Hello Kitty x Bachir Is Bringing a Little Kawaii to Lebanese Ice Cream

Two icons of our generations that we never expected to see together are coming in hot for what might just be one of the coolest collaborations of the year. Hello Kitty is teaming up with Lebanon’s beloved Bachir Ice Cream, and somehow, it makes perfect sense.

Launching across the UAE from September 7 to October 31, 2026, Hello Kitty x Bachir Ice Cream brings Sanrio’s instantly recognisable character into the very colourful world of one of Lebanon’s most nostalgic ice cream names, complete with limited-edition packaging, merchandise and, naturally, plenty of pistachio-covered Ashta.

For anyone who grew up with Bachir, the nostalgia is real. Founded in Bikfaya, Lebanon, in 1936, the family ice cream house has been serving traditional Lebanese ice cream for generations.

Its most recognisable order remains the Ashta, a creamy combination of milk cream scented with rose and orange blossom before being generously rolled in roasted pistachios. Then there’s the Mshakkal, Bachir’s gloriously colourful multi-layered creation that can bring together up to eight different flavours in one cone or cup, before getting the signature pistachio treatment.

Now imagine all of that served with Hello Kitty.

Throughout the collaboration, Bachir’s ice cream will come in exclusive Hello Kitty x Bachir packaging, including co-branded boxes for the brand’s newly launched ice cream tubs. It’s cute, nostalgic and almost certainly going to end up photographed before anyone actually eats what’s inside.

Because it wouldn't really be a Hello Kitty collaboration without something to collect, the partnership goes beyond ice cream.

A limited-edition merchandise collection will include tote bags, black and white T-shirts, keychains and stickers, bringing the two worlds together beyond the cone.

And there is something particularly fun about this pairing. Hello Kitty has managed to remain a cultural icon across generations, appearing everywhere from fashion and beauty to design, while Bachir carries its own kind of cross-generational nostalgia for Lebanese families. One comes from Japan, the other from the Lebanese mountains, and now they're meeting over Ashta in Dubai.

We didn't have Hello Kitty dipped in Bachir pistachios on our 2026 bingo card, but we're very happy it happened.

The Hello Kitty x Bachir Ice Cream collaboration runs from September 7 through October 31, 2026, at Bachir locations in City Walk, City Centre Mirdif and Galleria Mall in Dubai, as well as AlJada in Sharjah. Delivery will also be available across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.