Episode #56 - The Sanrio Company

On multiple episodes of this show I have mentioned that me and my sister are both part Japanese, our maternal Grandmother is from Japan.  Needless to say, Japanese culture was and is a huge part of who we are.  We identify a lot with Japanese ways of life and with their pop-culture.  Anytime my sister met someone who was part Japanese like us, she would always find the need to share that our Grandmother was from Japan and that she was 25% Japanese.  People often ask me if know and Japanese and I ramble off the few words that I know:  atsuey (hot), samuey (cold), itchy, knee, san, she, go (1,2,3,4,5), ohio gozimas (hello, how are you) and kawaii (cute).  Growing up we were often the recipients of gifts from Japan from our extended family who still lives there or items that my Grandmother purchased in department stores that sold Japanese gifts.  Besides the boatloads of seaweed snacks and pocky which are chocolate coated wafer sticks that I ate as a child, me and my sister were given a lot of gifts created by the Sanrio company, the creators of Hello Kitty and a plethora of her beloved animal friends. 

One of the first Sanrio items that I remember getting as a kid was a small, red canvas suitcase with a Hello Kitty design on it.  It had a thick, durable zipper and a hard plastic handle.  This was a staple for any sleepover me and my sister went on as kids.  We’re going to Grandma and Grandpas, pack up your Hello Kitty suitcase.  We’re going to your cousin's house for the night, pack up your Hello Kitty suitcase.  We used that thing for years.  It was such a beloved family heirloom that we passed it on to my younger cousin who would go on to use it for many years. My cousins on my mother’s side were also the recipient of a Sanrio suitcase if I am remembering correctly, but there's was gray and blue and featured Tuxedo Sam on it if I am remembering correctly.  

With that being said, on today’s show we will be discussing the Japanese company, Sanrio.  What began as a company selling silk fabric, evolved into creating characters loved by millions of people all over the world.  We’ll discuss the development of the company, the peak in popularity of their characters in the 80s and 90s as well as how things are going today.  So, grab your Hello Kitty suitcase, your Kerropi change jar and a plane ticket to Tokyo, here we go! 

Hello and thank you so very much for tuning in to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast, a show inspired by, and in memory of, my big sister Rebecca and her love for all things pop-culture, especially the people, places and things of the 80s, 90s and early 00s.  My name is Amy Lewis and I am your captain aboard this pop-culture time machine. You are tuning in to episode #56, the Sanrio Company, the creator of some of the most beloved and kawaii characters to ever come out of Japan.  You know what else is straight outta Japan?  My Grandma!  Aka Obachan.  Now back to the show.  

Sanrio was actually founded back in the early 1960s by a man named Shintaro Tsuji.  Before it was Sanrio though, it was a company called Yamanashi Silk Center which sold fabrics and silk out of a store in the business district of Tokyo called Nihonbashi.  Eventually the company diversified a bit and started selling rubber sandals.  Sure the sandals were cute and all, but when they started adding things like flower details to them, they flew off the shelves.  The cuter the items were aka more kawaii, the more they sold.  Tsuji actually brought on artists to design more and more items that were kawaii.  More and more characters were added to the sandals and as such, more and more sold. In the late 1960s, Tsuji’s company started creating merchandise with the Snoopy characters on it as they acquired the rights to the Peanuts gang in Japan.

In 1969, Tsuji’s company started to create greeting cards, also with a focus on kawaii.    

In 1973 Yamanashi Silk Center officially changed its name to Sanrio.  They even went so far as to open a restaurant at this time as well called the Sanrio Salon.  There are a lot of stories about how the name Sanrio came to fruition but some information I read said that the company’s name has its origins in Spanish where San which is short for Santo meaning Saint or Saintly and rio meaning river.  Their first character was named Coro Chan, he was a bear with a low-key mellow attitude. Apparently the company also sold gum in the 1970s.  

1975 marks the year that the betamax and vhs players came onto the scene, the blockbuster film Jaws was released and finally, the world was introduced to Sanrio’s most popular character, Hello Kitty.  She was created by an artist named Yuko Shimizu and first appeared on a coin purse.  On the clear colored change purse, she was white in color with a red bow and was sitting in between a bottle of milk and a fish bowl.  The word “Hello” was written on the bottom. And, believe it or not, Hello Kitty actually has a bit of a backstory, she is supposed to be a young girl, not a cat even though she looks like one.  She is of British descent because at the time, Japan was really into pop culture from other countries.  Her full name is Kitty White.  She lives in London with her twin sister, Mimmy.  Her parents are George and Mary and her pet’s name is Charmmy Kitty.  She was not originally designed with a mouth as she expresses her feelings with her heart.   

In 1976 Hello Kitty arrived in the US at a mall in San Jose, California. America started to fall in love with this adorable Japanese import.  I think the company’s motto struck a chord with Americans because the Vietnam war had taken place during the early 1970s, so expressing love and caring, like Hello Kitty did, was very appealing.  By 1983, Hello Kitty was appointed as a US Unicef Ambassador.  HK wouldn’t continue to be found on just change purses, she could also be found on toasters, plush, pencils, pens, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

Sanrio expanded their character line by adding several friends for Hello Kitty.  Here are just a few of those characters.  In total there are over 400 Sanrio characters, but these are some of the more well-known ones:

• Little Twin Stars:  named Kiki and Lala, bot have stars as a part of their designs
• Melody:  Hello Kitty’s best friend who is a white rabbit who wears a hood over her ears
• Kerropi- a frog who lives in Donut Pond.  He likes to play with boomerangs and play baseball.  He was brought into the Sanrio fold to try and appeal more to boys.  My sister was a big fan of Kerroppi.  I’ll never forget the tin change jar she had with his pictures on it.  She stuffed her savings from babysitting into this jar.  She was always so good about saving money and to this day, I am the exact opposite.  But I digress.  
• Tuxedosam is a penguin boy, he owns 365 bow ties and loves to eat.
• Cinnamoroll- is a shy and chubby white dog.  

Hello Kitty wouldn’t just appear in stores, she was destined for the small screen, too!  For example, in 1987, Hello Kitty, Furry Theatre ran on CBS for 13 episodes.  Each episode had 2, 11 minute cartoons.  Hello Kitty and Friends ran from 1989-1994, the emphasis was on HK of course and her friend, Kerroppi.  I don’t believe this aired in the United States on television, but it appears it was a straight to DVD release.  Growing up with Hello Kitty came out in 2001.  It was released on DVD and focused on teaching your children skills like sharing, going to the bathroom, talking on the phone, etc.  Hello Kitty’s Animation Theatre also came out around this time, it was 26 episodes released on DVD.  Hello Kitty’s Stump Village came out in 2005, it would eventually air on the Cartoon Network.  There was no character dialogue like there was in previous series, this time there was a narrator.  Episode titles included:  Veggie Sunglasses, Hoop-A-Doop and Strange Penguin.  Dozens and dozens of Hello Kitty titles have been released in Japan.  

Besides her appearances in stores and on TV, by 1990, Hello Kitty and her friends were still incredibly popular so the company opened a theme park called Sanrio Puroland in Tama City, Tokyo.  Puroland is one of the most popular theme parks in Japan and over 1.5 million people visit there each year!  The park is indoors and features several walk through and ride on attractions.  It is still in operation today! Some of the rides include the Sanrio Characters boat ride where several of the famed characters are getting ready for a party being held by Hello Kitty.  Or you can visit the Lady Kitty House where you can walk through a sophisticated and fancy home decorated with Hello Kitty related items.  You get to meet HK at the end and can have your photo taken with her. 

Later in the 1990s, Sanrio stores started popping up all over the United States, including one at Woodfield Mall which is located about 30 minutes away from where me and my sister grew up.  My sister was so excited when we realized this and without hesitation, we always stopped there whenever we were there.  I am not sure just how many stores were in operation at it’s peak, but currently there are only Sanrio stores in CA and HI.  There is also a virtual, if you will, Sanrio store on Amazon.  

A food truck called Hello Kitty cafe started in 2014, to mark the 40th anniversary of HK.  The truck sells treats like macaroons, mini cakes, cookies and merchandise like mugs, totes, keychains, etc.  These food trucks are still in operation.  In December, the food truck is slated to be in CA, AR and FL.  

In addition to finding Sanrio merch on Amazon, you can also find HK and her friends on clothing and accessories at Hot Topic.  Also, Sanrio has 1.2 million followers on Instagram and HK has 2.4 followers.  And, because the holidays are fast approaching, if you visit Sanrio’s website, you will find their characters dressed in puffer jackets and beanies.  You can even purchase a Xmas stocking with all of them on it.  

In 2018, Sanrio was estimated to be worth about 42 billion dollars.  

In 2020, the company's founder and President, Shintaro Tsuji, stepped down from the role he held for about 60 years.  The company is now run by his grandson,Tomokuni Tsuji. 

I hope you have enjoyed this look back over Sanrio, one of the most beloved and well-respected companies to come out of Japan, certainly one that had a pretty big impact on me and my sister as children, as well as my Grandma and my cousins.  One of my favorite tv shows of all time is Will and Grace and when I was putting together this show, I was reminded of an episode where they made reference to Hello Kitty.  In one episode, Grace marries Leo (played by Harry Connick Junior) and she learns a lot of new information about him when they get married, and she is caught off guard by how much she didn’t know about him, including not knowing his real name is Marvin, not Leo.  

LEO: Where are you going? You're blowin' this way out of proportion.

GRACE: [SIGHS] You're like a stranger to me... Marvin. I might as well have married my Israeli pen pal from when I was 15 who sent me love letters on Hello Kitty stationary.

LEO: Actually over there it'd be Shalom Kitty.

GRACE: [UPSET] Please don't joke right now. That was weird up there. I don't even know when your birthday is.

Classic.  The original run of the show ended 16 years ago and yet, it’s still funny.  I have such timeless taste.  Anyways, I hope you will join me for my next show where we will be discussing some of the most WTF live-action television shows of me and my sister’s childhood like Welcome to Pooh Corner, Dumbo’s Circus, Zoobalee Zoo and perhaps more.  That’s going to be so much fun to put together! Until then, BK, BS and HOTYM.