Ghibli-themed sweets shop releases edible Ponyo pudding summertime sweets

Ponyo on the Peach is back with a sweet countermeasure to the summer heat.

Studio Ghibli’s latest anime movie, How Do You Live?, is getting a pretty pronounced name change for its international release, becoming The Boy and the Heron. The majority of Ghibli’s works, though, have had some sort of modification from their original title when making their way overseas, such as Ponyo being called “Ponyo on the Cliff” in Japan.

You could argue it’s a minor difference, but it’s an important one, because it’s thanks, in part, to the word-play potential of “Ponyo on the Cliff” that right now you can eat Ponyo on the Peach sweets.

【桃の上のポニョ販売のお知らせ】

今年の桃の上のポニョ販売期間のご案内です。
期間は8/5(土)〜8/27(日)で、土日祝のみ販売いたします！ご予約は承っておりません、申し訳ありません。

少しでも多くのお客様のお手元に届くよう、1グループ様2つまでとさせていただきます！ pic.twitter.com/rHdQm4wmCd

— 白髭のシュークリーム工房 (@shirohige_puff) August 3, 2023

Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory may not be an official part of the Studio Ghibli business network, but the two-branch west Tokyo sweets shop makes its inspirations very clear, and it’s been operating for years with the studio’s tacit blessing. Known for their Totoro cream puffs and Catbus cookies, each summer Shirohige whips up some limited-time custard cream pudding desserts featuring adventurous fish girl Ponyo while peaches are in season.

Ponyo herself is made from shiratama mochi dumplings, and sits atop a layer of white peach and lemon gelatin. Underneath that are strata of milk custard pudding, more white peach gelatin, and a bed of sumomo, or Japanese plum, gelatin (the word sumomo comes from the combination of su, meaning “tart,” and momo, “peach”). The result is a mix of sweet and sour notes that’s perfect for relaxing and refreshing yourself on a hot summer day, as found out when we were lucky enough to taste test the Ponyo dessert a while back.

This year’s batch of Ponyo on the Peach pudding will be on sale from August 5 to 27, but available only on weekends and public holidays. The Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory announcement posting above doesn’t mention a price, but last year’s were 700 yen (US$5.10), so somewhere around that is probably a safe assumption. Also, to help ensure a large number of different people get to enjoy the Ponyo sweets, there’s a purchase-limit of two puddings per group.

Related: Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory location list
Source: Twitter/@shirohige_puff
Featured image: Twitter/@shirohige_puff
Top image: Studio Ghibli
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