Today, Sanrio is known for its wide range of characters that span across decades. While there are tons to pick from as your favorite, one little kitty serves as the face of the brand; Hello Kitty! While she is universally recognized, Hello Kitty isn’t the first Sanrio character that was created.
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Here, we are going to dive back into the history of Sanrio, looking at the first character created from the brand. This character isn’t the most well-known, so we will take a look at their basic biography, as well as any appearances that they’ve had in the Sanrio universe.
Who Was The First Sanrio Character?
Sanrio was founded in 1960 as the Yamanashi Silk Company. Under this name, the company made sandals that were painted with cartoon characters, such as Snoopy. After 13 years as the Yamanashi Silk Company, the name changed to Sanrio.
Along with name change came the first original character named Coro Chan. Debuting in 1973, Coro Chan is officially the first Sanrio character. This little bear was designed by Yuko Shimizu, who went on to design Hello Kitty in 1974.
Interestingly, Hello Kitty didn’t immediately appear on Sanrio merchandise. It was only in 1975, when she graced the front of a coin purse for her debut physical appearance.
Who Is Coro Chan?
Chances are, you’ve never heard of Coro Chan; this doesn’t mean he’s mysterious though! On the official Japanese Sanrio website, we learned the information below.
|
Favorite Food |
Croquette |
|---|---|
|
Birthday |
November 8 |
|
Residence |
Windermere, England |
|
Personality |
Laid-back and gentle |
Coro Chan’s name comes from his cheeks, which look like croquettes. This isn’t too obvious while looking at him, but it’s still a very cute name.
In a social media post from Sanrio on Coro Chan’s birthday in 2015, we also learned that he is the cousin of Thomas. This is a bear cub who happens to be friends with Hello Kitty.
Does Coro Chan Have Any Merchandise?
Coro Chan merch definitely exists, but there doesn’t seem to be any new items sold that involve him. The character isn’t fully retired, but you probably won’t see any new Sanrio collections that feature him. This may change in the future, but for now, he doesn’t make too many appearances.
If you are a Coro Chan fan, you can still find vintage merch for him. For example, at the time this article was written, we found a Coro Chan keychain from 1978 on eBay.
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