The Sanrio Character Ranking competition started in 1986 and 2019 marks the 34th year it’s been held! With more than 13,831,089 votes from all over the world, the winner of the 34th Sanrio Character Ranking contest has been crowned!

Top Three Sario Character Ranking Winners

3rd Place: Pompompurin (1,221,788 votes)

Pompompurin is the trademark brown-beret-wearing golden retriever who loves milk, anything soft and, most of all, his mum’s cream caramel pudding! He made his debut in 1996 and has been popular ever since, especially in Asia. This cute Sanrio character won 2nd place last year and 1st place in 2015 and 2016. Pompompurin loves naptime, practising ‘purin aerobics’ and playing with his best friends: Muffin, Scone, and Custard.

2nd Place: Cinnamoroll (1,584,057 votes)

Cinnamoroll is a chubby white male puppy, originally from England. He has charming blue eyes and his long ears enable him to fly! He was born on March 6, 2002 and ever since  has been adored everywhere. Cinnamoroll took out 1st place in the  Sanrio Character Ranking competition last year and 2017 as well.

1st Place: Hello Kitty (1,647,073 votes)

Hello Kitty is the queen of Japanese kawaii culture, a phenomenon that has spread globally. 

Kitty White, or Hello Kitty, made her first appearance in 1976. She was born in the suburbs of London on the 1st of November Did you know she has a less-famous twin sister, Mimmy, who she is very close to? Hello Kitty loves baking cookies, especially her mum’s special apple pie recipe. She enjoys collecting cute items, and her favorite subjects are English, music and art.

This year is the 15th time that Hello Kitty has been crowned Queen of KawaiI! Last year she was voted in 4th place, so 2019 is her comeback year.

Character Cafes

Each of these cute Sanrio characters has a kawaii, themed cafe in Japan that you can visit to enjoy delicious and kawaii food!

Pompompurin Cafes are located in Osaka, Nagoya, Harajuku and Yokohama. You can share Pompompurin’s favorite thing, pudding, and lots of other delicious desserts with your best friends!

The Cinnamoroll Cafe is located in Shinjuku and Kyoto. The cafe serves cute Cinnamoroll themed dishes, desserts and drinks and you can also purchase limited-edition goods at the cafe’s shop.

Hello Kitty cafes are located in Enoshima, Awajishima, Otaru and Hakata. They serve a supercute and super yummy selection of sweet treats, drinks and merchandise featuring your Sanrio friends.

Find more character themed cafes in Osaka, including a Gudetama Cafe, and enjoy a kawaii dining experience with your favorite Japanese characters!

Where to Buy Sanrio Products?

ZenPop’s Stationery Packs often include cute Japanese characters, including September's Kawaii Characters Stationery Pack.

Our sister company, ZenPlus, also has a huge range of kawaii Sanrio products available online.

Sanrio stationery goods and accessories are sold all over the world, there are 196 Sanrio stories in Japan alone! The biggest Sanrio store in the world is located in Ginza, Tokyo or you can visit Kansai’s largest Sanrio store in Shinsaibashi, Osaka.

With over 400 Sanrio characters, including Aggretsuko, Gudetama, My Melody, Little Twin Stars, Chococat, Kero Kero Keroppi, the hardest decision is picking a favorite!

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