Universal Studios Japan Reveals First-Ever Resident Evil Popcorn Bucket for HHN
The Universal Studios Japan Resident Evil Popcorn Bucket straps on like a backpack and opens at the head. Here’s everything on the Halloween Horror Nights debut.
Universal Studios Japan (USJ) just gave Resident Evil fans a reason to strap a monster to their back, and I mean that literally. The park has unveiled its first-ever Resident Evil popcorn bucket, and it’s not shaped like a logo or a health herb, it’s shaped like a Licker, tongue, claws, exposed brain and all.
The wearable bucket, officially called the Licker Popcorn Bucket, goes on sale September 9, 2026, ahead of the September 11 launch of USJ’s Halloween Horror Nights. It’s arriving alongside a new haunted house, Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive, and it’s doing double duty as the centerpiece of two anniversaries happening at once.
A Resident Evil Popcorn Bucket Built for Two Anniversaries
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Japan, and it also happens to be the 30th anniversary of the Resident Evil franchise since Capcom’s original 1996 game basically invented the survival horror genre as we know it. USJ leaned into both milestones with one collectible instead of splitting the celebration across separate merch drops, which honestly feels like the right call.
The Resident Evil popcorn bucket recreates the Licker in exacting detail, right down to the long, extended tongue and sharp claws the creature is known for. Rather than a bucket you carry or a shoulder bag you sling on, this one straps on like a chest harness, so it rides on your back while you keep both hands free, which, if you’ve ever tried to eat popcorn and hold a Butterbeer and check My Disney Experience… sorry, wrong park… check the wait times app all at once, you’ll appreciate.
Resident Evil Popcorn Bucket: How It Actually Works
The Licker’s head opens on a hinge to access the popcorn inside, a functional touch that keeps this from being purely a shelf piece. The claws and teeth are made from soft materials, which USJ called out specifically, presumably so nobody in line assumes they’re about to be stabbed by a snack container.
The bucket comes pre-filled with miso-flavored popcorn, a flavor choice that leans distinctly Japanese rather than trying to chase the standard butter-and-salt formula American parks default to. It’ll be sold at the Popcorn Cart in front of Stage 22 inside Universal Studios Japan starting September 9. Pricing has not been announced yet.
The Attraction Behind the Merchandise
The bucket previews Resident Evil Requiem: The Dive, a new horror maze debuting September 11 at Stage 18, where it will run through December 27, 2026. The story follows FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, who vanishes while investigating a string of deaths at the abandoned Wrenwood Hotel on the outskirts of Raccoon City. Guests search for her among zombies and, going by early reporting, get ambushed from pretty much every direction the house can manage, ceiling included.
The maze draws from Resident Evil Requiem, the newest entry in Capcom’s flagship series, and Universal Studios Japan is treating the whole collaboration as more than a one-off haunted house. RPD-branded shirts and a three-way bag inspired by the Hip Pouch inventory system from the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes are launching alongside the bucket, giving fans a full merchandise line to match the attraction.
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