Sanrio

Sanrio Co., Ltd. is a Japanese company founded in 1960, designing, licensing, and selling character-based products across merchandise, apparel, stationery, and collectibles. Its character roster spans decades of creation: Hello Kitty debuted in 1974; My Melody and Pochacco in 1975 and 1989 respectively; Cinnamoroll in 2001; and Kuromi in 2005. Sanrio licenses its characters extensively to global toy manufacturers, with retail sales from its licensing business reaching approximately $5.1 billion USD in fiscal 2023. The company maintains offices and retail stores internationally, with strong brand recognition across Asia, North America, and Europe.