Three Prize Tiers, One Receipt Photo
Entry works the way most Japanese point-of-purchase campaigns do. Buy a Giant Cone during the campaign window, photograph the receipt, and upload it through the campaign site. Glico requires a free Glico Members account to submit, and entries close at 11:59 p.m. on November 29.
The draw splits into three tiers based on how many cones a single receipt covers. One cone puts you in for a 100 yen digital gift through eraberu Pay, a service from gifty that lets recipients convert gift points into credit across a range of smartphone payment services, with no sign-up or app download required. That tier has 39,000 winners, so it is the one most entrants will realistically land.
Three cones move you up to an original drawstring pouch shaped like a Giant Cone, with Maomao and Jinshi printed on it. There are 300 of those. Five cones enter you for the top prize, an acrylic stand mounted in a Giant Cone holder that puts the ice cream, Maomao and Jinshi together, with scenes from the anime worked into the backdrop. Only 90 winners get one. Glico notes that the prize designs shown in promotional images are provisional and may change.
The limited packaging is the part anyone in Japan can grab without a draw. Packages featuring the anime versions of Maomao and Jinshi hit shelves on September 7 and run until stock is gone. Glico's release names Choco Nuts, Cookie & Chocolate, and Choco & Milk as the collaboration flavors, while the campaign site lists the broader Giant Cone lineup as eligible for entry, including the Nama Caramel and Otona no Shokora variants.
The Series Behind the New Packaging
The naming ties the two brands together. Giant Cone launched in 1963 as Japan's cone ice cream pioneer, and the brand has always sold itself on the crunch of the cone. The campaign title, "Uncover the Crunchy Secret with Maomao," borrows the mystery framing of a series whose heroine spends her time uncovering secrets.
The Apothecary Diaries began as a light novel series by Natsu Hyuuga and has surpassed 57 million copies in circulation worldwide, according to the campaign announcement. The anime adaptation started airing in 2023. The show is a straight mystery. Maomao, who carries a working knowledge of medicine and poisons, picks apart one case after another. The Japanese report credits the show's exotic setting and its deep character drama for winning over viewers of all ages.
Aoi Yūki voices Maomao and Takeo Ōtsuka voices Jinshi, the two characters Glico put on every piece of merchandise in this campaign. The anime is animated by TOHO animation STUDIO and OLM, with Akinori Fudesaka directing.
Looking Ahead
The campaign timing overlaps the anime's return. Season 3 premieres October 2, 2026 on Nippon TV's FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT block, running as a split two-cour season with the second half scheduled for April 2027. The Giant Cone campaign closes November 29, which lands roughly two-thirds of the way through the first cour. An anime-original film written by Hyuuga follows in December 2026.
Crunchyroll streams the series internationally and holds it for the new season, so the show itself is easy to follow from outside Japan. The campaign is not. Receipt entries require purchases at Japanese retailers and a Glico Members account. Glico has not announced any overseas version, so the pouch and the acrylic stand are Japan-only for now. Full entry rules are on the campaign site, and the original Japanese report carries the full prize gallery.
For readers catching up on the source material, Square Enix Manga & Books publishes the light novels in English in print, with J-Novel Club handling digital releases. The manga adaptation is also available in English through Square Enix Manga.
©Natsu Hyuuga, Imagica Infos / The Apothecary Diaries Production Committee