Hello Kitty: Other Sanrio creations
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.BADTZ-MARU
Badtz-Maru is the only Sanrio character aimed at both boys and girls; teenage boys often have tattoos of this bad-attitude penguin in his classic pose: one eye closed and tongue sticking out. He was the official mascot for the 2006 FIBA World Championship of basketball, which was held in Japan.
LITTLE TWIN STARS
Little Twin Stars are a brother and sister called Kiki and Lala; they live on a cloud. Kiki has blue hair and sometimes appears with a star-shaped halo, while Lala has pink hair and carries a wand. Launched by Sanrio in 1975, they became particularly popular in the 1980s.
MY MELODY
My Melody is the first rabbit character released by Sanrio. She was originally marketed as a Little Red Riding Hood character when she first appeared in 1976, hence the red hood. She was popular in the Seventies, but then fell out of fashion.
KEROPPI
Keroppi the frog was released in 1987 and rivalled Hello Kitty in terms of merchandising in the early 1990s, particularly in the UK. The Keroppi line of trinkets was discontinued when sales started to decline.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments