Shopping Guide
Every year, Sanrio holds its original character popularity poll, the Sanrio Character Ranking, and this year as well many characters have entered. This time we’ll be introducing one such character named KIRIMIchan.
KIRIMIchan. is possibly one of the characters that stands out the most in this year’s Sanrio Character Ranking. On top of this, KIRIMIchan. has a design that is completely different than any Sanrio character to date - its head is a fillet of salmon. However, KIRIMIchan.’s head is overwhelmingly larger than its body; it’s a character who’s just a real fillet.
But that’s not all. Though KIRIMIchan. is a fillet of fish, it is heartwarming and cute. While boasting a tremendous impact, KIRIMIchan. has a firm identity as a character. This new-generation character was created with a simple thought from the designer: “The moment it becomes a fillet, I want to deliciously eat it.”
KIRIMIchan. first came into the world through the contest “Food Character General Election - Will You Eat or Be Eaten? Intense Battle!” held in 2013. When announced at the exhibit put on through the contest, clear files of the entry characters were handed out, and the most popular one was KIRIMIchan. Furthermore, those who participated in the exhibit and took the clear file home with them posted it to Twitter, where it exploded and went viral. Because of this, KIRIMIchan. magnificently won first place in the Food Character General Election.
From such experience, it’s safe to say that KIRIMIchan. is a character that is caught up with using social media. Also, KIRIMIchan.’s support base has grown in a year. At first, KIRIMIchan.’s impact made it highly popular with teens, but now KIRIMIchan. has great support from females in their 20s and from parents and children.
Goods have begun being sold as well, and on top of KIRIMIchan.’s popularity receiving a solid boost from being used an event at the major Japanese supermarket Ito-Yokado, it is said that there are even more surprising developments in store from here on. Keep an eye on KIRIMIchan to see how far it will get in this year’s Sanrio Character Ranking.
● Comment from KIRIMIchan.:
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I’m a salmon KIRIMIchan… I’m very happy to be participating in this year’s Character Ranking! Love salmon! ＞･))))◁ Everyone, please vote if you would like. I’d be even happier if you decided for me what tonight’s side dish will be…”
Vote for KIRIMIchan. here!
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
