The Lotte cookie snack first released in Japan in 1984 to celebrate the arrival of koalas is Koala’s March.
Koala’s March consists of small, bite-sized biscuits with sweet filling inside. Lotte launched it in Japan in 1984, inspired by the arrival of the first koalas in the country. The original version used chocolate filling; later editions introduced many other flavours and regional or limited-time variations.
Each biscuit is printed with a koala illustration showing an activity or pose. More than 600 official designs have existed, although the designs in circulation change over time. A famous Japanese schoolchildren’s rumour claimed that discovering a koala with two eyebrows playing a trumpet brought good luck on exams.
The snack expanded internationally, reaching Hong Kong in 1986 and later markets including Australia and the United States. In the United States it was initially marketed as Koala Yummies before the Koala’s March name became standard. Hello Panda is another Japanese biscuit snack, but it is made by Meiji, not Lotte.