is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the ''
kawaii
''Kawaii'' is the culture of cuteness in Japan. It can refer to items, humans and non-humans that are charming, vulnerable, shy and childlike.Kerr, Hui-Ying (23 November 2016)"What is kawaii – and why did the world fall for the ‘cult of c ...
'' ("cute") segment of
Japanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture includes Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, anime, manga, video games, music, and doujinshi, all of which retain older artistic and literary traditions; many of their themes and styles of presentation can be ...
. Their products include
stationery
Stationery refers to commercially manufactured writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery includes materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter pape ...
, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are sold worldwide, including at specialty brand retail stores in Japan. Sanrio's best-known character is
Hello Kitty
, also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...
, a little cartoon girl
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
and one of the most successful marketing brands in the world.
Besides selling character goods, Sanrio takes part in film production and publishing. They own the rights to the ''
Mr. Men'' characters and Japanese licensing rights to the ''
Peanuts
''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and infl ...
'' characters. Their
animatronics branch, called Kokoro Company, Ltd. (''kokoro'' being Japanese for 'heart') is best known for the
Actroid android. The company also runs a franchise of
KFC in
Saitama Prefecture.
History
Shintaro Tsuji founded Sanrio on August 10, 1960, then known as the Yamanashi Silk Company using in capital. In 1962, Tsuji expanded his enterprise from
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
to rubber sandals with flowers painted on them.
Tsuji noticed his success gained by merely adding a cute design to the sandals.
He began using existing cartoon characters for his merchandise. In the late 1960s the company began producing goods with the dog character
Snoopy
Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...
, from the American comic strip ''
Peanuts
''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and infl ...
'', after acquiring the Japanese licensing rights.
In 1973 the company was officially established under the name Sanrio. In the book or ''These are Sanrio's Secrets'' Tsuji, Sanrio's founder, said that , part of the company's former name, has an alternative
on'yomi
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...
reading of ''Sanri''. The remaining ''o'' was added from the sound people make when they are excited. The company's European website gives another origin of the name, saying the name comes from the Spanish words ''san'' ('holy') and ''río'' ('river').
Tsuji hired his own designers to create characters for Sanrio, to not have to pay outside
royalty fees.
The first original Sanrio character,
Coro Chan
This is a list of characters from Sanrio, a Japanese company specialized in creating kawaii (cute) characters. Sanrio sells and licenses products branded with these characters and has created over 450 characters. Their most successful and best kno ...
, was introduced in 1973.
Hello Kitty
, also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...
was added to the lineup of early Sanrio characters in 1974 and the first related merchandise was released the following year. 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. Specific characters are rotated in and out of active production. For a short time,
Osamu Tezuka's baby unicorn character
Unico, who starred in two feature-length anime movies in the early 1980s, was also part of the Sanrio's lineup; however the rights to Unico shifted to Osamu Tezuka's own company after Tezuka's death in 1989.
In late 2003, Sanrio won the "Top Brand with a Conscience" award from the Medinge Group of Sweden for its communication principles. The company has partnered with
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
since 1984. In 2006, Sanrio launched
Sanrio Digital together with
Typhoon Games
Typhoon Games Ltd. was founded in August 2001 in Hong Kong as a game developing and publishing company that caters mainly to the Asian market. It is the sister company of Typhoon Media International Ltd. and has strategic partnerships with Outblaz ...
to expand to the Internet,
online games, and mobile services. 2010 was Sanrio's 50th anniversary. In conjunction with this,
Build-A-Bear Workshop
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is an American retailer headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri that sells teddy bears and other stuffed animals and characters. Customers go through an interactive process in which the stuffed animal of their choice ...
released limited edition
stuffed toy
A stuffed toy is a toy doll with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, stuffed animals, and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be ...
s of several Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty, Chococat, My Melody and Keroppi.
Hello Kitty is alleged to be drawn in a similar style to the rabbit
Miffy
Miffy ( nl, Nijntje, pronounced ) is a Character (arts), fictional rabbit appearing in a series of picture books drawn and written by Dutch artist Dick Bruna. The original Dutch name, "Nijntje", is a shortening of the diminutive ''konijntje'', "l ...
. On August 26, 2010, Mercis BV, representing Miffy's creator
Dick Bruna
Dick Bruna (born Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna, 23 August 1927 – 16 February 2017) was a Dutch author, artist, illustrator and graphic designer.
Bruna was best known for his children's books which he authored and illustrated, numbering over 200. His ...
brought suit against Sanrio. They claimed that one of Hello Kitty's companion characters, a rabbit named Cathy, infringes on the copyright and trademark of Miffy.
On November 2, 2010, a Dutch court ruled against Sanrio and ordered the company to stop marketing Cathy products in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
Following the
March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Sanrio and Mercis reached an out-of-court settlement on June 7, 2011, for Sanrio to halt production worldwide of merchandise that feature Cathy. They also jointly announced a €150,000 donation to earthquake victims.
In December 2011, Sanrio Global acquired the rights to the ''
Mr. Men'' characters, which includes the subsidiary Mr Men Films Ltd, taking over
Chorion
The chorion is the outermost fetal membrane around the embryo in mammals, birds and reptiles (amniotes). It develops from an outer fold on the surface of the yolk sac, which lies outside the zona pellucida (in mammals), known as the vitell ...
's THOIP company.
In 2019 the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
fined Sanrio 6.2 million euros (approx. 6.9 million US dollars) for blocking cross-border sales of its licensed products.
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. Shintaro Tsuji ran the company for 60 years.
Locations
Sanrio Inc. is Sanrio's American subsidiary. Sanrio Inc. has offices in
South San Francisco, California
South San Francisco is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is colloquially known as "South City". The population was 66,105 at the 2020 census. ...
, and
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...
. Sanrio's first Western Hemisphere store opened in
San Jose's
Eastridge Mall. In 2008, Sanrio opened its high-end boutique called ''Sanrio Luxe'' in New York City's
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
. In the Western Hemisphere, Sanrio character-branded products are sold in upwards of 13,000 locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over 85 Sanrio boutiques. In April 2010, the first and only Sanrio-licensed eatery (Sanrio Cafe) in the U.S. opened at
Pearlridge
Pearlridge Center is the second largest shopping center in Hawaii, after Ala Moana, and is Hawaii's largest enclosed shopping center, located in Aiea. Opened in 1972 and expanded in 1976, the enclosed mall is split into three "phases" (Uptown, Down ...
's Downtown phase in
Aiea, Hawaii
Aiea (; haw, ʻAiea, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) located in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the CDP had a total population of 9,338.
Geography
Aiea is located at (21.385900, −1 ...
.
In 2004, Sanrio Co. Ltd., expanded its license to one of its major licensee and plush suppliers
Nakajima USA
Nakajima USA, Inc., is an American toy manufacturer, founded in 2000. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nakajima Japan, a family run company founded in 1919. A seasoned company in the design and manufacture of licensed plush, collectible and se ...
to include the owning and operating of all Sanrio branded stores in the US, overseeing the relationships between individual licensed stores and supplying all categories of products for the retail stores in the US and wholesale accounts.
Sanrio hosts two
theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
s in Japan,
Sanrio Puroland in
Tama, Tokyo
is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 148,285 in 73,167 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city was .
Geography
Tama is located in the footh ...
, and Harmonyland in
Hiji
is a town located in Hayami District, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. As of March 2017, the town has an estimated population of 28,524 and the density of 390 persons per km2. The total area is 73.32 km2.
Geography
Hiji is located within the ea ...
,
Ōita,
Kyūshū.
Characters
Sanrio has created a large number of characters, the best known of which is
Hello Kitty
, also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...
. Other well known characters include
My Melody,
Keroppi
This is a list of characters from Sanrio, a Japanese company specialized in creating kawaii (cute) characters. Sanrio sells and licenses products branded with these characters and has created over 450 characters. Their most successful and best kno ...
,
Bad Badtz-Maru,
Cinnamoroll
is a character series created by Sanrio in 2001, with character designs from Miyuki Okumura. The main character, Cinnamoroll, is a white puppy with chubby cheeks and long ears, blue eyes, pink cheeks, and a tail that resembles a cinnamon ro ...
,
Jewelpet
is a Japanese media franchise and toy line created in 2008 as a joint venture between Sanrio and Sega Toys, produced by the third character designer of Hello Kitty, Yuko Yamaguchi and illustrated by the character designer of Cinnamoroll, Miyu ...
,
Gudetama
Gudetama ( ja, ぐでたま) is a cartoon character from 2013 produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. The character is an anthropomorphized egg yolk whose main traits are laziness and sadness. The name "Gudetama" is derived from the Japanese w ...
, and
Aggressive Retsuko
''Aggretsuko'', also known by its original Japanese title , is a Japanese animated comedy streaming television series based on the eponymous character created by "Yeti" for the mascot company Sanrio. The character first appeared in a series of ...
.
Filmography
Theatrical
From 1977 to 1985, Sanrio produced movies through their Sanrio Films label. After ''A Journey Through Fairyland,'' Sanrio switched gears and started doing short films, OAVs, and TV shows based on their characters. In 2006, Sanrio announced they are again going to do feature-length films.
Other animation
Sanrio began its involvement in production of TV and direct-to-video animation during the late 1980s and early 1990s, starting with the US-made ''
Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater'' in 1987. The character My Melody got her first starring role in an animated series in the anime television series, ''
Onegai My Melody
is a Japanese anime series produced by Studio Comet, based on the Sanrio character My Melody. The anime is directed by Makoto Moriwaki ('' High School! Kimengumi The Movie'') and produced by Hideyuki Kachi and Kazuya Watanabe. The seri ...
'', which first aired on
TV Osaka
is a television station affiliated with the TX Network in Osaka, Japan. The mascot character is "Takoru-kun" (たこるくん).
History
Television Osaka, Inc. was founded in 1981 as part of the reorganization of Tokyo Channel 12 Ltd (now TV T ...
on April 3, 2005, and was produced by
Studio Comet. The
Sugarbunnies franchise was later adapted into a 7-minute short series in 2007, and was popular enough to gain two sequels.
Jewelpet
is a Japanese media franchise and toy line created in 2008 as a joint venture between Sanrio and Sega Toys, produced by the third character designer of Hello Kitty, Yuko Yamaguchi and illustrated by the character designer of Cinnamoroll, Miyu ...
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.
''
Show by Rock!!
''Show by Rock!!'' (stylized as ''SHOW BY ROCK!!''; also known as ''Show by Rock!! Gonna be a Music Millionaire!'') is a mobile rhythm video game developed and published by Geechs (later Edia), in conjunction with Sanrio. It is Sanrio's ...
'', a game by Sanrio and Geechs got an anime adaptation produced by
Bones
A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, a ...
in 2015 - and was licensed in the United States by
Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
. ''
Aggretsuko'' also get three animated adaptations by Fanworks, one aired on
TBS and the later two were released officially on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
.
* ''
Mr. Men (1974) - Flicks Films/
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
...