Filipinos’ longtime love for ‘The Little Prince’ takes a new form in matcha series

Milk tea brand Chagee has released a new matcha drink series featuring limited-edition The Little Prince merchandise.

“The Little Prince” has been a well-loved literary classic in the Philippines.

The Antoine de Saint-Exupéry novella has been translated into several Philippine languages. They include Filipino (Desiderio Ching, then Lilia F. Antonio), Bikolano (Fr. Wilmer Joseph Tria) Chavacano (Jerome Herrera), Cebuano (Maria Clara Larobis), Hiligaynon (Stephen Matti), and Waray (Jerry Gracio).

It has also found new life on Philippine stages through the likes of Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas’ “Prinsipe Bahaghari,” Ikarus Theater Collective’s “Ang Prinsipito,” and Make Believe Productions’ “The Little Prince Musical,” as well as university productions, including UST Artistang Artlets’ “Munti.”

Published in 1943, “The Little Prince” has resonated with generations of readers through its deceptively simple observations on life, adulthood, and human nature. But these insights come from the eyes of a child—a perspective many trentahins and up may have long outgrown, forgotten, or simply learned to find irritating.

Take the businessman who spends his days counting stars and claiming ownership over them. To him, the stars are numbers and assets; to the little prince, they are something to wonder at. It is the book’s way of poking at an adult world that measures worth through figures, possessions, and status.

Then there’s the fox, who teaches the little prince about “taming”—not by controlling someone, but by making “some kind of relationship.” Through taming, the fox becomes unique among all the other foxes. It’s the relationship itself, and the time invested in it, that gives it meaning.

The rose complicates that idea further. At first, the little prince is disappointed to find a garden full of roses that look just like his own. But the fox helps him understand why his rose is special: “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.” He then learns that “what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

The geographer, meanwhile, introduces the little prince to the ephemeral, a thing “which is in danger of speedy disappearance.” It may even be how many Filipinos first encountered the word—one that reminds the little prince that his rose is precious precisely because it’s fragile and won’t last forever.

And with such tender lessons from a “children’s book,” adults keep returning to it, perhaps growing fonder of it with each revisit.

That affection has also found its way into merchandise and collectibles. Now, a new collaboration adds to the many ways Filipinos have encountered “The Little Prince.”

Milk tea chain Chagee has rolled out a new matcha series, another favorite among Filipinos, alongside limited-edition merchandise inspired by “The Little Prince.”

There are four drinks in the series: the Signature Matcha Latte, Jasmine Matcha Pure Tea, the Chocolate Cookie Matcha Frappe, and the limited-time Lime Cheese Matcha Latte, which comes with an optional Cheese cap.

As for “The Little Prince” fans, they may buy three matcha drinks and they can get a free Crown Headband or Fox Sleep Mask. A matcha drink can also be paired with a Stardust Tote Bag or Green Wonder Tumbler.

Few stories have traveled quite like “The Little Prince.” Since it was first published, it has taken countless forms: translations, stages, shelves, and keepsakes around the world. And now, the little prince has landed in a cup of matcha here in the Philippines.

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