Sanrio is the undisputed king of cute, and with over 400 characters there’s more to the iconic Japanese brand than just Hello Kitty. We’ve waded through their catalog of kawaii to bring you this wholly objective and unbiased list of the best and cutest Sanrio characters. Some even have their own social media accounts!
10. Keroppi
One of the classic Sanrio characters, Keroppi was originally created for his very own Keroppi fictional universe but has since become a Hello Kitty character. A little green frog, Keroppi lives in a house on the edge of Donut Pond with his doctor father, chef mother, and triplet brother and sister. He plays the trumpet, badly—a detail I just find charming.
9. Little Twin Stars
A two-for-one deal, the Little Twin Stars are some of the only human, or rather, human-like, characters in Sanrio’s repertoire. Born in the Dream Nebula, their parents loved them so much that they spoiled them a little bit, and decided that the only way to fix this was to send them to Earth to experience some of the sadness and struggles going on down there. Sweet-natured, creative, and loving, Kiki and Lala are very, very cute.
8. Badtz-Maru
He’s a penguin with a bad attitude, how can you not love him? Sometimes he’s even called “bad Badtz Maru” and he’s basically Bart Simpson if Bart were a penguin with a touch of megalomania. (He plans to be “boss of everything” one day.) Badtz, which translated literally means x, is used to refer to a wrong answer in Japanese. Maru, literally circle, signifies a correct answer, so his name is a fun little oxymoron and/or statement on how it’s good to be a little bit bad.
7. Pompompurin
Pompompurin is named after his favorite food, his mother’s crème caramel pudding, something he also bears a more than passing resemblance to. In addition to eating pudding, he loves collecting shoes, including other people’s, and chasing after his own beret when it’s carried away by the wind.
6. Pandapple
A wee little panda with a rainbow shirt and apple hat, Pandapple is adorable. He lives in an apple orchard in California, in an apple-scented house, and his goal is to grow the world’s biggest apple—you’ve got to admire a monomaniacal king! Plus he has a pet caterpillar, Imomushi, who loves apples just as much as he does, so you get two cute characters for the price of one.
5. Lloromanic
Another two-for-one this devilishly cute demonic duo are named Berry and Cherry, and together they are Lloromanic! Rivals of the heavenly dog Cinnamorol they live in an abandoned gothic mansion, are afraid of sunlight, and like to play pranks on children at night. Berry actually made Cherry because he was lonely as the only demon around, and while they may squabble sibling style he’s not lonely anymore!
4. Kuromi
Created as a rival for Hello Kitty’s best friend, My Melody, Kuromi is the goth leader of an all-girl biker gang (actually riding tricked-out tricycles). With a soft spot for romance novels, pretty boys, and good food Kuromi likes cooking and journaling as well as causing havoc with her friends. Like onions and Shrek, she has layers.
3. Cinnamorol
Everything about Cinnamorol and the world he inhabits is so soft and gentle, and sometimes that’s just what you need. Named after his cinnamon roll-shaped tail, Cinnamorol is a celestial dog that was born in the clouds and accidentally fell to earth! Oh no! However, it’s OK because he was adopted by a lovely cafe owner with lots of other little dogs for him to be friends with.
2. Gudetama
Aren’t we all, when it comes down to it, a lazy egg? Don’t we all just want to curl up in our fluffy egg-white blanket that is also somehow a part of our bodies and just go back to sleep instead of getting up and having a job and responsibilities? Yeah, I thought as much. We’re all Gudetama here. I’m going for a nap.
1. Aggretsuko
In the top spot, it’s got to be Aggretsuko. Not only is she a red panda, one of the cutest creatures on the planet, she’s also a being of unbridled rage thanks to the late-stage capitalist hellscape we’re all living in. Plus she expresses that rage through death metal karaoke, and having found a socially acceptable way to scream in public is frankly genius.
Is it a little bit ironic that she’s the product of a massive corporation, designed to make money off all the people relating to her struggle? Yes, but also, does it matter? World’s on fire, death metal red panda cute OK?
