Wikipedia

Mister Donut

Mister Donutis an international chain ofdoughnutstores, operating mostly in Asia. It was founded in the United States in 1956 byHarry Winokur.Primary offerings include doughnuts, coffee, muffins and pastries. After being acquired byAllied Domecqin 1990, most of the North American stores becameDunkin' Donuts.Outside of the United States, Mister Donut maintains a presence inHong Kong,Japan,El Salvador,thePhilippines,Thailand,Indonesia,Taiwan,andSingapore.[1][2][3]

Mister Donut
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryFood and beverage
Founded1956;69 years ago(1956)
FounderHarry Winokur
Area served
United States, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, El Salvador, Middle East
ProductsDoughnuts,coffee,bagels
Parent

History

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White chocolate and almond donut

In 1955, Harry Winokur worked with brother-in-lawWilliam Rosenberg,the founder ofDunkin' Donuts.After Winokur broke his partnership with Rosenberg, he went on to create Mister Donut with his son-in-law David Slater[4]that same year, with stores in most of North America.[5]The Mister Donut business became so popular that Winokur and Slater decided to go into franchising.[5]As a result, Mister Donut began a rapid expansion that resulted in the opening of 275 stores in the U.S. and Canada.[6]In 1970,Minneapolis-based International Multifoods Corporation, one of the world's largest and most successful food companies, acquired Mister Donut and its franchising concept from Winokur.[5]

The first Mister Donut outlet in Japan opened inMinoh, Osaka,in 1971.[7]Also in the same year, a Mister Donut training center was constructed in Japan. In 1973, theFrench crullerbecame available in Japan stores.[1]In 1978, brothers Sutthichai and Sutthikiat Chirathiwat, on the behalf of Thai Franchise Co., Ltd, opened the first Mister Donut store inSiam Square,Bangkok. The two would come to pioneer the donut market within Thailand. In 2003, Mister Donut in Thailand came under the management CRG. Donut Thailand (Central Restaurants Group) which continues to manage the company in Thailand.[8]In 1983, Duskin Co., Ltd. ofOsaka,Japan, acquired the rights to franchise Mister Donut throughout Japan and Asia.[5]

A former Mister Donut inNew Castle, Pennsylvania,which became Dunkin' Donuts in 1994. It was rebuilt in 2003, with aBaskin-Robbinsand adrive-thruadded.

In the 1980s,[9]Mister Donut was the largest competitor toDunkin' Donuts.[5]On March 31, 1987, Elie G. Saheb and his business associates acquired the trademark rights for Mister Donut in the United Kingdom and afterwards opened a Mister Donut pilot store and bakery inFulham,London.On May 2, 1988, the Mister Donut franchise sold the trademark rights for the European market at large.[10]

By the 1980s, Mister Donut had over 550 stores in the United States and Canada. In 1989, the British corporate giantAllied-Lyons plcacquired Dunkin' Donuts from Rosenberg for a reported £196 million. After becoming a subsidiary of Allied-Lyons, Dunkin' Donuts immediately acquired Mister Donut from International Multifoods. Mister Donut stores were offered the option to convert to Dunkin' Donuts.[citation needed]Mister Donut was acquired by Dunkin' Donuts' then-parent company,Allied Lyons,in February 1990. After the acquisition of Mister Donut by Allied-Lyons, all Mister Donut stores in North America were offered the chance to change their name to Dunkin' Donuts while all remaining Mister Donut franchises in the rest of the world started being operated on their own such as in Japan and El Salvador.[5]Mister Donut sold its Middle East trademarks on October 14, 1995.[10]

In July 2005, Allied-Lyons was acquired byPernod RicardSA.[11]On December 12, 2005, Pernod Ricard announced that it had agreed to sellDunkin' Brands,which owned Dunkin' Donuts and Mister Donut, to a consortium of threeUSprivate equityfirms (Thomas H. Lee Partners,theCarlyle GroupandBain Capital LLP) for US$2.43 billion. The closing of the sale occurred on March 1, 2006.[12]In August 2012, Dunkin' Brands became completely independent of the private equity firms.[13]

As of 2017, only one Mister Donut store remains in the United States, inGodfrey, Illinois(outside ofSt. Louis), while there were 10,000 stores worldwide.[9]As of 2016, Mister Donut Japan had over "1,300 stores, making it the largest donut chain in the country."[14]and as of June 2016, Duskin Co., Ltd. was also operating Mister Donut stores in China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and Malaysia.[15]

In 2020, Dunkin' Brands was purchased by Sandy Springs-basedInspire Brands,and Mister Donut's trademark management became part of Inspire.[16]

Marketing presence

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A Mister Donut shop inAsahikawa,Hokkaido

Mister Donut has an orange and white logo in the likeness of a moustachioed chef. More recently, the chain developed a set of mascot characters based on its donuts. One character, "Pon de Lion"(ポン・デ・ライオン,Pon De Raion),a lion with amaneshaped like its "pon de ring"(ポン・デ・リング,Pon De Ringu)donut line, is used in Japan.[17][18]

In El Salvador, the mascots are fiveanthropomorphicdoughnuts and a rooster that is used for the breakfast menu. The company uses the same logo as Japan and the slogan is "La gran variedad" (The great variety).[citation needed]

Global stores

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Asia

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The Mister Donut brand operates in Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Singapore.[19]

Japan

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Japanese headquarters inOsaka

In Japan, the Mister Donut franchise is owned by Duskin Co., Ltd., a part of theMitsuiconglomerate. Mister Donut is the largest donut franchise chain in Japan, with a total of 961 retails shops operating as of March 2021.[20]Keiji Chiba, who was Duskin Company's general manager and director of food industries, adjusted the recipes and gave a higher class image so the company would be successful in the Japanese market. Prior to the introduction of Mister Donut, Japanese perceived doughnuts as being snacks for children.[7]

The Starwrote in 2007 that "Mister Donut has gained a following among mostly younger Japanese for its American-style doughnuts, decor and music, becoming the country's biggest donut chain."[21]On September 13, 2013, a survey by the Japanese retail research company, Softbrain Field, surveyed close to 6000 Japanese citizens of all ages on their favorite fast food restaurant. Mister Donut came in third, at 17%, behindMcDonald'sat 33% andMOS Burgerat 25%.[22]

Philippines

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Mister Donut stall inSanta Rosa, Nueva Ecija,Philippines

In the Philippines, the first Mister Donut store opened in 1982 inManilaand has become the country's second largest doughnut chain, withDunkin' Donutsas its main competitor.[23]In 1995, the Ramcar Group took over the Philippine franchise of Mister Donut through its subsidiary, Food Fest, Inc. In 1997, Mister Donut helped finance the country's first ever feature-length animated film,Adarna: The Mythical Bird.[24]

Of its 1,800 outlets, the majority arestalls,often located inside shopping malls, while 200 are full-scale stores. Mister Donut products are also sold in7-Elevenstores andKFCrestaurants. Some locations sell coffee but they mostly focus on doughnuts includingpasalubong,gifts by visitors to friends and family. The doughnuts sold are adjusted to suit the local market, with smaller sizes and therefore cheaper and different flavors.[citation needed]

Taiwan

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Mister Donut inTaipei,Taiwan

In 2004, the Uni-President Group introduced Mister Donut in Taiwan through the newly established joint-venture Mister Donut Taiwan Corp., announcing a goal to open 100 outlets in Taiwan in three years.[25]

Thailand

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In Thailand, Mister Donut has been a leader in the Thai donut market since 1978 and uses the slogan "Donut for Fun". As of December 2011, Thailand was the "largest market outside Japan for Mister Donut in terms of sales volume."[26]Mister Donut has more than 320 branches across Thailand with more opening yearly. They include stand-alone stores as well as branches at shopping malls and supermarkets.[citation needed]In 2014, donut consumption increased 10 and 15 per cent in Thailand, with Mister Donut accounting for half of that increase. In 2015, Thailand's Central Restaurants Group announced plans to open 30 new outlets in 2015, bringing its store number to 350. The company stated that it would be able to sell "it's doughnuts in all 77 provinces by year end." Central has also stated it is considering expanding Mister Donut inMalaysia,the Philippines, andIndonesia.[27]

Vietnam

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In May 2016, plans were announced for Mister Donut stores to open inVietnamthrough Central Restaurants Group (CRG).[28]

Indonesia

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In Indonesia, Mister Donut is operated under management ofIndomaret,a subsidiary ofSalim Group.First store was opened in 2015, with 7 standalone outlets and 1,350 stand inside Indomaret outlets, mostly located in city center, malls, airport, rail station or shop-in-shop at every Indomaret outlets.[citation needed]

Singapore

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In May 2023, Mister Donut opened its first outlet atJunction 8in Singapore after a successful market test in August 2022.[3]

China

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Mister Donut inShanghai,China (now closed)

In China, Mister Donut closed down in 2019 after nearly 20 years of operations due to high operational cost and high labor cost.[29]Ten outlets in Shanghai closed in April 2019.[30]

Hong Kong

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The first Mister Donut store in Hong Kong opened inTsim Sha Tsui[31][32]on October 26, 2024[32]through franchisee Dragon Circle Enterprise.[33]

South Korea

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Mister Donut briefly entered the South Korean market in July 2014 through a franchise agreement with SDK2, owned by local construction company SDK. The contract was terminated due to SDK violating franchise contracts and "selling products that were not on the brand's official menu". SDK reportedly closed its stores in 2017.[34]

Europe and Middle East

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On 31 March 1987, Elie G. Saheb and associates acquired the Mister Donut trademark rights for the United Kingdom and opened the first Mister Donut bakery and pilot shop in Fulham, London. The trademark rights for the European markets were acquired on May 2, 1988, and for the Middle East region on October 14, 1995.[citation needed]

The Americas

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United States

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Interior of the sole Mister Donut store in the United States, located at 2720 Grovelin Street, Godfrey,Illinois

After Mister Donut was acquired by Dunkin' Donuts in 1990, most either closed or became Dunkins.

There were nine outlets in thePennsylvaniaandOhioregion that remained Mister Donut, mostly due to being close to existing Dunkin' Donuts stores. Their owners formed a cooperative to continue receiving bulk pricing on materials. As of May 2006, these stores rebranded as Donut Connection, serving the same items as Mister Donut.[35]Some locations of the Donut Connection partnership have retained the original fixtures of the original Mister Donut location, such as the outlet inShakopee, Minnesota,which still has the orange motif and original Mister Donut price board.[citation needed]

Only one store located in 2720 Grovelin Street,Godfrey, Illinois,continues to operate as Mister Donut.[36]

Canada

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Mister Donut operations downsized in the late 1990s and the final surviving three in theToronto,Ontario area closed quietly around or prior to June 2006.[citation needed]

El Salvador

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Mister Donut inSan Salvador

In El Salvador, the menu includes someSalvadoran cuisine.As of 2014, there were 30 Mister Donut stores in the country,[37]with a few offering 24-hour service.[38]The rights are held by Adolfo Salume.[39]

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Strawberrymochi donut
Matchamochi donut

Mister Donut specializes in coffee and doughnuts.[40]However, it also serves a wide variety of other foods, such ashamburgersandnoodle soups.

As of 2004, the first Mister Donut shop opened in Taiwan featured "doughnuts in 50 different flavors every day. Each flavor comes with a label indicating the level of sweetness." The store also sold around 15 kinds of drinks and beverages.[25]

In 2007, Mister Donut attracted media attention in Japan, when it admitted it had used out-of-dated syrups in some of its drinks earlier that year.[21]

In addition to donuts, the chain also serves other foods likeDandan noodles.

The company has created special donut lines for various events, for example creating soldier-themed doughnuts for National Doughnut Day on June 1 in Thailand, with funds benefitting military personnel in the country.[41]

In June 2013, Mister Donut in Thailand debuted the SushiDo, sushi-themed donuts created as a part of "a special sushi-themed menu." At the time, they had not been added to the menu in Japan or other countries.[42]Options included "sweet donut versions of ebi,tamago,maguro,salmon,with sugary frosting replacing raw fish. "[43]ForHalloween,in October 2013, Mister Donut debuted Hello Kitty jack-o'-lantern doughnuts in pumpkin or strawberry flavor, as well as other seasonal pumpkin flavored items, including pumpkin versions of their regular donut.[44]

As of 2014, the stores in El Salvador focused on a menu described as more "homey than foreign, offering national staples likepupusasandtamalesalongside giant cream-filled doughnuts. "[37]

There have also been items such as strawberry-glaze donuts.[9]

In April 2014, the company launched a croissant-style doughnut, which proved popular.[45]

On May 27, 2014, Mister Donut collaborated with the Japanese fast food franchiseMos Burgeron the MOSDO!, a burger using "a spiral-shapedchorizo,lettuce and spicy chili sauce sandwiched between Mister Donut's French Cruller donut as the buns. "The menu item was released at Mos Burger stores, while Mister Donut stores at the time were selling" Mos Burger's famous rice burger with sweet bean paste, sweet potato paste, and custard cream stuffing. "[46]

In April 2015, Mister Donut released new items such as the "Brooklyn Merry-Go-Round, which uses both cookie and bagel dough." At the time, the company announced that it will "launch new key products quarterly while maintaining its standard menu."[45]

In 2015, Japan revealed a summer doughnut menu themed toBrooklyn, New York.Japan Timesexplained that the menu was "'Brooklyn themed' in the sense it combines several foodstuffs together into one, in the style of New York-born fusion treats such as the Cronut." Items included "berry or lemon doughnuts cut in half, with a layer of yogurt added to the middle, or a chocolate option with sugary cream in the center."[47]

As of May 2016, "some 80% of the menu at Mister Donut bakery and cafe is made up of coffee drinks and the rest is doughnuts."[28]

In Japan, current items as of July 2016 may include theold-fashioned doughnutscovered in chocolate or cinnamon flavored. There is also a "chocolate almond croissant muffin," a salty donut, a chocolate-coveredchurro,a financier donut, "and" Japanese-style matcha kuromitsu stick. "[48]

In Japan, Mister Donut's "signature" is the "Pon de Ringu, with its cartoon lion mascot."[9]The Japanese stores also sell the "pon de ring, Mister Donut's signature item that's made of a connected circle of dough balls." Pon de ring varieties include the pon de angel, which is cream-filled, and the pon de kokuto, or a pon de ring with brown sugar.[48]

In media

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The 1998 albumGood Humorby English indie pop bandSaint Etiennefeatures a song titled "Mr. Donut", which was inspired by their visit to one of the chain's cafés while on tour in Japan.[49]

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  • Pon deEclair
  • Green tea donuts
  • Chocolate donuts
  • "Mister Croissant Donut", acronut-inspired donut in Japan
  • Pokemon-themed donuts
  • Curry-filled donuts in Japan
  • Glazed donuts shaped like rabbits
  • Halloweenthemed donuts
Other foods
  • Burger using Mister Donut items as the bun

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"History of Mister Donut".misterdonut.jp.RetrievedFebruary 12,2016.
  2. ^"J. Lyons & Co".RetrievedMarch 21,2011.
  3. ^ab"How Mister Donut's new employees are trained at 'doughnut college' in Osaka".CNA Lifestyle. May 8, 2023.RetrievedJune 5,2023.
  4. ^"Franchises to Add 200,000 Jobs to Economy in 2014".24-7 Press Release Newswire.
  5. ^abcdefSauter, Michael B. and Alexander E. M. Hess.Famous Restaurant Chains That Are Hard to Find.Page 2. 247wallst
  6. ^80 Years of Grain-based Foods.Sosland Publishing Company. 2002.
  7. ^abTrucco, Terry (December 26, 1982)."SERVING MR. DONUT AND THE COMMUNITY".The New York Times.RetrievedDecember 30,2024.
  8. ^DONUT, MISTER."เกี่ยวกับมิสเตอร์ โดนัท ประเทศไทย".misterdonut.co.th.RetrievedMay 19,2023.
  9. ^abcdMilian, Mark (February 13, 2014)."Mister Donut, Pan Am and Friendster Found Alive and Well".Bloomberg Businessweek.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  10. ^ab"Our Story".Mister Donut.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  11. ^Pernod Ricard successfully completes acquisition of Allied DomecqArchivedJune 3, 2012, at theWayback Machine,from thePernod Ricardwebsite
  12. ^Pernod Ricard sells Dunkin' Brands to Bain Capital
  13. ^"As Private Equity Cashes Out, What's Next for DNKN?".September 5, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 16,2013.
  14. ^"Mister Donut – Chains We Wish Were in Florida".Orlando Sentinel.2016.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  15. ^"Big Apple bought over by Japan's Mister Donut franchisee".The Rakyat Post.Osaka.June 10, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon July 21, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  16. ^"Inspire Brands Completes Acquisition of Dunkin' Brands".businesswire.December 15, 2020.RetrievedDecember 15,2020.
  17. ^Shimbun, Yomiuri (August 28, 2010). "[ONタイム・ sĩ sự sư たち ] ポン・デ・リング もちもち thực cảm lại khai phát" [[ON Time / Workers] Pon de Ring Redevelopment of Mochimochi Texture].Osaka Evening Edition(in Japanese). p. 6.
  18. ^"( ヒット の bí ミツ ) phát bán tới nay một phen người khí の ポン・デ・リング ミスタードーナツ 【 Osaka 】" [(Hit's Secret Mitsu) The most popular Pon de Ring Mr. Donut [Osaka]].The Asahi Shimbun(in Japanese) (Tokyo evening ed.). May 21, 2007. p. 2.
  19. ^Kay, Enze (May 19, 2023)."Mister Donut Review: Famous Mochi Doughnuts At Junction 8 | Eatbook.sg".EatBook.sg - Local Singapore Food Guide And Review Site.RetrievedJuly 26,2023.
  20. ^"During recent years, the number of shops of Mister Donuts continued to decrease four years in a row".June 24, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 18,2022.
  21. ^ab"Mister Donut in Japan food safety".The Star.Toronto. October 31, 2007.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  22. ^Lynn Dinh, Michelle (September 17, 2013)."The top 8 fast food chains in Japan".Japan Today.Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  23. ^"How Mister Donut built 2,200 stores in the Philippines".Manila Standard.Archived fromthe originalon November 11, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 22,2020.
  24. ^Red, Isah V. (June 9, 1997)."Domestic problem".Manila Standard.Kamahalan Publishing Corp. p. 19.RetrievedJuly 20,2023.
  25. ^abHo, Yingrid (October 4, 2004)."Chain store Mister Donut comes to town".chinapost.tw.The China Post.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  26. ^Rungfapaisarn, Kwanchai (December 5, 2011)."Plan to double Mister Donut stores in the next five years".The Nation.Thailand:The Nation.Archived fromthe originalon December 24, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  27. ^"Mister Donut Thailand plans 30 new stores".insideretail.asia/.May 27, 2015. May 27, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  28. ^ab"Mister Donut bakes up plan to open outlets in Vietnam".Malaysian Marketing.May 31, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  29. ^"Mister Donut exits China as profits crumble".Nikkei Asia.RetrievedJuly 26,2023.
  30. ^Asia, Inside Retail (March 28, 2019)."Mister Donut China to close as trading sours".Inside Retail.RetrievedJuly 26,2023.
  31. ^"Mister Donut in Hong Kong: Opening date, location, and more".Time Out.October 24, 2024.
  32. ^ab"Japanese doughnut chain Mister Donut debuts in Hong Kong (with photos)".The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.October 26, 2024.
  33. ^"Mister Donut expands East Asia presence with first Hong Kong store".World Coffee Portal.November 1, 2024.
  34. ^"Court pulls plug on Mister Donut Korea".Inside Retail.July 17, 2017.
  35. ^"Donut Connection Store Locations".Archived fromthe originalon June 7, 2008.RetrievedJune 23,2008.
  36. ^38°55′25″N90°11′20″W/ 38.923519°N 90.188823°W/38.923519; -90.188823;see"Google street view".RetrievedJuly 20,2012..
  37. ^abSmith, Jennie Erin (November 21, 2014)."Mister Donut for Mayor".The New Yorker.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  38. ^"Mister Donut Inauguro Sucursal Platillo Merliot".sanmiguel.sv.San Miguel. Archived fromthe originalon December 8, 2015.
  39. ^Smith, Jennie Erin (November 21, 2014)."Mister Donut for mayor".The New Yorker.RetrievedSeptember 17,2019.
  40. ^Cardoza, Riley (October 18, 2017)."We compared Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts to find out which is really best — and the winner was clear".Business Insider.Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  41. ^"Sweet, Fat, but it's Okay, Sir, Send our love to the Deep South".mThai. Archived fromthe originalon June 9, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  42. ^Lynn Dinh, Michelle (June 27, 2013)."Enjoy sushi doughnuts at Mister Donut in Thailand".Rocket News 24.Archived fromthe originalon February 2, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  43. ^Ashcraft, Brian (June 26, 2013)."Sushi Donuts! Yes, Sushi...Donuts!".kotaku.Kotaku.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  44. ^Lynn Dinh, Michelle (October 5, 2013)."Hello Kitty gets a jack-o'-lantern grin at Mister Donut Japan".Japan Today.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  45. ^abNagata, Mami (April 7, 2015)."Mister Donut betting on novel treats to please snackers".Nikkei Asian Review.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  46. ^Takahashi, Yoriko (May 28, 2014)."MOSDO! – Donut burger & rice burger dessert?".Akihabara News.Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  47. ^St. Michel, Patrick (July 17, 2015)."Mister Donut is building a pastry bridge to Brooklyn".The Japan Times.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  48. ^abBaseel, Casey (July 4, 2016)."Mister Donut is offering all-you-can-eat donuts in Tokyo!".en.rocketnews24.Rocket News 24.RetrievedSeptember 27,2016.
  49. ^"Rediscover Saint Etienne's 'Good Humor' (1998) | Tribute".Albumism.May 2, 2023.RetrievedAugust 10,2024.
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