11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Cinnamoroll vs Pompompurin: who's winning the 2025 Sanrio Character Ranking?
Last month's papal conclave may have drawn global attention, but elsewhere, another vote stirred near-religious fervour:
Sanrio 's annual popularity contest. Millions of fans cast ballots not for a pope, but for the crown of cutest Sanrio pup. On one side, the reigning champ for five straight years: Cinnamoroll. On the other: Pompompurin.
Online, the passion can verge on the unhinged. 'I swear to f***ing God if you troglodytes let that greedy f***ing capitalist Dog win for the seventh year in a row I am going to commit an act of resistance that is so vile,'
one user posted on X (formerly Twitter). Harsh words for an adorable pup born on a cloud, but that's the kind of fervour Sanrio characters inspire.
Cinnamoroll has been reigning champ in Sanrio's annual popularity contest for five straight years. Illustration: @sanrio/Instagram
From April 10 to May 25, fans cast ballots for their favourites among 90 Sanrio characters in the
40th Annual Sanrio Character Ranking . For the first time, votes could be cast in Sanrio stores or Hello Kitty Cafes – complete with an 'I voted' sticker – not just online.
Fans could also head to Don Don Donki for a Hong Kong exclusive promotion, where they received a complimentary character ranking sticker and a character table flag when buying Sanrio products. The brand also held a special pop-up at Sha Tin's New Town Plaza from April 28 to March 27.
Sanrio , the Japanese entertainment company behind cultural icons such as Hello Kitty , has more than 450 characters under its name and is perhaps the biggest exporter of Japan's beloved kawaii culture
A white puppy with a quiet but friendly demeanour, Cinnamoroll was introduced in 2001 and for several years, fans mistook him for a bunny because of his long ears that double as wings. He's dominated recent contests, winning seven of the past eight years, with a consecutive first place streak between 2020 and 2024.
