Bel Group’s Laughing Cow brand is bringing its playful personality to life in Southeast Asia with the return of its Cheesy Mood Café plushies, following a highly successful launch at the end of November. Fully redeemed within weeks, the limited-edition collectibles are making a comeback in Singapore and Malaysia, this time with a festive twist.
Selected blind boxes will include a Golden Ticket, offering consumers the chance to win Chinese New Year angbao rewards—up to S$388 in CapitaLand vouchers in Singapore and RM888 in Touch ’n Go vouchers in Malaysia.
“The blind box plushies were inspired by the idea of bringing The Laughing Cow’s joyful personality into everyday culture, beyond just the cheese aisle,” said a Bel Group spokesperson. “Collectible plushies and blind box formats resonate strongly with younger consumers and the Gen Z–millennial mindset, where discovery, surprise, and emotional connection matter. From a marketing perspective, this initiative is about building brand love and cultural relevance, not just awareness.”
The campaign, which spans Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia, reflects a broader effort to strengthen the brand’s presence in key SEA markets. According to the spokesperson, the rollout complements existing brand and product activations, with availability tailored to local retail partners and consumer touchpoints.
The Laughing Cow’s social media presence in Indonesia stands out among the SEA markets it serves. Beyond a steady stream of content featuring KOLs and creators, the brand leverages its iconic red cow mascot in promotional posts and has even developed a playful comic strip showcasing the Cheesy Mood Café plushies.
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Key to the campaign’s success is its lifestyle-led approach. Beyond retail, the brand has leveraged on-ground experiences to engage consumers more deeply. Last month, a Laughing Cow pizza truck was deployed in Malaysia to support a new product launch. “The pizza truck reflects our belief in bringing the brand to life through experiences, especially when introducing new products,” the spokesperson explained.
“While digital remains important, physical activations allow consumers to taste, interact, and emotionally connect with the brand in a way that’s very impactful. It’s a balanced approach—combining digital, retail, and experiential touchpoints depending on the market and objective,” they added.
Agency partnerships played a critical role in translating The Laughing Cow’s iconic character into collectible form. “We collaborated with selected creative and production partners across the region, supporting areas such as concept development, character translation into plush form, and executional design,” the spokesperson said. “This was a close, collaborative process to ensure the plushies stayed true to The Laughing Cow’s brand identity while appealing to local consumer tastes.”
The return of the Cheesy Mood Café plushies also signals the brand’s long-term commitment to Southeast Asia, a region characterised by youthful demographics, dynamic food culture, and evolving consumer expectations. “Our focus is on strengthening relevance and penetration, while continuing to build emotional connection with consumers,” said the spokesperson.
“This means investing not only in product innovation and packaging refreshes, but also in brand experiences and cultural touchpoints that resonate locally. Together, these efforts support sustainable growth by keeping The Laughing Cow contemporary, distinctive, and top-of-mind across Southeast Asia,” they added.
The Laughing Cow cheese brand traces its origins to 1921 in Lons, France, with production expanding to the US in Leitchfield, Kentucky, in the mid-1970s. Its iconic red laughing cow soon became globally recognised for individual, aluminium-wrapped cheese wedges. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2021, the heritage brand under Bel Group is now available in 120 countries, offering 110 recipes tailored to local tastes.
The Laughing Cow isn’t alone in using playful collectibles and experiential marketing to engage younger audiences. Throughout 2025, numerous brands tapped into the global trend of plushies and collectibles. In Singapore, KitKat, Burger King, Milo, Pizza Hut, and Gardenia all released special-edition collectible soft toys. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, a wave of brand-launched plushies included offerings from ZUS Coffee, Gong Cha, Inside Scoop, and Starbucks.
Notably, tea beverage chain CHAGEE stirred up joy across Southeast Asia with the launch of its limited-edition “Bes-tea” plushie collection, which were available in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. First introduced in China in late 2024, the plushies are now part of CHAGEE’s first-phase Southeast Asia launch, with each plushie modelled after one of its bestselling drinks such as its peach oolong milk tea and BO·YA jasmine green milk tea.
As 2026 begins, the use of plushies to extend a brand beyond purchase shows no signs of slowing. McDonald’s Singapore is leveraging them not just to spark joy, but to shape behaviour, reward loyalty, and drive retention with its “Prosperity Pals.” Taking it further, the full plushie set is redeemable exclusively by MyM Members via the McDonald’s app, merging loyalty marketing with the collectible strategy.
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