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Cinnamoroll vs Pompompurin: who’s winning the 2025 Sanrio Character Ranking?
Each year millions vote in the popularity contest, with this year’s showdown – between two long-time rivals – fiercer than most
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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