Three new Kirby-themed trains set to take to Japan’s railways
Japanese private railway operator Hankyu Railway has announced a large-scale collaboration with the popular Nintendo video game character, Kirby.
The extensive campaign will feature a wide variety of themed events and products, including specially decorated trains, a stamp rally, and exclusive merchandise and food.
A highlight of the collaboration is the “Kirby Train,” a specially wrapped train that will operate on the Kobe, Takarazuka, and Kyoto lines.
Each of the three lines will feature a unique, line-exclusive headmark and exterior sticker design, as well as a common set of interior decorations.
A special feature of the wrapped trains will be plush toys of Kirby and Waddle Dee, wearing custom-made conductor’s hats, “riding” in the conductor’s cabin.
A digital stamp rally will also be held, with seven different stamp locations set up at various stations, each with its own photo spot.
Participants who collect all the stamps will receive an original rubber mascot as a prize, and those who participate using a special 1-day pass can enter a lottery to win one of 100 original acrylic clocks.
An extensive line of collaboration merchandise will be sold, including plush toys of Kirby wearing a special hat and pochette, as well as pass cases and keychains designed to look like the train’s hanging straps, and also several bags.
A series of “Kirby x Hankyu Railway” capsule toys will also be released nationwide.
Seven different collaboration food and drink items will also be available at various station-side shops.
These include flavored teas with Kirby-themed konpeito sugar candy, cube-shaped castella cakes with Kirby and Waddle Dee branded onto them, and freshly squeezed orange juice served in a collaboration-themed cup.
In a first for a Hankyu Railway collaboration, the event will also feature special background music.
Arrangements of music from the Kirby video games, with a new “train” theme, will be played at various stations and commercial facilities along the lines.
The collaboration is scheduled to begin on Friday, the 22nd of August, 2025, and will run until the 17th of March, 2026.
Themed trains are not unusual in Japan as they are used to promote both the railways and popular brands.
A Pokémon-themed train is currently running in Kagawa Prefecture, while western Japan has seen a series of One Piece Shinkansens operating this year.
Source: Official Website
© Nintendo / HAL Laboratory, Inc. ©Hankyu Corp.
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