When most people hear the word Sanrio, Hello Kitty instantly comes to mind. Those who are slightly more familiar with the Japanese entertainment company may be aware of other Sanrio side characters, like Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, and Kuromi, whose prominence and popularity have increased over the last few years.

Since the original company rebranded in 1973 to Sanrio, hundreds of unique characters have been designed by a variety of different creators. Some of these characters have risen in status to enjoy mainstream fame and acclaim, but others have unfortunately been neglected in favor of these icons with Sanrio characters may be completely unfamiliar to most people, but they deserve just as much love as someone like Hello Kitty.

10 My Sweet Piano

Created in 1980

My Sweet Piano was actually known as Hitsuji, the Japanese word for sheep, originally, but experienced a name change in 2008 based on from Sanrio fans. She is best friends with My Melody, one of Sanrio's more well-known personalities, and the duo often appear together, having tea parties and spending time with one another.

My Melody is My Sweet Piano's best friend and they are often depicted in official artwork together.

Her design is similar to My Melody's, with a yellow button nose and upturned smile, but My Sweet Piano is also covered in fluffy pink fur to give her a sheeplike appearance. My Sweet Piano is even depicted actually playing the piano at times, which provides the background to her adorable name. Almost every piece of official My Sweet Piano artwork features My Melody by her side, so they are definitely two of the closest friends within the wider Sanrio universe.

9 Hello Mimmy

Created in 1974

It was groundbreaking enough to hear that Hello Kitty is a human and not a cat, but stunningly, she also has a twin sister. Hello Mimmy is Kitty White's identical twin and best friend, and their appearances are indeed alike. Though, Mimmy's bow and overalls are yellow rather than red, which allows fans to differentiate between the two twins.

Although Mimmy and Kitty share physical attributes, Mimmy has her own distinctive personality. Whereas Kitty is more social and engages in outgoing hobbies like music and travel, Mimmy is more shy, values her alone time, and loves to sew and read. Although they do have their undeniable differences, Kitty and Mimmy are practically attached at the hip, and there is no one they would rather spend time with than each other, making Mimmy a valuable but often overlooked part of the Sanrio franchise.

8 KIRIMIchan.

Created in 2013

KIRIMIchan. is a newer member of Sanrio's lineup; they did not the Sanrio universe until 2013. They were added to the cast of characters after winning a contest Sanrio held to design a new food-based character. Fans determined that KIRIMIchan. was the cutest of the bunch and deserved a permanent position as an official character.

"Kirimi" means filleted fish or meat in Japanese, which references KIRIMIchan.'s appearance as a large piece of anthropomorphized sliced salmon. Contrary to what people may believe, KIRIMIchan. actually wants to be eaten and become someone's tasty dinner, and she fully embraces the food aspects of her character.

7 yoshikitty

Created in 2009

Yoshikitty appears strikingly similar to Hello Kitty, but she is a completely different character with a fascinating backstory rooted in the real-life world of music and entertainment. One member of the Japanese rock band X Japan, leader Yoshiki Hayashi, was the inspiration for this Sanrio character, who was modeled after Yoshiki's fashion taste, musical abilities, and personality.

yoshikitty is based on real-life Japanese rock musician, Yoshiki Hayashi, from the band X Japan.

No other Sanrio character to date has been based on a real-life person, making Yoshikitty exceptionally one-of-a-kind. Her look includes blonde hair, purple eye makeup, an all-black stylish outfit, and a massive pair of white angel wings outstretched behind her. Yoshiki is X Japan's drummer, and Yoshikitty is often drawn rocking out on a set of drums as an homage to the musician she was inspired by.

6 Coro Chan

Created in 1973

What is truly special about Coro Chan is that he was Sanrio's first character ever, not Hello Kitty. Many people assume Hello Kitty came first since she is now the most familiar, but whereas Hello Kitty was created in 1974, Coro Chan came along in 1973, one year earlier. The same artist who created Hello Kitty, Yuko Shimizu, was responsible for deg the bear character as well.

Disappointingly though, Coro Chan's friendly design and calm demeanor did not earn him the level of fandom Hello Kitty later achieved, so he gradually vanished from most fans' memories. Other characters like Hello Kitty and My Melody began to gain favor instead. Coro Chan may not have become the hit sensation Hello Kitty did, but he will always hold a special place as Sanrio's first character.

5 Usahana

Created in 2000

Usahana is one of many bunny characters created by Sanrio, and her origin story is surprisingly thoughtful. Usahana's rainbow color scheme and vibrant, cheerful outlook make it impossible not to smile while looking at her, and that was Sanrio's intention. She was originally invented to brighten up office workers' moods and give them a symbol of optimism to look at during mundane days.

Although Usahana has not climbed to the top of Sanrio's character ranking charts like the franchise's other bunnies, My Melody and Kuromi, she ranked at 8th, 9th, and 10th place in the early 2000s, before gradually dropping lower as the years went by. It's high time for Usahana to have a comeback, since the joy her colorful design evokes is certainly always needed and few Sanrio characters boast an appearance as eye-catching as hers is.

4 Charmmy Kitty

Created in 2004

Although Hello Kitty herself is not a cat, she does own a pet cat, who is none other than Charmmy Kitty herself. Charmmy Kitty's facial features, snow-white fur, long whiskers, and telltale pink hair bow are identical to her owners'. What sets Charmmy Kitty apart from Kitty White is that her fur is fluffier since she is a Persian cat, she wears a silver necklace with a key-shaped charm attached to it, she walks on four legs rather than two, and she does not wear any clothes.

Charmmy Kitty is Hello Kitty's pet cat, and Charmmy has a sister too named Honey Cute.

Adorably, Charmmy is always connected to her owner, whether they are in close physical proximity or not, because the key dangling from her neck opens Hello Kitty's jewelry box. Charmmy Kitty also has an even lesser-known little sister named Honey Cute, who often appears in official artwork alongside her. Honey Cute is slightly smaller, has pink, fluffy fur, and wears two pink hair bows rather than just one like her older sister does.

3 Littleforestfellow

Created in 2015

Littleforestfellow is actually related to My Melody, who has become one of Sanrio's most beloved bunnies, especially in recent years. He is described as very close to My Melody and the duo are second cousins. Littleforestfellow is gentle and quiet, preferring to read books, listen to music, collect buttons, frolic with woodland creatures, and spend time playing with his older cousin, My Melody.

To represent the close familial bond between Littleforestfellow and My Melody, My Melody gifted him a red hood that he wears constantly, which matches well with her similar pink hood. Touchingly, the red hood was a hand-me-down, given away to him once Melody switched to a pink hood instead. Littleforestfellow is also sometimes referred to by his nickname, Mero, rather than his full name.

2 PataPataPeppy

Created in 1992

PataPataPeppy has been around for a while, since 1992, to be exact. Shortly after his creation, he became wildly popular and earned the #2 spot in Sanrio's official popularity poll ranking for two consecutive years. PataPataPeppy has fallen out of favor though, and last year, in 2024, he landed at #49 in Sanrio's ranking contest, which marked a rather steep decline.

Since he is an owl, PataPataPeppy is happiest when soaring through the sky using his wings or collecting tasty snacks like fruits and berries from the forest. PataPataPeppy began living with humans after inadvertently wandering into a home and enjoying it there, although he does adore the great outdoors and ventures outside often. He is reported to be pretty nervous overall and prone to fearfulness, but that does not prevent him from exploring his environment and going on adventures.

1 Hummingmint

Created in 2014

Hummingmint may be lesser-known, but her dedicated group of fans certainly appreciate the precious little fawn. Hummingmint has a ion for music and the Sanrio website lists singing as her all-time favorite hobby. The origins of her name contain two recognizable aspects of who she is: music and the night sky's mint-green aurora on the night of her birth.

Hummingmint's character design is similar to a typical deer's appearance, with brown fur, white spots, and dark brown hooves, but she also wears charming accessories like a light blue and pink-spotted bow on her neck and blue and pink flowers on her ear. Many hearts are also incorporated into Hummingmint's lovely design; her white spots are shaped like hearts, as well as her pink button nose and the insides of her ears.