Lotte first launched Mona-o in 1995. But I suppose you hardly got what I said. You are not wrong, it is just I mistook the order. I am gonna talk in order now. Mona-o is a Japanese ice cream product by Lotte. It looks like Monaka (one of Japan's traditional sweets), but contains ice cream inside. In 2020 September, Lotte produces Mona-o with 2 ice cream flavors; vanilla and maccha. Mona-o means King of Monaka, by the way.
Do you know anything about 1995 Japan? I must tell you what it was. It was the post-bubble times. Bubble economy silently burst in 1991, they say. Most Japanese people didn't know what it meant, however. Bubble economy was invisible and intangible as you know, it was pretty hard for the common to feel the bursting actually. So there were many Japanese workers who optimistically said the market would be lively again before long. On the other hand, Japan's companies' property constantly lost in weight. It was natural, the bubble was already gone.
Ice cream industry also faced difficulty, naturally. Through the hard times, they had to survive somehow. But how? My personal opinion says Lotte decided to follow the Choco Monaka produced by Morinaga & Company. As I wrote last time, it looked Monaka that contained ice cream and chocolate. And so Lotte decided to produce the Monaka with nothing but ice cream. Just so you know, this is only my opinion.
Imitating is the first step to succession as the Beatles covered many ancestors like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and the Top Notes. Today you can still buy the Mona-o at convenience stores and supermarkets. It survived through 25 years.