Kowa-Kawa Craze: Discover HamiKuma's Terrifyingly Cute Backstory at Halloween Horror Nights
The Japanese icon has made his U.S. debut in the form of plenty of merchandise.
The adorably grotesque HamiKuma from Universal Studios Japan has made his U.S. debut during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood. In addition to a bunch of unique merchandise now being available, Universal is sharing a bit more about the backstory of this fan-favorite Japanese character.
What’s Happening:
- HamiKuma has become a staple of Halloween Horror Nights in Japan since his debut in 2021, known for his unique blend of cuteness and grotesque horror—a style popular in Japan called kowa-kawa, meaning “scary cute."
- A new animated short in Japanese (subtitled in English) shares more details about HamiKuma’s backstory:
- HamiKuma has also descended upon Fortnite in the Universal Studios Japan Halloween Horror Nights Hunt mini-game.
- In this new mini-game, you can run freely around the realistically recreated park, hide in familiar items, and search for Hamikuma and zombies.
- The character has now expanded internationally, making his debut at Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Beijing via new merchandise collections with unique items available at each of the destinations, including a popcorn bucket featuring adorably creepy phrases, plush headwear and much more.
- At Universal Orlando Resort, HamiKuma merchandise is now available at the Five & Dime store in Universal Studios Florida and at Universal Studios Hollywood, the merchandise is now available at the Animation Studio Store.
- Halloween Horror Nights takes place on select nights through November 2nd, 2025 at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood.
- Be sure to check out our complete coverage from Orlando’s opening night, with highlights from many of the haunted houses and scare zones throughout the event.
- Of course, there’s plenty more merchandise, in addition to some unique food and beverage options you can partake in at the event.
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- Go Behind the Scenes of Universal's Theme Parks and the New Universal Epic Universe in New Documentary on Peacock
- Step Into the Museum of Antiquities: First Look at the 2025 Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store at Universal Studios Florida
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