Is Rilakkuma Sanrio?

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• Is Rilakkuma Sanrio?

• What Other Characters Are San-X?

Everywhere you look, Sanrio is there! Within the franchise, you can find popular icons such as Hello Kitty to obscure characters like the mysterious Veggie Menu. Sanrio isn't the only Japanese character powerhouse though, with other characters from companies (such as Miffy) steadily rising in popularity.

Are Sanrio And Hello Kitty The Same?

What's the difference between Sanrio and Hello Kitty? We explain all you need to know.

One character that may cause some confusion is Rilakkuma. At first glance, he looks like he could fit in as a Sanrio character, but did you know that this is not true? Rilakkuma is actually not part of Sanrio at all! Here, we'll take a look at what company Sanrio belongs to, as well as some other popular characters.

Is Rilakkuma Sanrio?

The short answer? No, Rilakkuma is not part of Sanrio. Instead, Rilakkuma is part of San-X. This is where the confusion may start to come in.

Sanrio and San-X are not the same, though they have incredibly similar names. Sanrio was founded in 1960 as a silk company, officially adopting their first character (Coro Chan) in 1973. San-X, on the other hand, was founded way back in 1932 (under the name Chida Handler). In 1973, this was later changed to San-X.

Now, San-X is known for their stationery products, and the company doesn't have nearly as many characters as Sanrio (there is still a lot though).

Rilakkuma debuted in 2003 and was designed by Aki Kondo. Apparently, she wanted to relax a bit more, so she made Rilakkuma, with the 'rila' being 'relax' and the 'kuma' being 'bear' in Japanese.

What Other Characters Are San-X?

While Rilakkuma is one of the most popular San-X characters, there are a few other standouts, including Sumikko Gurashi. Sumikko Gurashi is a group of characters, and the name translates to 'life in the corner'. This is a group consisting of five main characters and several smaller ones.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of Sumikko Gurashi! I have many plushies and stationery items with their round little faces on them. They have a very low-energy vibe that is appealing.

Some other San-X characters that you may see occasionally include Jinbesan, Tarepanda, and Mamegoma.

Most Obscure Sanrio Characters

Have you ever seen any of these obscure Sanrio characters?