From Hogwarts to Bikini Bottom: Winter Collabs Hit Beijing

There never seems to be a shortage of collabs here in China, and four new ones have just landed for December. From wizarding world lattes to pineapple-packed burgers, here's a quick roundup of the latest limited-edition collabs hitting Starbucks, Burger King, McDonald's and more.

Starbucks x Harry Potter

Today (Dec 9), Starbucks launched a Harry Potter collab for the festive season, with three themed drinks available: Yule Ball Raspberry Cheese Latte (RMB 41), Hogwarts Great Hall Early Grey Citrus Latte  (RMB 41) and Common Room Caramel Pastry Flavored Latte (RMB 41). The Starbucks paper cups and sleeves have also had a Harry Potter makeover, with the former featuring a Hogwarts silhouette and the latter being a “scarf” from one of the four houses. 

As well as the drinks, each week there will be special Harry Potter merch, including a wand, pin badges and stickers, up for grabs,when you purchase the collab drinks. They've also got a range of co-branded mugs, gift boxes and more, which can be bought separately. You can read more details about the collab here.

Burger King x SpongeBob SquarePants

Ahead of the China release of The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants on Jan 1, 2026, Burger King has recently released a limited edition SpongeBob-themed menu. First up, let's take a look at the burger, called the SpongeBob WHOPPER (RMB 38/large; RMB 28/small). It sees a beef patty paired with a chunky pineapple BBQ sauce. Then, they've got Mr. Krabs' Qianqian Chicken Nuggets (RMB 15.5), which are Mississippi barbecue-flavored nuggets coated in breadcrumbs and sesame seeds in cute crab claw and fish shapes. Lastly, there is Patrick's Star (RMB 16), a sweet, red drink which combines blueberries, strawberries, beetroot and ginseng extract.

Along with the new menu items, they've also got some special meal deals which come with exclusive SpongeBob merch, such as SpongeBob socks, featuring either SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs or Squidward (you can choose when you order), as well as SpongeBob toys. You can read more about the promotion here.

McDonald's x The Powerpuff Girls 

Last week, McDonald's also launched a collab, partnering up with The Powerpuff Girls to create a number of themed menu items. First up is the McCrispy Star Burger (RMB 13.9), featuring a triple-coated crispy chicken fillet paired with a creamy black pepper sauce tucked inside a soft potato bun. Then, there is the Crispy Star Chicken (RMB 9.9), which sees a chicken leg coated in a salt and pepper mix and fried until golden. 

For sweet treats, they've got a themed dessert for each of the Powerpuff Girls. For Bubbles, it's the Crispy Star Butter Pie (RMB 9), which has a butter- and hard candy-flavored filling; for Buttercup, it's a Pitashcio “Star” McFlurry; and for Blossom, an Orange and Grapefruit Ice Cream (RMB 5). They also have a range of Powerpuff set meals available and new Powerpuff merch, which will drop on Dec 12.  You can read more about the promotion here.

Lavazza x Moomin

Lavazza is currently doing a Christmas-themed collab with Moomin for the festive period. They've got two limited edition bicerin drinks. The first is the Bicerin Cocoa Lava Cloud Americano (RMB 32) and the other is the Bicerin Rich Cocoa Lava Cloud Americano (RMB 32). For those who don't know, bicerin is a traditional hot drink native to Turin, Italy, made with espresso, ganache and frothed milk layered into a glass. Along with the special coffees, they also have Moomin mugs available when you purchase certain drink sets. You can read more about the collab here.

READ: Christmas Desserts You Can Find in Beijing

Images: the Beijingers, courtesy of the venues, Xiaohongshu