There are cute characters, iconic characters and then there are those special few who somehow manage to become both.
Hello Kitty has certainly mastered that combination.
More than 50 years after first making her debut, Hello Kitty and her ever-growing circle of friends continue to find new generations of fans around the world. Now Jazwares is expanding its successful “Hello Kitty and Friends” toy collection into Europe, the Middle East and Africa through an extended licensing agreement with Sanrio GmbH.
And Hello Kitty certainly isn’t making the trip alone.
The expanded collection will feature trendy plush, figures, playsets, vehicles and seasonal products inspired by Hello Kitty and a rather impressive group of Sanrio favorites. Cinnamoroll, Kerokerokeroppi, Pompompurin, Tuxedosam, My Melody, Kuromi, Pochacco, Bad Badtz-Maru and Little Twin Stars are all included in the range, bringing plenty of different personalities—and levels of mischief—to toy shelves across key EMEA markets.
The agreement expands upon a partnership between Jazwares and Sanrio that first brought its cross-category toy range to North and South America in 2024. Its move into EMEA gives the collection a significantly larger international footprint while building on the enormous global audience Sanrio has cultivated around its characters.
That audience is also part of what makes “Hello Kitty and Friends” such an interesting property in the toy aisle.
Hello Kitty may be the face most immediately associated with Sanrio, but this is no longer a world carried by one character alone. My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin and plenty of their friends have developed devoted followings of their own, allowing a collection to appeal to fans through different characters, personalities and aesthetics while still remaining unmistakably Sanrio.
Then there is the rather incredible generational range.
Someone who discovered Hello Kitty decades ago can now be shopping beside a child meeting the character for the first time, while collectors have helped turn Sanrio merchandise into something that comfortably exists beyond traditional children’s toys. Jazwares’ mix of plush, figures and playsets gives the expanded line room to speak to both sides of that audience.
Jazwares SVP EMEA & APAC Jonny Taylor pointed to that multigenerational global fanbase as one of the strengths behind the expanded partnership, while Sanrio’s Silvia Figini said the agreement will strengthen the company’s presence within toys and bring its characters to even more fans throughout the region.
It also continues an impressive second half-century for Hello Kitty. Few characters remain instantly recognizable after more than 50 years, and even fewer continue expanding through new products and markets while bringing an increasingly popular supporting cast along with them.
Perhaps that is part of the secret behind Sanrio’s longevity. Hello Kitty may have started the introductions, but over the years, the circle of friends has only gotten bigger.
Now Jazwares is helping bring that circle to even more of the world.