Since her inception in the early 1970s, Hello Kitty has held steady as Sanrio's most recognizable character. She was never intended to be as massive of a hit as she became, but within years, she rose to the top of Sanrio's yearly popularity charts, which pit a multitude of Sanrio characters against one another each year and allow fans to vote for their favorite.

In the early 2010s, Hello Kitty ruled Sanrio's popularity polls, taking home first or second place almost every time. As time has ed, and new Sanrio characters like Cinnamoroll and My Melody are growing more beloved among the fanbase, Hello Kitty's time in the spotlight seems to be in jeopardy like it never has been before, since she is no longer scoring as highly in these contests.

Hello Kitty is No Longer Earning First or Second Place in Sanrio's Popularity Polls

Since 2020, Hello Kitty Has Hovered Around The #5 or #6 Spot in Sanrio's Polls

As of 2025, Sanrio's popularity polls have existed for 40 years, ever since the first poll was published in the pages of Japan's Strawberry Newspaper in 1986. Hello Kitty ruled supreme for years, but in the late 2010s, her victorious status was threatened. In both 2012 and 2013, Hello Kitty was the #1 Sanrio character, and in 2014, she only fell one spot, down to second place. However, 2015 marked a massive shift for the famous feline, and she found herself ranked at #7 in the contest. Although she was still in the top 10 characters, this marks a sizable downward shift in her popularity.

In 2016, she climbed back up to #5, and in 2017 and 2018, she ranked at #4. By 2019, she had reclaimed her #1 spot, but that only lasted for one year. From 2020 onwards, she has been ranked at #5 or #6 each year through 2024, and the 2025 rankings have yet to be officially released. It seems unlikely that Hello Kitty will suddenly jump back to the #1 spot in 2025, given her steady record of #5 and #6 rankings over the past five years.

Cinnamoroll Has Stolen Hello Kitty’s #1 Spot for the Past Five Years

Side Characters Are Taking Center Stage in Sanrio’s Popularity Polls as of Late

Recently, a new trend has emerged and many of Hello Kitty's friends have begun scoring higher than her in Sanrio's yearly polls. Some of Sanrio's more popular characters in the past few years include fan-favorites Pompompurin, My Melody, Pochacco, and Cinnamoroll. Since 2019, Cinnamoroll has been the winner of Sanrio's official yearly character ranking, for five years in a row. Although the results of the 2025 poll have not yet been released, past evidence suggests that Cinnamoroll may be the winner yet again, for the sixth straight year, if Pompompurin does not steal his place.

Sanrio's side characters are beginning to overshadow her in some regards, namely, the official character ranking contests. Although the catlike character is still famous worldwide, appearing in numerous brand campaigns and merchandise collaborations, her time as Sanrio's #1 character seems to be drawing to a close, at least, for the time being.

The results of the character polls have proven that public opinion has shifted: Sanrio fans are interested in more than just Hello Kitty. Although it is a bit bittersweet to acknowledge other characters as more renowned than Hello Kitty herself, plenty of other Sanrio heroes deserve to take center stage for a change and be appreciated by new audiences. No character could ever take Hello Kitty's place, and she will certainly never fade into the shadows entirely, but she may have to share that limelight with her Sanrio friends going forward.

Source: AminoApps, Sanrio.co.jp