Sanrio was founded in 1960, fourteen years before it designed Hello Kitty. The company describes its guiding philosophy as Minna Nakayoku—“Getting Along Together”—and says it has introduced more than 450 characters. Hello Kitty became its most recognizable starting point, but Sanrio’s longer story is about building a broad character portfolio and keeping those characters visible through merchandise, licensing, contests and new partnerships.
Sanrio began with a philosophy, not a character
Sanrio dates its founding to 1960. In his account of the company’s name, founder Shintaro Tsuji connects “San Rio” to the Spanish words for “Saint River” or “sacred river,” and describes an ambition to encourage a peaceful culture and community. The company’s philosophy, Minna Nakayoku, means “Getting Along Together.” President and CEO Tomokuni Tsuji says the principle has guided Sanrio since its inception and frames the company’s desire as connecting people. Sanrio’s stated vision is “One World, Connecting Smiles,” established in 2021.
Those statements help explain why Sanrio presents itself as more than a character maker: its characters and products are meant to create opportunities for connection. They are the company’s own account of its identity and purpose, rather than an independent measure of its cultural impact. Sanrio’s founder message and president’s message set out those ideas.
Hello Kitty made Sanrio famous, but did not found it
Sanrio identifies Hello Kitty as a character created in 1974. That makes her a defining part of the company’s history, not its beginning: Sanrio had existed for 14 years before her design. The distinction matters because the company’s story is often compressed into Hello Kitty’s rise, obscuring the wider portfolio around her.
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Sanrio’s corporate overview says it has introduced more than 450 unique characters. Hello Kitty is the clearest entry point into that universe, but the company’s reach rests on a roster rather than a single mascot. A Hello Kitty plush toy is one familiar kind of character merchandise; the broader point is that Sanrio uses products and licensing to bring characters into everyday life. Sanrio’s corporate overview gives its current character count.
The character contest turned audience interest into a recurring event
Sanrio traces its annual character popularity contest to a small poll in The Strawberry News, its in-house publication. The contest had 10 entrants and was held in 1975–76. In 1986 it became the formal Sanrio Character Ranking: the first edition had 43 characters, used postcard voting, received 31,386 votes and was won by Zashikibuta.
The ranking’s format later expanded beyond the magazine. Sanrio says web voting began in 2010, an English-language site followed in 2012, and additional language sites were added in 2021. The event has become a way for fans to participate in the life of the character portfolio, as well as a recurring snapshot of which characters attract votes in a particular year. It should not be read as a sales chart or a definitive measure of cultural influence.
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Winners changed across the decades
| Period or year | Result | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Zashikibuta won the first formal ranking, which had 43 entrants and received 31,386 postcard votes. | The ranking began as a smaller, print-based contest. |
| 1991–1995 | Pochacco won five consecutive years. | A sustained run by a character other than Hello Kitty. |
| 1998–2009 | Hello Kitty won 12 consecutive years. | Hello Kitty dominated the ranking during this period. |
| 2020–2024 | Cinnamoroll won five consecutive years. | Later results also had extended runs by other characters. |
| 2026 final results | Pompompurin won for the second consecutive year and fifth time overall; Cinnamoroll placed second and Pochacco third. | The latest final result in the cited sources, not a permanent ranking of the portfolio. |
The ranking’s history and format changes are summarized in Sanrio’s retrospective on the Character Ranking.
What the 2026 ranking says—and what it does not
In its final results announced June 28, 2026, Sanrio reported 70,647,379 votes, which it called a record. Pompompurin took first place, followed by Cinnamoroll and Pochacco. The 2026 contest featured 90 characters selected from a stated pool of more than 450. These figures describe that particular ranking and its entrants; they do not establish that the winner was Sanrio’s best-selling character or the most influential across all audiences.
Because the entry pool and voting conditions can vary, year-to-year results are most useful as a record of contest outcomes. Sanrio’s 2026 final-results announcement provides the dated figures.
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Merchandise and partnerships keep the characters in circulation
Sanrio’s characters appear through merchandise and licensing, extending their presence beyond the original designs. In an October 6, 2026 announcement, Sanrio said it sells approximately 50,000 types of merchandise annually in more than 130 countries and regions. Those are company-reported figures; the announcement does not explain the counting method.
LEGO products are planned for 2027
Sanrio and LEGO announced a multi-year partnership on October 6, 2026, for LEGO play sets featuring Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters. Products are expected in 2027. The announcement does not name sets, give prices or specify release dates, so those details should not be assumed. The partnership is a future-facing example of Sanrio extending its characters into another form of play, rather than a product range already available. See the Sanrio–LEGO partnership announcement.
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The clearest way to understand the company’s arc is to keep its dates separate: Sanrio’s founding in 1960 established the company and its stated philosophy; Hello Kitty’s design in 1974 supplied its best-known character; the 1975–76 poll and 1986 formal ranking created a recurring public forum around the wider character roster. Later digital voting widened participation, while licensing and collaborations have provided new ways for those characters to reach audiences.
The available official history supports this broad chronology, not a complete year-by-year account of Sanrio’s corporate development from 1960. What it does establish is that the company’s identity is wider than Hello Kitty: its philosophy centers on connection, its portfolio spans hundreds of characters, and its contests and partnerships keep that portfolio in circulation.
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