{"rewrite":{"id":"r_1d177fde4a694a2589e21ba2","clusterId":"c_92e80d2ff7aa4104afafa776","slug":"bandai-namco-mega-kawaii-mart-pop-up-opens-in-chicago","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Bandai Namco Mega Kawaii Mart Pop-Up Opens in Chicago","summary":"Bandai Namco will open a Mega Kawaii Mart pop-up shop at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, Illinois on May 15, 2026. The store will sell MegaHouse figures and merchandise, including Look Up figures and Mega Cat Project items featuring characters from Naruto, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia. A Nyaruto mascot will appear for photo ops on May 15-16.","whyItMatters":"Bandai Namco is expanding its physical retail presence in the U.S. with a rotating pop-up model that cycles through themed stores at the same Mitsuwa location.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eBandai Namco is setting up a new pop-up shop inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, Illinois, this time themed around its kawaii merchandise lines. The Mega Kawaii Mart opens May 15, 2026, in the back of the grocery store, replacing the Tokusatsu pop-up that ran there in March 2026. The same space has previously hosted Digimon and Banpresto stores. The new shop will carry Look Up figures and Mega Cat Project items, which reimagine characters like Naruto's Nyaruto as cats. Stock will include Naruto, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia merchandise, plus four Gashapon machines with tie-in items separate from the regular Gashapon setup near Kinokuniya. A Nyaruto mascot will appear for photo ops on May 15-16 between 11:00-11:30am CT each day. No end date has been announced.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Bandai Namco opens a Mega Kawaii Mart pop-up at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, IL on May 15. Look Up figures, Mega Cat Project items, and a Nyaruto mascot will be there.","twitterPost":"Bandai Namco opens a Mega Kawaii Mart pop-up at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, IL on May 15. Look Up figures, Mega Cat Project items, and a Nyaruto mascot will be there.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Bandai Namco is opening a Mega Kawaii Mart pop-up at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, Illinois on May 15. The shop will carry Look Up figures and Mega Cat Project items from Naruto, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia. A Nyaruto mascot will appear for photo ops on the first two days.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Siliconera\",\"url\":\"https://www.siliconera.com/bandai-namco-mega-kawaii-mart-pop-up-opens-in-chicago/\",\"title\":\"Bandai Namco Mega Kawaii Mart Pop-Up Opens in Chicago\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4463,"outputTokens":657,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779827222,"createdAt":"2026-05-17T15:18:45.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-17T15:32:08.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-17T15:32:08.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_92e80d2ff7aa4104afafa776","canonicalTitle":"Bandai Namco Mega Kawaii Mart Pop-Up Opens in Chicago","representativeArticleId":"a_72ece5ced4d3914dd9db4ea3","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Bandai Namco\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"event\",\"domain\":\"figures\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-13T19:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-13T19:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-18T15:49:04.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Siliconera (Anime)","url":"https://www.siliconera.com/bandai-namco-mega-kawaii-mart-pop-up-opens-in-chicago/?utm_source=rss\u0026#038;utm_medium=rss\u0026#038;utm_campaign=bandai-namco-mega-kawaii-mart-pop-up-opens-in-chicago","title":"Bandai Namco Mega Kawaii Mart Pop-Up Opens in Chicago"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"studios":["Bandai Namco"],"people":[],"type":"event","domain":"figures","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Bandai Namco will open a Mega Kawaii Mart pop-up shop at the Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, Illinois on May 15, 2026.","The pop-up will sell Look Up figures and Mega Cat Project items featuring characters from Naruto, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia.","A Nyaruto mascot will appear for photo ops on May 15-16 from 11:00-11:30am CT each day.","The Mega Kawaii Mart replaces the Tokusatsu pop-up that ran at the same location in March 2026.","The shop will include four Gashapon machines with tie-in items separate from the regular Gashapon setup near Kinokuniya."]}