KFC teams up with SpongeBob for a Chinese New Year toy drop in China
KFC just turned Chinese New Year into a full-on cartoon variety show.
KFC just turned Chinese New Year into a full-on cartoon variety show. For CNY 2026 (the Year of the Horse), the fast-food giant teamed up with SpongeBob SquarePants for a themed campaign called “KFC TV New Year Fun Show” — and yes, it’s exactly as chaotic and adorable as it sounds 🧽🎉.
The collab rolled out in two waves and immediately triggered toy-hunting mode across China. Pre-orders kicked off on January 27, with an extra Portuguese egg tart thrown in as a bonus. The first wave officially dropped on February 1 at 10:30 a.m., featuring meal sets with randomly selected SpongeBob toys. There are five basic designs, each with its own interactive gimmick: SpongeBob spins his eyes and sticks out his tongue with sound effects, Patrick crawls forward when you pull his money bag, Squidward spins for “good luck,” Mr. Krabs screams prosperity, and Plankton comes loaded with maximum New Year energy 🧧😂.
On February 6, KFC unlocked the real boss-level item: a Krusty Krab–themed automatic card-dealing machine that comes with two decks of cards. It quickly became the most fought-over item of the drop, perfect for family gatherings and holiday game nights.
Bottom line: this wasn’t just a kids’ meal moment — it was peak CNY nostalgia marketing, and Chinese netizens ate it up 🍗✨.
