"Not Cinnamon Roll, It's Cinnamoroll"... This Year's Sanrio Character Popularity Vote Heats Up Japan [Sunday Culture]

Voting Closes Next Week... Results to Be Announced in June

Some Characters Return to the Spotlight After 31 Years

"Is it cheaper to buy a Pompompurin plush in Japan?"

One question I get surprisingly often when people find out I’m in Japan is about Sanrio character plushies. People ask where they can get them at lower prices, or what’s trending these days. Sanrio characters, including the nostalgic Hello Kitty, are finding renewed popularity among children. When I see fathers who can rattle off names like "Pompompurin," "My Melody," and "Cinnamoroll" because of their kids, I’m reminded of just how big these characters have become.

In Japan, the kingdom of Sanrio, there’s an annual popularity vote for these characters. With the voting deadline approaching next week, social networking services (SNS) are filled with posts encouraging people to vote and sharing proof of participation. This week, let’s take a look at Japan’s iconic Sanrio characters.

2026 Sanrio Character Awards Poster. Sanrio.

Originally a Silk Company... The History of Sanrio

Sanrio, despite being known for creating many famous characters, didn’t start as a character company. Its founder and now Honorary Chairman, Shintaro Tsuji, was originally a government official who worked at the Yamanashi Prefectural Office for 11 years. He eventually purchased a company called "Yamanashi Silk Center," which sold silk—a specialty of Yamanashi Prefecture—and ventured into entrepreneurship. Initially, the business focused on silk, but things didn’t go well. In fact, after a failed silk export to Korea, he ended up with 5 million yen (4,727,000 won) in debt. Afterward, the company shifted its business to selling gift accessories and miscellaneous goods.

Early character illustration of "Ichigo Oosama (Strawberry King)" initially developed by Sanrio. Ichigo Oosama Museum.

It was then that he realized that adding cute illustrations to products significantly increased sales. In 1962, Sanrio developed its first original design: the character "Ichigo Oosama (Strawberry King)" and began selling gift items featuring the character. This is why the museum in Yamanashi Prefecture dedicated to Tsuji is also named the "Ichigo Oosama Museum (Strawberry King Museum)." At first, Sanrio commissioned artists to create characters, but gradually shifted to developing its own. It started by planning and selling greeting cards, eventually opening a store in Shinjuku, Tokyo that specialized in character goods for gifts.

Limited edition 1975 version Hello Kitty coin purse. Sanrio.

Then, in 1975, Sanrio released its flagship character, Hello Kitty. Originally, the character didn’t even have a name. Sanrio launched a coin purse and needed a cat character to go on it. The in-house designer at the time was a big fan of the novel "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland," and based the character on the cat from the story. Sanrio released coin purses featuring six different characters, including Hello Kitty, but only the Hello Kitty coin purse sold overwhelmingly well. At first, she was just called "the white cat" and had no name, but later was given the name Hello Kitty, and eventually an official backstory as a girl from London with the surname "White."

Now Over 450 Characters... Popularity Contest Since 1986

After that, Sanrio steadily focused on developing new characters, solidifying its status as the "kingdom of characters." In 1986, Sanrio’s in-house magazine "Monthly Ichigo Newspaper" launched the "Sanrio Character Awards," an annual popularity contest. Sanrio now has more than 450 characters, and some of these compete for popularity rankings as candidates each year.

This year, 90 characters are in the running. Voting closes next weekend, on the 24th. The final results will be announced at the Sanrio Festival on the 28th of next month. Cute and round characters always seem to make the top ranks. According to the current interim tally, "Pompompurin," who is celebrating his 30th anniversary this year, is in first place; "Cinnamoroll," who finished second last year, is again in second place; and "Pochacco," the puppy character who came in third last year, is currently ranked third again.

90 Characters Participated in the 2026 Sanrio Character Awards. Sanrio.

There’s always a character that creates a surprise. Last year, "Hangyodon," who had long been overlooked for not being cute, entered the rankings thanks to a retro boom. This year, the duck character "Ahirunopekuru" ranked seventh after 31 years, making it into the top ten.

Overseas voting is also available in 11 countries worldwide, including Korea. According to the interim tally, in Korea, Pompompurin is ranked first, Cinnamoroll second, Hangyodon third, Pochacco fourth, and Hello Kitty fifth. This year, Sanrio introduced special awards, such as the "Jump-up Prize" for characters that have climbed significantly in the rankings compared to last year.

Achirunopekul, the character that showed a shock by entering the top 10 for the first time in 31 years. Sanrio.

Sanrio also shares encouraging messages from individual characters to promote voting. Pompompurin said, "Let’s have fun celebrating the (30th) anniversary together!" True to her bold personality, Kuromi said, "I’ll be myself, and you be yourselves—let’s all enjoy it!"

Although the Sanrio Character Awards are a popularity contest, the mood isn’t as cutthroat as you might expect. This might be due to Sanrio’s long-standing philosophy of "Minna Nakayoku" (みんななかよく—let’s all get along). Even this year, fans are enjoying the event together, respecting each other’s favorite characters. Maybe that’s why, thanks to their kids, adults find themselves asking, "Is it Cinnamoroll or Cinnamon Roll?" or "Why is Hangyodon so popular?"—and end up reminiscing about Hello Kitty from their own childhood. Creating characters that people of all generations can enjoy together—perhaps that’s the secret behind Sanrio’s enduring appeal.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.