Top 5 Underground Sanrio Characters
Sanrio is the legendary Japanese company which is home to global sensation, Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty has been around since the seventies, and I’m guessing you may have come across the cute cat design. You may also have heard of other popular Sanrio characters like Kerokero Keroppi (A frog in stripey shirt) or the recently created Gudetama (An apathetic egg).
Have you come across the unpopular characters from Sanrio though? They don’t get much love after all. The forgotten ones who didn’t reach Hello Kitty’s level of fame. As far as I’m concerned, these are the coolest of the lot, so I’d love to share my childhood favourites with you all.
Although I grew up in New Zealand, my upbringing was very Japanese. We spoke in Japanese, had Japanese friends over to watch anime on VCR whilst eating imported pocky. So naturally Sanrio characters were a significant part of my childhood.
We’d go to Japan over the school holidays where my relatives would spoil us silly with character goods. Sanrio Store was the mecca for cute character branded stationary, snacks and toys. I still remember the excitement of going to one of these stores and getting to choose a couple of things from all the different items with various character designs.
I’m not sure if this is still a thing, but in my childhood friend circles, having a favourite Sanrio character was a must. It was almost like choosing a favourite band, you would rep your Sanrio character with pride! Most of my friends loved and collected Hello Kitty of course. Many chose a rabbit called My Melody or palm sized angels called Little Twin Stars. I didn’t dislike these characters as such, but even as a small kid I rebelled against the whole pink is for girls and blue is for boys societal rule. The branding of these characters is very pink and overly kawaii so they weren’t my personal favourites.
I was drawn to slightly more gender neutral, less popular Sanrio characters. So here it is - the top 5 favourite Sanrio characters of a child who found Hello Kitty and My Melody too girly and too mainstream.
Number 5 - Goropikadon (1982)
These cute oni (Japanese demons) are brothers who go to “Thunder School”. They wear matching tiger pants, which reminds me of 70s anime series “Urusei Yatsura” (left image)
Number 4 - Pochacco (1989)
A cheeky and popular pup who is the same size as 4 cups of banana ice cream. (Hello Kitty’s height is 5 apples and weight is 3 apples).
Number 3 - Bad Batsu Maru (1993)
This bad ass penguin is actually from my little sister’s generation but get’s a special mention. I think of him as the Japanese equivalent of the Looney Toons character, Tasmanian Devil.
Number 2 - Hangyodon (1985)
Hangyodon is half man, half fish, 100% weird. Even though he was a total flop during the 80s and 90s when cute characters like Hello Kitty ruled Sanrio Kingdom, I feel like he was fully ahead of his time. Successful characters from Sanrio in recent years include an apathetic egg called Gudetama, and a salmon steak called Kirimichan. Had Hangyodon been released this decade, he would have been a huge hit!
Number 1 - Tuxedo Sam (1979)
This was my number one, my chosen Sanrio character that I repped with pride. A tubby penguin with a top hat. He owns 365 bow ties (clearly for a different one each day). I owned way too many items with his cute mug - lunch boxes, pencil case - you name it. Way, way cooler than Hello Kitty right.
About Natalie Ex Design Studio
Hello, my name is Nat. I’m a qualified and experienced Illustrator and Graphic Designer in Melbourne. I have a Bachelor of Visual Communication Design and over 18 years of industry experience in illustration, graphic design and digital marketing.
The trademark Natalie Ex aesthetic is a playful and polished clean line style, inspired by my half Japanese upbringing.