Krispy Kreme Celebrates Pac-Man’s 45th Anniversary With Limited-Edition Doughnuts

Krispy Kreme is back at it with an all-new partnership, and this one will have you chowing down on video wafers and fleeing from ghosts.

On Monday, the North Carolina-based doughnut chain announced its new “a-maze-ing collaboration” with the video game giant Bandai Namco Entertainment America to honor Pac-Man’s 45th anniversary.

“This year marks an incredible milestone as we celebrate Pac-Man’s legacy and his 45 years of impact,” Karim Farghaly, the senior vice president of business innovation and licensing at Bandai Namco, shared in a statement provided to Food & Wine. “We are thrilled to partner with Krispy Kreme, another beloved iconic brand, to deliver a sweet experience for fans to enjoy just in time for Pac-Man Day.”  

The partnership includes three new doughnuts all meant to induce plenty of video game nostalgia, including the Pac-Man Party Doughnut, which Krispy Kreme explained is an Original Glazed Doughnut “piped with yellow buttercreme flavored icing, sprinkled with celebration sprinkles and topped with a Pac-Man piece.” 

Then there’s the Team Ghost Doughnut, which begins with an unglazed shell doughnut filled with chocolate-flavored Kreme, dipped in black icing, decorated with a Pac-Man maze design, and topped with a Team Ghost piece. Lastly, there’s the Strawberry Power Berry Doughnut, another unglazed shell doughnut filled with strawberry-flavored Kreme, dipped in red icing, and topped with white sprinkles and green leaf icing.   

“These all-new Pac-Man doughnuts are sweetest in multiplayer mode. So, press start on a dozen and chomp on a maze of flavors with family, friends, and coworkers,” Dave Skena, Krispy Kreme’s chief growth officer, added. “Partnering with Bandai Namco and Pac-Man is a new high score of sweetness.”  

Krispy Kreme is also honoring this partnership by giving customers a free 10-count of Dots (which is also another name for Pac-Man’s food in the game) with the purchase of any dozen at regular price from today through May 14. It is also offering a dozen Original Glazed for just .25 cents with the purchase of any dozen at regular price on Pac-Man Day, which falls on May 22. 

Lastly, Krispy Kreme hopes to give away 45,000 Original Glazed Doughnuts between today and May 18 during its Hot Light hours (from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., or “whenever the Hot Light is shining”). If fans assist in achieving this giveaway “high score,” the brand says it will bring back its Strawberry Glazed Doughnut, which hasn’t been offered since 2023, in honor of Pac-Man’s love of fruit.

The Krispy Kreme x Pac-Man Collection is available in-store and for pickup or delivery, either individually or by the dozen. Additionally, you can find a six-pack box at select retail partners.