Since 1986 Sanrio has held the annual Sanrio Character Ranking poll where fans can vote on their favorite characters. Other well-known characters include the pink rabbit My Melody from 1975, the frog Keroppi from 1988, the penguin Bad Badtz-Maru from 1993, the white dog Cinnamoroll from 2001, the black rabbit Kuromi from 2005, the animal series Jewelpet from 2008, the egg character Gudetama from 2013, and the red panda Aggressive Retsuko from 2015. Tsuji himself), My Melody, Keroppi, Tuxedosam, Badtz-Maru, U*SA*HA*NA, Pochacco, Chococat, and Cinnamoroll. Our special Sanrio Loungefly collections featuring Backpacks, Wallets and Purses, and Accessories are like a totally magical portal to a Kawaii paradise. The Sugarbunnies franchise was later adapted into a 7-minute short series in 2007 and was popular enough to gain two sequels.

Sanrio has created over 450 characters as of 2022, the best known of which is the white cat character Hello Kitty from 1974. That’s why we’re still working hard every day to innovate, create and make it easier for you to get out, work hard and play even harder. The popular feline whose mouth is usually invisible has had both peaks and drops in sales over the years but always has been the highest contributor to Sanrio's sales.

Sanrio constantly adds new characters to its lineup (up to three a year), so some of the older characters go into retirement. Sanrio Digital lasted longer, but was mostly inactive after 2015, and was fully bought out by Animoca Brands on May 13, 2021, lying dormant for many years. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

This limited-edition Playmate cooler and drinkware capsule collection features colorfully fun artwork honoring Hello Kitty’s 50 th anniversary — two very special styles that serve as cute memorabilia which fans can enjoy every day,” stated Adrienne Berkes, Vice President of Marketing at Igloo. Whether they’re heading on a road trip or out for a picnic, we know that our fans will love these supercute designs that they can take with them wherever they go. They claimed that one of Hello Kitty's companion characters, a rabbit named Cathy, infringes on the copyright and trademark of Miffy.In the late 1960s the company began producing goods with the dog character Snoopy, from the American comic strip Peanuts, after acquiring the Japanese licensing rights. The Hello Kitty ® 50 th Anniversary Little Playmate and 16 Oz Can join Igloo’s previously released Sanrio collection of Playmate coolers, softside cooler bags, drinkware and ice blocks that can be purchased on igloocoolers. Sanrio is the global lifestyle brand best known for Hello Kitty who was created in 1974, and home to many other beloved character brands such as My Melody, Kuromi, LittleTwinStars, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, gudetama, Aggretsuko, Chococat, Bad Badtz-Maru and Kerokerokeroppi. And here's the exciting part for our UK friends: we ship everything straight from our kawaii headquaters in the UK, so you can say goodbye to surprise import fees. Today, Sanrio’s business extends into the entertainment industry with several content series, gaming offerings and theme parks.

Tsuji hired his own designers to create characters for Sanrio, so as to not have to pay outside royalty fees. Get ready to do a little happy dance when you feast your eyes on our hand-picked selection of official Sanrio merchandise. Aggretsuko also get three animated adaptations by Fanworks, one aired on TBS and the later two were released officially on Netflix. For all you Sanrio superstars and kawaii enthusiasts, step into a world of cuteness that’s chock-full of charm. Jewelpet was also adapted into an anime metaseries in 2009, which was also produced by Studio Comet, spanning 6 official seasons and one theatrical movie, making it the longest-running anime adaptation of a Sanrio franchise in history.These Japanese animation wizards are the masterminds behind the most super Kawaii characters that have successfully stolen a piece of our hearts. In June 2020, it was announced that the company's founder and President, Shintaro Tsuji would step down from the role and hand control of the company to his grandson, Tomokuni Tsuji.