Did you know about this? Hello Kitty has a boyfriend. Stop the presses! A niche side of TikTok exploded a few months ago when people learned of Hello Kitty’s boyfriend. This made me, a Sanrio mega-nerd, realize that the world needed to know more about that boyfriend and other obscure characters.
Before we move onto the list of Sanrio characters you probably didn’t know, there are some things you need to know about the world of Sanrio characters.
- Sanrio is a Japanese company that is known for its cute characters. These characters are used for merchandise, shoes, amusement parks and more.
- It isn’t all the same universe. That’s right, Hello Kitty is in one world, and other characters are in another. That means talking egg characters probably won’t ever get to meet her majesty, Hello Kitty.
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Dear Daniel
Debut: 1999
Did you know that Hello Kitty has a boyfriend? Also known by Daniel Star, Dear Daniel is a sensitive cat mainly known as Hello Kitty’s boyfriend and companion from the shows and TV specials. Like Hello Kitty, he is British and lives in London and is in the Hello Kitty Universe. Unlike most of the characters on this list, Dear Daniel is pretty mainstream and featured in many TV shows and merchandise. Some shows include The Adventures of Hello Kitty and Friends, Hello Kitty’s Animation Adventure and more.
Heysuke
Debut: 1999
Heysuke is one of my all-time favorite Sanrio characters simply because of how wild of a child they are. As far as the internet takes me, this character has no actual merch. However, there are a few illustrations of them. Their universe is unknown, and so is their gender.
All that is known about our beloved Heysuke is that they are naked, laughing and live next to the reader. Even in their official bio, it states that no one knows where the character came from or why they are laughing.
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Congressman/Senator Pepepepen
Debut: 2016
Pepepepen is a congressman or senator, depending on the translation, from the Antarctic. Not just anywhere in the Arctic, however. He is from the United States of Antarctica—the USA. The USA’s biggest rival is the North Pole, as stated in North Pole rule’s bio.
Pepepepen is accompanied by other diplomats, politicians, and regular penguins. After looking at them, it makes me wish Sanrio designed more politicians.
Kirimi-Chan
Debut: 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFbeAJbVq1g?ab_channel=
Kirimi-chan is a salmon filet specifically for eating who wants to be eaten. Unlike most nonfood characters, Kirimi-chan doesn’t have a birthday. Her birthday is just the day she became a filet. In her bio, yes, the fillet is a girl; it talks about how she is waiting to be eaten at the table today, meaning her end is imminent.
It might be unsettling that this character and all of her friends, who have hobbies and thoughts, collectively can’t wait to be eaten. However, try to take comfort that they want to be eaten and that our food isn’t forming an uprising.
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Dark Grape Man
Debut: 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKaAt6VNyEw?t=80
One of the first things you might notice about Dark Grape Man is that they resemble Choco Cat. However, despite Dark Grape Man’s dark colors, they are based on Hello Kitty’s design. Based in the same universe as Hello Kitty, Dark Grape Man fights monsters and other heroes. One of the heroes is Hello Kitty herself.
Not much is known about them other than some merchandise sold, occasional skits played out by mascots and a few YouTube videos. Who knows? Maybe Sanrio is on its way to making a cinematic hero universe.
Chunen Heroine Oji-sans
Debut: 2015
These Oji-sans, Japanese for “grandpas,” are office workers who double as green tea experts. But the first thing you probably noticed about them is their dresses and wands. That’s right; these grandpas are fully-fledged heroines. Their goals are retirement and peacekeeping.
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Nemukko Nyago
Debute: 1999 (Sanrio Japan) 2000 (Hello Kitty wiki)
Nyago is another Sanrio cat, but surprisingly not part of the Hello Kitty universe. Instead, this sleepy kitty is part of their universe. All that is known about him is that he likes to sleep and does what he wants often.
Monsieur Marin
Debut: 1985
This character is an older character, and not much is known about him. While he has his profile on the Sanrio site, it only lists his debut year and birthday. YouTuber Miguel Sanchez uncovered that Monsieur Marin was part of a fashion line for adults. Little more about the character or his merchandise is available for now.
Hagurumanstyle
Debut: 2015
Hagurumanstyle is less of a character and more of a group of characters. While these guys might look slightly unsettling initially, their goal is to help you unclench your teeth and relax. The tagline that is associated with these teeth, and trademarked by Sanrio, is デンタルケアならぬ『メンタルケア』を仕事としています。This roughly translates to “We don’t just work in dental care, but mental care too!”
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These guys even have a fun quiz on the Sanrio site that will diagnose your clench level. Once your clench level is diagnosed, one of the teeth will have an uplifting comment. Check it out here.
Holly’s Bear (And Other Obscure Bears)
Debut: 1994
Holly’s Bear is one of the most frustratingly mysterious characters to come out of Sanrio. For starters, the bear doesn’t even look like a Sanrio character. I had to double-check that it was copyrighted by them, which it is.
There are so many questions just by looking at the name. Who is Holly? Because it isn’t the bear itself. The bear belongs to Holly. All we know about this bear is that it is a toy with a red bow. Unlike other obscure characters, Holly’s Bear has merchandise that occasionally goes up for sale on eBay, though it is hard to find. Some of the items include cameras, pencil kits, dishes and more.
My conspiracy theory is that Holly is Benjamin Bear’s mother. Benjamin Bear, not to be confused with the Canadian TV show, is another obscure character who is seen holding a toy bear with a red bow. Though this toy looks slightly different from Holly’s Bear, it could be possible that Holly gave the toy to her son.
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However, sadly, even more obscure bear characters ruin this theory. Honeyfield, whose birthday is vaguely stated as when spring comes, is also a small bear with a red bow. In the end, we may never know who Holly is.
BONUS: Retsuko
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCILqmEd93A?ab_channel=
Retsy here wasn’t on the original list because I assumed she was mainstream due to her super popular Netflix show Aggressive Retsuko. However, when telling my friend, a fan of the show, about this list, she was shocked to learn that Retsuko was Sanrio. She didn’t even know what Sanrio was. So, we are adding Aggressive Retsuko to this list to let you know that she is from Sanrio. And yes, that means the same company as Hello Kitty, but not the same universe.
Which characters surprised you the most? Did you already know about some of these characters? Let us know in the comments!
This article was originally published on 04/10/23.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/netflix-animated-series-that-have-replaced-my-therapist/
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