It’s that time of the year again with kawaii fans buzzing over the annual Sanrio Character Ranking! Most people might know the most popular Sanrio cuties like Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, Pochacco, and Kuromi. But did you know that the Japanese kawaii company actually has more than 450 characters in its roster? Sanrio just has so many different cuties to fall in love with (you can read all about them in our Complete List of Sanrio Characters).
Though each and every single one of these cuties has a special place in the kawaii-sphere, Sanrio loves taking the time to know who everyone loves the most. That’s why they have a special event called the Sanrio Character Ranking! Grab a pencil and some paper, because we’re going to have a special lesson on Sanrio’s biggest poll.
WHAT IS THE SANRIO CHARACTER RANKING?
Also known as the Sanrio Character Awards, the Sanrio Character Ranking is a yearly poll which aims to see which Sanrio characters fans love the most. It’s a popular voting event for kawaii enthusiasts! After choosing 90 characters from its 450+ character lineup (check our List of Sanrio Characters if you’d like to know more) , Sanrio asks fans to support their favorites by sending in their votes. Everyone around the world can participate!
WHEN DID SANRIO START RANKING ITS CHARACTERS?
The Sanrio Character Ranking has been going on for decades. The very first Sanrio Character Awards began in 1986. Unlike the modern version of the Sanrio contest which takes place online, the old poll was circulated through Sanrio’s monthly newspaper, the Ichigo Shimbun or Strawberry News (which you can read about in our comprehensive blog about Sanrio).
Once fans were done choosing their faves, the winning Sanrio cutie would appear on the cover of the Ichigo Shimbun. It was an honor for fans to see their favorite character appearing on the cover of the Strawberry News! The Sanrio Character Awards became such a huge hit that eventually it became an annual event.
The very first winner of the ranking was Zashikibuta who made his big debut in 1984. Though he’s not as famous now, fans loved this piggy. Laid-back and curious, Zashikubuta was a cute pig character who loved spending his days making sweets, growing vegetables with his mouse friend Tabby, and of course, eating!
HOW DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN THE SANRIO CHARACTER RANKING?
Sanrio has opened the polls for the Sanrio Character Awards from April 11 to May 26 every year since 1986. Fans can vote for free on a special website that Sanrio puts up for the event. They can also vote whenever they make purchases at Sanrio stores in Japan and around the world! It’s much better when fans visit Sanrio shops because votes from purchased Sanrio merchandise hold more power than the ones made online.
