Sanrio has always promised “unlimited licensing opportunities”. While the wording of its advertising and corporate messaging has evolved over time, the idea remains at the heart of the company’s strategy: Sanrio’s characters translate into almost any category, creating opportunities to connect with fans across generations, markets and cultures. And with a major worldwide theatrical release from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation set to reach cinemas globally in 2028, the next few years are poised to demonstrate the breadth of this approach even further.
Over the past 12 months, Australia has provided a particularly strong example of how this strategy comes to life through licensing partnerships, retail activations and consumer experiences.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TOYS
Toys play a critical role in Sanrio’s licensing strategy. They allow the company to engage younger audiences while simultaneously tapping into the nostalgia of adult fans, making character merchandise a natural bridge between generations.
In Australia, this strategy is reflected in partnerships with both long-standing and new licensees, with Hello Kitty and Friends continuing to expand its presence across the toy and collectibles landscape.
One of the most prominent examples is its partnership with Headstart, one of Sanrio’s key Australian toy and plush licensees. One of the most recent launches brings Hello Kitty and Friends together with another iconic heritage brand, Care Bears. The range features six Sanrio characters reimagined through the Care Bears collaboration, available nationally through Spotlight, Kmart, Big W and EB Games.
Appealing to both children and adult collectors, this IP x IP collaboration taps into nostalgia and the growing demand for collectible products, demonstrating the key role toys can play in Sanrio’s licensing strategy – particularly as the kidult consumer continues to gain traction.
Another successful partnership is with Smiggle, which has launched a second Hello Kitty and Friends collection following the success of its first range. The new collection expands the offering across stationery, blind boxes, lunch boxes and more, further demonstrating the breadth of opportunities for Sanrio characters within the Australian market.
Kmart has also been a strong supporter of Hello Kitty over the past few years, developing a wide range of toy products for children. The partnership expanded into fashion dolls in January, with a collection featuring four collectible dolls, each inspired by a different Sanrio character – Kuromi, Hello Kitty, My Melody and Cinnamoroll, with outfits and accessories reflecting their individual personalities.
Another example comes from MEEQ, which created its first-ever Hello Kitty and Friends shop-in-shop in Australia. Designed by Jasnor, the space offers fans the opportunity to discover the full Hello Kitty and Friends range in an immersive retail environment. To celebrate the opening of its first Sydney store, MEEQ also introduced a limited-edition kangaroo plush, combining a distinctly Australian element with Sanrio’s globally recognised characters.
MEEQ was also involved in the celebrations surrounding the 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking, creating a themed area and offering gifts to promote the event and encourage fans to vote for their favourite characters.
FROM PRODUCTS TO EXPERIENCES
The Sanrio Character Ranking is one of the key moments in the company’s calendar. The 2026 edition attracted more than 70 million votes from fans around the world, highlighting the depth of engagement across Sanrio’s character portfolio. Australian fans could also take part in the celebrations through dedicated experiences at the Hello Kitty and Friends Cafés at Melbourne Central and Pacific Fair. From Sanrio’s perspective, live brand experiences are increasingly becoming an important part of the company’s strategy, turning retail and hospitality into opportunities for its audience to interact with the characters in more immersive ways.
A TRULY CROSS-GENERATIONAL APPEAL
Sanrio’s ability to move between categories is ultimately driven by the strength of its characters and their ability to remain relevant across generations.
Internationally, fashion and lifestyle partnerships continue to reinforce the same proposition. Retailers such as H&M and Zara have shown how Sanrio characters can remain relevant within contemporary fashion, with Zara recently launching a new Hello Kitty collection for both children and adults.
The same cross-generational appeal can be seen across lifestyle categories in Australia. Frank Green followed the success of its Hello Kitty and Friends collection last November with a second range featuring more fan-favourite characters, including My Melody and Pompompurin. The collection has also expanded beyond coffee cups to include on-the-go bowls, offering fans new ways to incorporate the characters into their everyday lives.
Officeworks launched its first-ever Hello Kitty and Friends stationery collection in Australia, featuring more than 80 SKUs with fan-favourite characters including Hello Kitty and Kuromi. The range sold more than 2,000 units in its first week, demonstrating strong demand for Sanrio products across everyday categories.
MORE TO COME
It is this ability to constantly create new points of connection across toys, entertainment, fashion, food, lifestyle and experiences that makes Sanrio’s portfolio such a powerful licensing platform, while keeping its characters relevant to both new generations of fans and those who have grown up with them. With an exciting Q4 ahead, Sanrio’s licensing programme in Australia looks set to continue building momentum, with new launches, seasonal activations and further opportunities for Hello Kitty and Friends to connect with fans across categories.
For licensing information, please contact: diana@havenglobal.com
This article also appeared in Edition 22 of The Toy Universe Magazine
