10 Things Only Sanrio Fans Know!

As a kawaii fan, you’ve definitely heard of Sanrio! This company is the maker of some of the biggest names in the kawaii-sphere, including cuties like Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Kuromi, and, of course, the kawaii superstar, Hello Kitty. 

Let's jump right in!

1. Sanrio Didn't Start Out As A Kawaii Company
2. Sanrio Used Snoopy Before Making Its Own Characters
3. Sanrio Was Named After A River
4. The Very First Sanrio Character Wasn’t Hello Kitty
5. Sanrio Has Hundreds & Hundreds of Characters!
6. A Lot of Sanrio Characters Aren’t What You Think They Are
7. Sanrio’s Most Popular Character Is…Drumroll please….
8. There Are Actually No Sanrio Museums
9. Fans Stay Up to Date With the Strawberry News
10. Sanrio Gives Away Secret Freebies to Fans

While most kawaii fans know a lot about the realm of Sanrio, casual fans have yet to learn about the cute little surprises Sanrio has to offer. Like the fact that Sanrio didn’t really start out as kawaii. Or the fact that Hello Kitty isn’t even the company’s very first kawaii character! 

So what kawaii secrets does Sanrio have hidden? Well, we're here to find out. Put on your cutest outfit and grab your backpack, we’re going on an adventure to learn more about Sanrio! 

1. Sanrio Didn’t Start Out as A Kawaii Company

The name Sanrio might be synonymous with cuteness, but when the company was first created in the 1960s, it was known as the Yamanashi Silk Company. The business was entirely focused on producing nice textiles and had nothing to do with the kawaii-verse. 

It wasn’t until 1962 that the company started noticing that customers liked cute patterns like strawberries and flowers. What started out as cute flower designs would eventually evolve into Sanrio creating its own cute characters for the entire world to fall in love with! 

2. Sanrio Used Snoopy Before Making Its Own Characters

After noticing that cute flower designs sold well among its customers, the Yamanashi Silk Company started looking for cute cartoons. In the late 60s, the company incorporated prints of popular cartoon characters like Snoopy. Eventually, the Yamanashi Silk Company would rename itself and hire its own designers to create its very own kawaii characters. That includes Hello Kitty! 

3. Sanrio Was Named After A River

Well, sort of! After shifting from regular textiles to the world of kawaii characters, the Yamanashi Silk Company decided to give itself a better name. The company's founder, Shintaro Tsuji, decided to name the business Sanrio after the Spanish words San and Rio.  

In English, that would mean Saint River! Tsuji wanted to rename the Yamashi Silk Company after sacred rivers in the hope that it would build a name for itself along the riverbanks of kawaii culture. 

4. The Very First Sanrio Character Wasn’t Hello Kitty

A lot of kawaii fans might think that Hello Kitty would be Sanrio's very first character, but that's actually far from the truth! The very first Sanrio character is Corochan, a laid-back bear with cheeks that look like croquettes. This cutie was created in 1973, the same year that the Yamanashi Silk Company decided to rebrand to Sanrio. A year after that, Sanrio created Hello Kitty! 

5. Sanrio Has Hundreds & Hundreds of Characters!

Casual kawaii fans might know a handful of Sanrio cuties like My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, and Pochacco, but did you know that Sanrio has over 450 original characters? Sanrio has characters based on animals, people, objects, and sometimes even food. What's even better is that all of these cuties have their own backstories and charm points! 

While some are more popular than others, all of the Sanrio characters are unique and have a lot of cuteness to offer. If you'd like to learn more about all of the cuties that Sanrio has in its roster, then you can check out our Ultimate List of Sanrio Characters. 

6. A Lot of Sanrio Characters Aren’t What You Think They Are

Sometimes, in the world of Sanrio, looks can be deceiving. Characters aren’t always what they seem! Hello Kitty might look like a cat, but she actually isn’t - she’s a gijinka or personification of a cat. Cinnamoroll looks a lot like a cute girl bunny, but he’s actually a dog, and he’s a boy to boot! The Little Twin Stars seem like cute little kids, but they actually have cosmic sizes (imagine the size of the moon or bigger). 

Sanrio sure is full of fun little surprises. If you’d like to learn more about your favorite characters, you can always check our Sanrio character blogs. We have detailed write-ups on all of your Sanrio favorites - from Pompompurin, to Hangyodon, to Kuromi, and so much more! 

7. Sanrio’s Most Popular Character Is…Drumroll please…

Is it Hello Kitty? Well, the truth is, Sanrio’s most popular character changes from year to year. Sanrio holds an annual popularity contest for all of its characters, asking fans all over the world to vote for their favorites. In 2024, the top spot was taken by the cinnamon roll-tailed puppy, Cinnamoroll. In 2025, the most popular Sanrio character was none other than Pompompurin! 

If you’re a Sanrio fan and you’re thinking of participating in the contest, then make sure to check our Sanrio Character Ranking Guide. We talk about the ranking’s history, how to join the contest, how many times you can vote for your fave character, and everything you need to know about the Sanrio Character Ranking. 

8. There Are Actually No Sanrio Museums

Seeing how big Sanrio really is, fans would expect this kawaii megagiant to have its own museum. After all, there’s a museum for cute characters like Miffy and Snoopy. Unfortunately, Sanrio doesn’t have its own permanent museum, though from time to time the company while have major pop-up exhibits.

What Sanrio does have, though, is themeparks! The most popular one is Sanrio Puroland in Tokyo. Not only does the theme park showcase Sanrio attractions, it has cafes, kawaii rides, parades, and even musical shows.  Another fun Sanrio themepark to visit is Harmonyland in Oita, Japan which has tons of rides and shows for fans to enjoy. 

If cafes are more of your thing, than you’re in for a good time because Sanrio has tons of cafes. They have lots of yummy Sanrio-themed food, drinks, and exclusive Sanrio character merch! In Japan, there are permanent cafes like the Sanrio Cafe Ikubukuro Store and the Sanrio Characters Garden Cafe in Taita City, Ueno.

You can also find permanent Sanrio character cafes like the Pompompurin Cafe in Tokyo and the Cinnamoroll Cafe in Shinjuku. From time to time, Sanrio also hosts pop-up cafes for its different characters like My Melody, Kuromi, and more.  That’s why Sanrio fans always keep their ears to the ground - you’ll never know when a new Sanrio character cafe will pop up! 

9. Fans Stay Up to Date With the Strawberry News

Did you know that Sanrio has its own Japan-only magazine called The Strawberry News or the Ichigo Shinbun (いちご新聞)? This publication has been around almost as long as Hello Kitty. Running since March 1975, the Strawberry News has fun Sanrio character articles as well as tidbits about crafts, fan art, fan mail, and calls for contests where fans can win exclusive prizes! 

The name of Strawberry News actually comes from Sanrio’s history beyond the world of kawaii. When Sanrio was still the Yamanashi Silk Company, the first successful kawaii print that the business ever made was of strawberries. In remembrance of the print, Sanrio named its publication The Strawberry News! 

10. Sanrio Gives Away Secret Freebies to Fans

If you're a Sanrio fan in Japan, then you'd better not miss out on the company’s little freebies! Sanrio has been giving out fun little tokens to customers in their Japanese shops since the 70s. These exclusive Sanrio merch items are called "premiums" that fans can collect and show off to others. Sometimes these premiums are charms, sometimes they look like miniature items that you can add to your kawaii collection. 

Alrighty! We’ve certainly learned a lot about Sanrio today. From all sorts of character secrets, news updates, to fun little freebies that you can get when you shop in Japan. Which fun fact was the most surprising? Let us know in the comments section below. 

If you’d like to learn more about the company behind some of the biggest names in the kawaii-verse, then you can always head to our blog about Sanrio. There, we go all in and discuss everything there is to know about the megagiant of kawaii characters! See you there!