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Pocky Food Truck Parks in Wicker Park to Give Free Sweets To The Masses

By Alisa Hauser | May 11, 2016 4:22pm
 The Pocky Truck's first stop was in Wicker Park, kicking off a tour that ends June 19.
Pocky Truck in Wicker Park
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WICKER PARK — The Pocky truck's Chicago tour made its first stop in Wicker Park on Wednesday, offering free boxes of the biscuit sticks coated with chocolate to a steady trickle of fans who'd been tracking the red truck's whereabouts on Twitter.

Just east of Piece Brewery & Pizzeria in front of a lot at 1913 W. North Ave., the truck arrived around 1:30 p.m. and stayed until 3:30 p.m. 

Bianca Debardelaben, a cartoonist, traveled from Lincoln Square to be among the first to score a free box.

"I love it, it's yummy, it's cool, it's nerdy. I ate it a lot more Pocky when I was a teenager, so it's kind of nostalgic," said Debardelaben, 28, after snapping a selfie in front of the truck.

Cathy Kim, a Logan Square resident who works at a boutique in Wicker Park, walked away with three boxes, which she said she planned to share with coworkers.

Kim heard about the truck coming to Chicago on Twitter and was watching the candy maker's tweets to find out where the truck would be, she said.

Sophie Snow, the tour's manager, was inside of the truck as her crew of brand ambassadors, decked out in festive red and white dresses, mingled with fans.

Gesturing to the boxes surrounding her, Snow said the group has "more than enough [Pocky], for a lot of people."

Through June 19,  the truck will stop at a different location each day, tweeting its whereabouts as it goes along. The "Pocky Share Happiness Tour" is in celebration of the company's 50th anniversary. 

"Sharing happiness around the globe has been an amazing journey for us," Akitoshi Oku, President of Ezaki Glico USA, which owns Pocky, said in a statement. "Pocky is sharing happiness everywhere, and that makes us happy."

Snow said she was not yet sure where the truck would be headed on Thursday. The truck will also appear at the annual Sweet & Snacks Expo from May 24 to May 26 at McCormick Place. Follow @pocky on Twitter to follow the truck on its trip.

Other Pocky flavors include strawberry, cookies & cream, and chocolate banana. If you miss the truck, the snacks are sold in the Asian food section of major grocers including Wal-Mart, Target, and Costco. 

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