設(shè)計生產(chǎn)各種產(chǎn)品。2021 年，擁有“大白兔”乳制品官方生產(chǎn)權(quán)的光明乳業(yè)股份有限公司對中國國內(nèi)兩家公司提起訴訟，原因是它們未經(jīng)授權(quán)生產(chǎn)了大白兔奶糖味的牛奶和奶茶粉。光明乳業(yè)勝訴，獲賠3.9 萬美元。

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爭議。冠生園表示該冰淇淋店并未獲得許可，無權(quán)銷售印有“大白兔”商標(biāo)的大白兔奶糖味冰淇淋。洛杉磯當(dāng)?shù)氐男侣劸W(wǎng)站也指出，這家店賣的大白兔奶糖味冰淇淋用的就是普通的圓筒紙托，并不像博洛根在網(wǎng)上發(fā)的那樣帶有“大白兔”商標(biāo)。正如光明乳業(yè)的一位經(jīng)理在接受中國國內(nèi)媒體的采訪時所說，“看到這些上海老字號的產(chǎn)品頻頻在海外成為熱銷品，這激勵我們要加快開拓國際市場的步伐?！?□