Love at first sight! Why a children's water bottle is now dangling from my bag
23/10/2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Anna Sandner
A thermos as a best friend? What's behind the insulated Asobu Bestie Bottles with their cute animal heads, how they are supposed to encourage children to drink, and why one of them is now dangling from my bag.
I love cute things. And when they are practical on top of that, I fall in love instantly. That is exactly how I felt about «The Mini Undead Bunny».
Admittedly, the name doesn't suggest a high cuteness factor, nor does it hint that the «Spookie Bottle» is actually a thermos for toddlers. But I would bet anything that I am not the only adult who hangs such a mini bottle on their bag.
Thermos bottles for children in an unexpected place
I discovered the Asobu bottle at the Frankfurt Book Fair, of all places. Actually looking for new book releases, I suddenly found myself in a sea of cuteness.
The Asobu booth definitely stood out among the major publishers and book fans – and it remains a mystery to me what brought the brand to the book fair. In addition to all kinds of stationery, you can now also buy socks and, indeed, thermos bottles there.
From bears to dinos – the bottles are also available without the spooky factor
But back to my little spooky bunny bottle. It belongs to the Spookie edition of the Bestie series by Asobu.
They come in three sizes: Mini with 200 milliliters (like my little bunny), the classic Bestie with 460 milliliters, and the Maxi version with 720 milliliters. The bottles have a removable silicone straw, which makes drinking on the go easier and can be easily removed for cleaning.
The collectible factor is also well-catered for with around 30 different heads. The bottles and silicone heads can be combined as you like, regardless of the bottle size. Or – if you want it to look a bit more serious – you can leave the head off entirely. What remains is a pretty, solid-colored thermos.
The cuteness has a purpose
Besties are not meant to be just simple water bottles, but products that are both functional and fun, as Asobu writes on their website. They are called «Besties» because they are meant to become a «little friend» just like a stuffed animal.
A staff member at the booth explained the idea behind it: children take their bottle buddy everywhere and don't forget it as easily as an ordinary water bottle. This is intended to encourage them to drink more. Whether that works, I cannot judge. However, I can easily imagine that the little animal bottles are probably a hit in every kindergarten.
The Mini Besties, with their ring to attach to strollers, handbags, or backpacks, probably really don't get lost that easily. Either way, I will take good care of my spooky bunny. Since the book fair, it has been dangling cutely from my bag and reliably providing me with coffee.
Header image: Anna Sandner
Anna Sandner
Senior Editor
Anna.Sandner@galaxus.deScience editor and biologist. I love animals and am fascinated by plants, their abilities and everything you can do with them. That's why my favourite place is always the outdoors - somewhere in nature, preferably in my wild garden.
Background information
Interesting facts about products, behind-the-scenes looks at manufacturers and deep-dives on interesting people.
Show allThese articles might also interest you
Show all
These articles might also interest you
10 comments
later