Ready to go on a magical journey? Well, buckle up because we're about to dive into the whimsical world of the cutest duo in the Sanrio Universe – Kiki and Lala, the Little Twin Stars! Get your curiosity ready as we unfold the enchanting history of these celestial siblings. From their personalities to their creators, we'll answer all your twinkling questions. So, let's get to know the stars of the show, Kiki and Lala, a little better!
- Japanese name: キキララ (Kikirara)
- Place of birth: Omoiyari Star
- Birthday: December 24
- Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
- Gender: Male and female
- Species: Mythical creatures
- Favorite food: Sweets
- Favorite song: Sparkling Stars
- Favorite word: Consideration
- Fun Fact: Little Twin Stars are actually as big as the moon!
WHAT ARE THE LITTLE TWIN STARS CALLED?
Let’s start getting to know these Sanrio twins by their names! The Little Twin Stars are more commonly known in Japan as Kikirara or Kikilala, which is a combination of their names. Kiki is the younger brother with short blue hair, and Lala is the older sister with pink hair.
ARE LITTLE TWIN STARS HUMANS?
The Little Twin Stars are anthropomorphic stars from Sanrio. Wait, what? That long and fancy-sounding word is used to describe something that has human characteristics. These adorable twins are anthropomorphic stars that are made to look like humans! That’s why Sanrio’s official website best describes them as a “fushigi-kei” or mystery rather than humans.
ARE LITTLE TWIN STARS BOTH GIRLS?
No, they aren't both girls! Despite the luscious locks and soft look that might leave you wondering, Kiki is a boy! He’s an adventurous boy with a heart as big as the starry sky. His twin sister Lala is the girl, often seen taking care of others with her magic star wand.
WHO CREATED KIKI AND LALA?
These adorable twins came from the kawaii world of Sanrio! In 1975, the talented Sanrio artist Yoko Matsumoto came up with the idea of crafting “animal and child characters” for Christmas. Among them were a rabbit character later known as My Melody, and the charming “twin star child characters” who eventually became the beloved Little Twin Stars characters. Sanrio even asked readers to submit Little Twin Stars name suggestions, where Kiki and Lala were chosen.
Originally, the twins were introduced as a boy in winter clothes with a scarf and a girl in a hooded coat. They also used to have brown and blonde hair. However, their special touch came when the idea of placing stars on their backs emerged. Now dressed like angels in white, Little Twin Stars were created to be the shining lights in the night sky, capturing the hearts of fans not only in Japan but all over the world!
WHEN IS LITTLE TWIN STARS’ BIRTHDAY?
The Little Twin Stars celebrate their birthday on December 24th. This makes every Christmas Eve even more magical and full of starry delight! They’ve been around since 1975, making them among the longest-lived Sanrio Characters alongside Hello Kitty, Keroppi, and My Melody.
WHEN DID LITTLE TWIN STARS COME OUT?
The Little Twin Stars first graced our world with their sparkling presence in 1975. They first appeared on the cover of “Ichigo Shinbun” or Strawberry News, the official publication of Sanrio. Sanrio even produced a short Little Twin Stars anime series! Since then, they have become iconic, sharing their dreamy adventures and starry smiles with generations of fans.
DO LITTLE TWIN STARS HAVE FAVORITES?
Yes, they do! Kiki and Lala each have their favorite things that make them unique and loveable. While both love sweets, Kiki especially likes the pancakes that Lala makes. Most of the time, these two like opposite things! Kiki’s favorite seasons are spring and summer, and Lala prefers autumn and winter. As for their hobbies, Kiki loves going outdoors to fish for stars and explore while Lala likes staying inside to draw and write poems.
WHAT ARE THE LITTLE TWIN STARS’ PERSONALITIES?
These twins come with starry personalities that complement each other perfectly! Lala is caring and she shows it by carrying a magical star wand that readily helps others. Aside from that, this star wand also helps her cook delicious dishes, especially the soup that she’s really proud of! It might be due to Lala’s soft and kind heart that she’s also easily scared and a bit of a crybaby.
On the other hand, Kiki is a brave and adventurous brother with a heart of gold! He’s all about exploring to feed his curious mind! He loves inventing new things, and he’s good at discovering new stars. He can even fly using the star on his back! However, he can sometimes be known to be hasty and mischievous, always doing pranks on his twin sister and friends.
DO THE LITTLE TWIN STARS HAVE PARENTS?
Yes, indeed! The twin stars were born to loving parents in the Omoiyari star in the Dream Nebula or star cloud. Father “Hoshi” or star is an inventor, a large star made up of small blue stars. Mother Hoshi is a poet and a painter, made up of small pink stars. In the official story manga published by Sanrio, the parents sent the Little Twin Stars on a magical journey to Earth so that they could bring happiness and joy to everyone they met and become shining stars like their parents.
WHO ARE LITTLE TWIN STARS’ FRIENDS?
Kiki and Lala are friends with almost everyone in the Sanrio Universe – the moon, the stars, animals, and humans! They even had twin childhood friends, the Magical Twin Comets! Let’s get to know each character that helped the Little Twin Stars become shining stars!
Puff & Poff
These stuffed bears are made by fairies! They were gifted to Kiki and Lala to help them on their adventures.
Nemurin
The Prince of Suyasuyaland is a regular character in the Little Twin Stars show. He looks like a cat with a hood and he’s sometimes seen riding his flying broom.
Lili
Lili wears a ponytail and a purple pendant around her neck. She has a boyish and energetic personality. She’s also good at spells that use moon drops.
Lulu
Lulu has twin tails and wears a red pendant. She’s talkative, likes fashion, and specializes in spells using star fragments.
ARE KIKI & LALA POPULAR?
Absolutely! Kiki and Lala are super popular not just in Japan but all over the world. They have a special place in the hearts of kawaii fans. Since entering the Sanrio Character Awards (which you can read about in our guide to the Sanrio Character Ranking), they’ve managed to always secure a spot in the top 10. People in Japan adore them, and you can find their cute faces on all sorts of things, from Little Twin Stars stationery to Little Twin Stars clothing and even collaborations with different brands!
COLLABS WITH LITTLE TWIN STARS
As mentioned, Kiki and Lala’s cuteness is spread all over Japan as they team up with countless brands. There’s a collaboration with clothing brands Marmar and Kinglymask, and the jewelry manufacturers, U-Treasure and THE KISS. These celestial twins are definitely a favorite when it comes to product designs due to their cute looks!
But the cuteness doesn’t stop there! The Sanrio twins also partnered with celebrities like Yuko Ogura, Mirei Kiritani, and Dream Ami. They also got a chance to collaborate with other famous kawaii characters such as Cardcaptor Sakura and My Little Pony!
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
Little Twin Stars have gained popularity beyond Japan. Sanrio has successfully introduced these characters to a global audience. As a matter of fact, the Sanrio twins have been collaborating with different products all over the world. Furla, an Italian luxury bag, collaborated with Little Twin Stars for a special series. Even the American cosmetics brand Wet N Wild featured Kiki and Lala in their makeup collection!
KIKI & LALA AS IMAGE CHARACTERS
Little Twin Stars are popular image characters because they are known to be caring and trustworthy, which is what most companies want to express. For example, the Sanrio twins became the face of a Bedwetting Consultation Center founded by Ferring Pharma, and they are the goodwill ambassadors of Achi Village in Nagano Prefecture, which is said to be the village with the most starry sky in Japan.
ARE THERE LITTLE TWIN STARS GAMES?
The first mobile game that stars the celestial twins is a four-in-a-row puzzle game called “Little Twin Stars Kiki & Lala’s Twinkle Puzzle.” Gamers can download this game on QooApp, and they’ll get to enjoy special stamps and picture books as prizes! Although there aren’t many standalone video games for Little Twin Stars, these cute twins join other games or have special appearances.
LITTLE TWIN STARS: FINANCE CELEBRITIES
Little Twin Stars may not be popular in the world of games, but they’re a hit when it comes to being the image of various companies, including financial institutions. In fact, you can consider them financial celebrities! Lots of banks in Japan put Kiki and Lala’s cute faces on cash cards and passbooks. These include Yamaguchi Bank, Tohoku Bank, Tokyo TY Financial Group, and even VISA and Mastercard!
KIKI & LALA IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC
Little Twin Stars also ventured into the music industry when they partnered with famous Japanese artists! The celestial twins teamed up with Brilliant Green vocalist Tomoko Kawase for her debut album, Tommy February 6. Moreover, Kiki and Lala had a collaboration song called “Prism” with the Japanese duo ClariS to celebrate their 40th anniversary!
IS THERE A LITTLE TWIN STARS CAFE?
Although there hasn’t been a permanent Little Twin Stars cafe in Japan, the charming twins are often featured in limited-time collaboration cafes, and the popular Sanrio Characters Garden Cafe. Kiki and Lala have appeared as donut decorations in Floresta Nature Doughnuts, and they also had a Little Twin Stars pop-up cafe in collaboration with the bakeshop Season & Co. Not only that but a slightly more adult version of Little Twin Stars was featured in the cute limited-time cafe from The GUEST Cafe & Diner.
STAY AT THE LITTLE TWIN STARS HOTEL
Have the cutest sleepover at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo where you’ll find a room turned into a Little Twin Stars wonderland! Kiki and Lala are everywhere – on the walls, bedspread, even on the bathroom accessories! The room is filled with Little Twin Stars goodies like plushies and decorations, so you’re basically sleeping in a Little Twin Stars hug.
ALL ABOARD THE LITTLE TWIN STARS TRAIN!
To celebrate the 45th anniversary of Little Twin Stars, the Tokyo Monorail had a magical makeover! Two trains were decorated with cute illustrations of Little Twin Stars. Not just on the outside, mind you. The inside of the train, from the ceiling to the seats, got the cute treatment, too! The concept behind this design is to wish everyone good health and happiness as they move toward a new future.
WHERE CAN YOU SEE LITTLE TWIN STARS?
If you want to get a glimpse of Kiki and Lala or take a picture with them, you can visit the twins in Japan’s two popular theme parks, Harmony Land and Puroland! In Harmony Land, you can watch Little Twin Stars at the parade. While in Puroland, there’s an attraction called “Kiki & Lala Twinkling Studio” where you can take cute pictures in the world of Dream Nebula!
KIKI & LALA AT TOKYO TOWER
In 2021, something magical happened at Tokyo Tower! It lit up in Little Twin Stars colors as Kiki and Lala hosted a super cool event called “Little Twin Stars Summer Night Fantasy.” When you enter the tower, it’s like entering the clouds where these cuties live! With a passport-style notebook, visitors journeyed through different booths where they could “fish” for cute souvenirs, take dreamy photos, and look at the Little Twin Stars exhibit!
LEARN HOW TO DRAW LITTLE TWIN STARS!
Drawing Kiki and Lala is super easy and fun. There might be two of them but they look almost identical. So, why not give it a go? We've included a video tutorial to help you. Grab your drawing materials and create your masterpiece!
WHERE TO BUY LITTLE TWIN STARS MERCH
The cuteness of these Sanrio twins is widely known and used as designs for different merchandise. There are Little Twin Stars plushies, Little Twin Stars hair goods, and even Little Twin Stars pouches. The best part? You don’t really need to travel far to find the cutest Little Twin Stars goodies. Blippo has a pretty big collection of Little Twin Stars items that are waiting for you!
So there you have it, star seekers! Your celestial guide to the most enchanting twins in the galaxy. Kiki and Lala have been sprinkling joy and spreading kindness for years, touching the hearts of Sanrio fans everywhere. Now that you’ve explored the magic of Little Twin Stars, share your favorite moments in the comments below!
Little twin stars are the cutest things and the facts about them are so cool and cute.😘
Noya Adika on