While Hello Kitty may be the star of the Sanrio show, alongside her most beloved buddies consisting of the likes of My Melody, Kuromi, and Keroppi, the world of Sanrio is considerably vaster and more varied. From little demons, to the king of strawberries, let's look at some of the more sidelined characters from the wonderful world of Sanrio.

​Lloromannic

A duo set of antagonistic demons named Berry and Cherry, who come from a far away land called Rulo Romanic. They are selfish tricksters who like to play games and mess around with the other Sanrio characters.

Berry, the black demon boy, is the rival of a Cinnamoroll because Berry envies his popularity, while Cherry, the pink demon girl, has a crush on Cinnamoroll's friend, Espresso.

The two debuted together in 2007 under the shared title, Lloromannic, that's Cinnamoroll spelled backwards, and have developed a cult following but never attained all that much marketing nor mainstream appeal.

Elpaso

Released in 1987, this amusing trio of Mexican-esque cacti are as barren in the world of Sanrio as the desert their kind call home.

Described as a collective of singing and dancing cacti that want to make more friends, not much else is known about the characters aside from their complementary motto: "Hot and fresh from Nature's kiln: A sun-baked paradise of terra-cotta scenery." Their Sanrio merchandising are nearly, if not entirely, nonexistent, and their official art is barren at best. Unfortunately for their extroverted personalities, they were likely seen as largely undesirable and promptly abandoned much like damaged terra-cotta. 

The Strawberry King

The Strawberry King is, as the name implies, king of the beautiful Strawberry Kingdom, a land of little people with big strawberries around their heads, just like him. His lovely kingdom is also home to seven angels, all with very unique personalities.

Despite his lofty position, The Strawberry King is a kind and benevolent leader, using his magical strawberry staff to soar through the sky, spreading friendship and the message of peace to all his beloved citizens and beyond through his own news network, Strawberry News.

As an extra fun fact, he shares his birthday, December 7th, with Sanrio founder and former CEO, Shintaro Tsuji.

Hopty Copty

The cutest and most colorful, not to mention geometric, plane you ever will see! Hopty Copty is the happiest plane in the world. Created by the Sanrio sub-brand, Fancy Friends, Hopty Copty, and the other characters under this brand, were meant to appeal to those with more "sophisticated" and "subtle" tastes. Or in other words, better appeal to children as well as adults. 

However, perhaps this design philosophy wasn't quite as in demand as assumed, as the Fancy Friends brand was only active from the late 70s to early 90s. 

Littlelovin

Ranking dead last in Japan's 2024 Sanrio character popularity poll, this poor pup is indubitably down there with the least loved out of all 90 of the active Sanrio characters.

Created in collaboration with Aichi Bank, he is originally from Sydney, Australia but has since moved to Japan for his father's work, and frequently talks about how much he has come to love it there. The heart patch he brandishes, a gift from his grandfather, holds the power to make people smile and feel happy, which he loves to do. He is the oldest of a litter of four, including two sisters and a brother, and lives in a happy home with his parents and siblings.

Scorn and bigotry can pervade even the most unsuspecting of places. Such is the case for the fanbase of the self-proclaimed coziest game on the market, Infinity Nikki. A lighthearted open world gacha that seamlessly blends the whimsicality of fantasy, with the simplistic creative beauty of a dress up game.
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However, just yesterday, users of the largest Infinity Nikki subreddit began to notice a curiously concerning trend. You see, to the uninitiated, the game has a photo taking function that can be accessed just about anywhere in the open world, as well as a feature known as “Hourglass Snapshots.” Which serves as a way to share your photos with other players on the server. Hourglasses will appear throughout your overworld, and selecting them will then give you the option to take a Snapshot by temporarily bringing the other Nikki in the photograph into your own world. Players can pose with the Nikkis in these shared photographs, and create all sorts of different scenarios.

One of these that is particularly popular amongst the fanbase is romantic and sapphic photography. Where the two Nikkis would pose acting out various loving gestures, going on dates, and even pantomime kissing each other's characters. It's all largely done in good, clean fun. Serving as a wholesome way for the queer audience of Infinity Nikki to find a place for themselves where they can feel comfortable and heard, many people even encourage others to create these types of scenes with their own Nikkis.

Just what may that be, you might be asking?

It is a day to commemorate the formation of the World Meteorological Organization!

Founded on March 23, 1950, from the International Meteorological Organization, the International Meteorological Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations founded to study the Earth's atmosphere and its relationship with land and sea and to facilitate international cooperation and collaboration for all forms of climatological and meteorological research. They serve as the UN's final authority for all climate, land, and sea-related research.

Each anniversary, commemoration consists of a theme chosen by the World Meteorological Organization. The theme for this year is: "Closing the early warning gap together." 

The official statement for this year's theme is as follows, 

"Climate change is a real and undeniable threat to our entire civilization. The effects are already visible and will be catastrophic unless we act now. The theme of World Meteorological Day 2025 is “Closing the early warning gap together”.  - https://wmo.int/about-wmo/world-meteorological-day

So celebrate well, not just for those working hard to study this dear planet, but for every person and creature just like you and me that call it home.

Picture this: Tiny candle lights flicker vibrantly against warm yellow walls, a soft knit blanket is wrapped around your legs while you're sipping a from a mug of chamomile tea with just a touch of honey. Somewhere nearby, a fire crackles, emanating gentle warmth. The world feels as if it's still, and you feel safe from the tumultuous world outside.

This sort of soft comfort is the essence of what the Danes call "hygge."

Roughly translating to cozy, hygge refers to a way of living meant to evoke feelings of comfort and safety, taking things slow and enjoying the simple things in life. Good friends and family, a calm night in with a good book, a warm meal. These simple pleasures and tranquil mundanities that make the life worth living of which the Danes may understand better than most.

While hygge is largely a modern day Danish cultural phenomena, the word itself can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The most presumed origin being "hugga," a sixteen century Norwegian word which means, "to comfort."

Culturally speaking, the origins of hygge is likely a direct result of the lifestyle the Danes are forced to lead in their homeland. The climate of Denmark is one of gruelingly long, frigid, and dark winters. So, instead of letting this fact of their lives deter their happiness, they endeavored to make the most of their circumstances. Seeing the merit in cozy nights spent at home together, as opposed to begrudging what could've been. However, the phenomenon has gone beyond a mere coping mechanism and a recognition of what you have, and has become a subject of interest to many foreign cultures who also wish to partake in this simple pleasure sort of living.

This is likely not without merit, as there is much for us all to learn about taking a step back to wholeheartedly appreciate what we already have, especially in times where we find ourselves longing for so much more.

In 1974, in Tokyo, Japan, a young illustrator by the name of Yuko Shimizu was working as an illustrator for the Sanrio merchandising company, where she would unknowingly create a worldwide phenomena that would become the dearly beloved companion of young girls and women alike for centuries to come.

This titular kittycat was inlaid onto a humble little coin purse, sporting a little red bow, and blue overalls. She gazed back at the purchaser with an innocuous look in her two oval eyes that beget nothing, and no mouth to speak of. Beside her, a bottle of milk on one side, and a fish in a bowl on the other. Two stereotypical favorites of felines everywhere.
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From that very beginning, there was something about the default faced character that possessed exceptional mass appeal. So much so that only two years later, Sanrio would begin selling overseas, making their first American sales in San Diego, California where her appeal proved to be beyond cultural boundaries. With their swift success in the United States, Sanrio was quick to land collaborations with massive American brands such as Walmart and Target, even further exploding their newfound popularity with the vast array of Hello Kitty themed products they could boast. Everything from notepads, to clothing accessories, to kitchen appliances and just about everything in between. In short, there truly was something for everyone when it came to Hello Kitty.

But just how did this happen? You may be asking. What about this unassuming, bare bones drawn cat was so immediately appealing to so many? The direct reasons will always be down to mere guesswork, the human commodification machine can be an unpredictable beast at the best of times. Though, most attribute Hello Kitty's success to her distinct lack of visible emotion, Hello Kitty's eyes are two simple dots in the shape of ovals, and she lacks both a mouth and eyebrows, so her emotions can be whatever the consumer desires. An interpersonal touch that made her feel just that little more in tune.

The man overseeing the creation of this sensation is a man named Shintaro Tsuji, a former civil servant turned businessman when he founded Yamanashi Silk Center Company that would later become the Sanrio Company. Tsuji quickly discovered that his products sold considerably better when embellished with cute decals and designs. They would pursue principle this until they struck this proverbial gold of Hello Kitty. Pursuing this intrinsic Japanese idea of "Kawaii" culture and spreading it to countless cultures beyond.

What do you see when you look at a pug? The cutesy, deep set wrinkles lining their faces? The amusing way their tongues are frequently dangling and wagging?  The funny throaty, snorting noises that they so frequently make? Or perhaps those big glossy eyes of theirs?

It's all very adorable indeed, it's hard not to want to squeeze and smooch their sweet little forms, no one could fault you there, but what if I told you these features are in fact a result of a human selfish desire for what is considered the most aesthetically pleasing features? A desire in which they have no qualms squashing the health of an entire animal breed to obtain?

You see, the pug's iconic look is nothing but a result of severe selective breeding amongst centuries upon centuries. Slowly pushing their snouts and jaws inwards to achieve this form over function appearance. This method of genetic tampering has created a plethora of health issues for the breed as a whole. Compressing their throats and nasal passages, worsening their ability to breathe seamlessly, and deforming their eyes, leaving them prone to conditions such as entropion and pigmentary keratitis. These detrimental alterations are so widespread that approximately 68% of pugs will be diagnosed with some form of health complication in their life.

However, though this is a tragic factoid of human vanity, all hope is not to be lost for the sweet pug. Just as these features were bred into the dog, they can also be bred out. This would of course, be a long and meticulous process of cherry-picking pugs with the least drastic deformities to very slowly begin to work backwards towards their origins, but not impossible. Ultimately serving as the best course of action for the healthiest possible future for the breed. 

So next time you're in the market for a new best friend, it's best to keep in mind just what your patronage is really in support of.