Emotional value triumphs: inside Jellycat Café pop-up in Shanghai

The hottest spot in Shanghai’s café scene right now is none other than Britain’s Jellycat CAFÉ. This limited-time pop-up marks the fourth stop in Jellycat's 25th anniversary global tour, following New York, Paris, and London. Inspired by Shanghai's laid-back coffee culture and its iconic magnolia flower, the café blends the brand's creativity with local flair. Reservations are required, and spots for the National Day holiday were snatched up quickly. This even fuelled a scalper market, with people reselling entry slots for a profit.

Jellycat Cafe storefront in Shanghai, China. Image: Xiaohongshu @Jellycat @潮流生活 @西瓜爱上饭

The "latte" everyone’s lining up for is actually a plush toy called "AMUSEABLES YULANIA LATTE." During the event, Jellycat launched five Shanghai-exclusive products, including the “latte“ and other items like the “BARTHOLOMEW BEAR ‘CUPCAKE‘ “, the "AMUSEABLES TITIA TEAPORT," the "AMUSEABLES SIP & SLURP TEACUPS," and the "AMUSEABLES YULAN TARO CAKE." Prices range from ￥359 ($51) to ￥459 ($65).

5 Shanghai-exclusive products launched in Jellycat Cafe in Shanghai. Image: Xiaohongshu @Jellycat @DannyZhou @西瓜爱上饭

Jellycat Cafe in Shanghai offers immersive and interactive packaging for customers. In this video, the staff sanitizes her hands, greet the bear, groom it, and give it a pretend "spa session." Using an imaginary cream gun, they ask customers how much "cream" they'd like on the bear's cupcake. The bear is then packed with a badge and stickers, along with a reminder to "feed it its favourite cupcake." Video: Xiaohongshu @拔草仙女小雨

This theatrical, immersive performance has sparked a huge online buzz. Comments like, “The world’s gone crazy, and I don’t understand it anymore,” “Can I pretend to pay?” and “It feels like make-believe; these staff need incredible dedication!” flooded social media. The packaging videos went viral on platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu, landing on their trending lists.

JELLYCAT’s popularity stems from selling not just toys, but emotional value and companionship. Each plush comes with a name and a backstory, and even the store’s immersive performances treat the toys as living beings, forging emotional bonds through interactive experiences.

This kind of immersive atmosphere has become a powerful way for brands to win over fans (see examples below). What may seem bizarre or even absurd is actually a clever way to cater to young people's desire for novelty and emotional connection, transforming products into a form of “social currency.”

When AUNTEA JENNY launched its “Amber Peach Gum” series, it offered adorable peach gum, stewed pear plush toys, and dessert spoons, which sold out quickly. The brand also opened four "Plush Dessert Shops," where handsome pastry chefs "cook" plush pear and peach gum desserts, drawing long lines of customers. Image:  AUNTEA JENNY's Plush Dessert Shops in Shanghai. Xiaohongshu @脆皮吴花肉 @沪上阿姨

The BEAST also partnered with JELLYCAT to open co-branded flower shop. From May 17-21, this limited-time pop-up at Beijing’s Taikoo Li Sanlitun offered four exclusive JELLYCAT plush flower bouquets and a special 520 collection. Customers could immerse themselves in the flower packaging process at the pop-up shop. Video: Xiaohongshu @今天喝奶茶了吗

However, some customers were disappointed by the staff's lackluster performance, which undermined the expected emotional experience during the packing process. One customer shared, “I went through the trouble of securing a reservation and waiting in a long line, only to be met with such indifference from the staff. It completely ruined the experience."

Complaints on staff's indifference to customers in Jellycat Cafe, Shanghai, shared by customers. Image: Xiaohongshu.