Development of Multifaceted Character Culture Through Collaboration in Japan: The Sanrio Case (67016)
Thursday, January 5, 2023 (16:30)
Session: Poster
Room: 3F Hallway
Presentation Type:Poster Presentation
According to a survey by Yano Research Institute, the size of the character business market in 2021 reached 1,256 billion yen. Character culture has long spread not only in Japan but also worldwide, and characters such as "Mickey Mouse" have been developed as characters from comics. Characters in Japan such as "Hello Kitty" and "Pokémon" are popular overseas. In particular, the existence of small characters is recognized as representative of the "Kawaii" culture. This research focuses on Sanrio's recent collaboration trend and consideration of character culture development. Sanrio was founded in 1960 with a history of over 60 years. It has created 21 types of characters, starting with "Hello Kitty" in 1974. In recent years, Sanrio has been actively promoting collaborations with other characters. The president of Sanrio said, "I created this company so that everyone in the world can get along." Recent collaborations are not only limited to “manga” such as "Shingeki no Kyojin" and "Kimetsu no Yaiba” but are also collaborating with game apps such as "Ragnadoll." This strategy aims to acquire new fans to actively integrate with the new young culture. We examined Sanrio's activities in detail and found the following development features through collaboration. 1) Various combinations, such as collaborating with real convenience stores and drug stores, are developing. 2) Due to the variety of combinations, the character’s characteristics are diversified and generate a new attractive individuality.
Authors:
Soji Lee, Tokai University, Japan
About the Presenter(s)
Professor Soji Lee is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Tokai University in Japan
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