Sanrio

The 'Social Communication' Business: Everybody wants to spend their days being happy. It is a common wish of just about anyone on the face of the Earth. But just what is happiness? As the old saying goes, 'No man is an island.' Humans need each other. We help each other to survive, to live a meaningful life. We trust and depend on our companions. We strive to get along with one another. Perhaps that is what happiness is ... And who are our 'companions'? For a start, there are those closest to home: Mother, father, children, brother, sister, lover. ... Then, there are our schoolmates, our work mates ... If one looks broadly enough, our circle of companions encompasses all of humankind. In order to get along with one another, we need to respect and to love. And the expression of respect and love is the basis of Sanrio's 'Social Communication' business. Ever since Sanrio's establishment in 1960, this philosophy has been the core of our business, which ranges from the design and sale of social communications gifts and greeting cards, to publishing, production and distribution of the Strawberry Newspaper, to the planning and operation of theme parks. The common thread running through all our various businesses is the idea of giving 'from the heart' and 'of the heart.' Whether one is sad, down, happy or whatever. ... We want to help people share these important feelings with one another. This is the reason for our business. And it is a business of which we are very proud. Key Dates: Sanrio Company, Ltd. began business in 1960 as Yamanashi Silk Center Co. But founder Shintaro Tsuji, who had raised ¥1 million to launch his company, had ambitious plans for building what the company called 'the Social Communication Business.' Built around the Japanese culture's tradition of gift-giving, Tsuji's company quickly turned to producing the gifts themselves. In 1962 the company began decorating its gift products with Strawberry, the first of what was to become a long string of company-designed characters. The Strawberry character enabled Tsuji to take his company's products overseas, finding success in the United States. The success of the character--which was able to capitalize as well on such worldwide hits as the Beatles' 'Strawberry Fields Forever'--inspired the company to open a retail store in San Francisco, dubbed the Strawberry Shop. Strawberry also inspired the company to begin production and publication of its own newspaper, Strawberry Newspaper. The company opened a new retail store concept in Tokyo in 1971, the Gift Gate store. Two years later, the company changed its name to Sanrio Company, Ltd. In that year, the company began production of a new magazine, Shi to Meruhen ( Poetry and Fairytales ). The company also was preparing the launch of what was to become its greatest success, even becoming an icon in its country. In 1974, the company introduced two new characters, Patty and Jimmy. These characters were joined by another new character, a pink and white, somewhat expressionless, cat with a box behind its ear. Dubbed 'Hello Kitty,' the new character initially was marketed toward young girls, especially at the ages of five and six, who were still too young to adopt 'older' Barbie or other dolls of that type. Yet Hello Kitty quickly proved to be a hit far beyond its original target audience. As with all of its characters, Sanrio marketed Hello Kitty on nearly every product imaginable as well as on even the most unimaginable products. By the end of the century, Sanrio had placed the Hello Kitty character on more than 15,000 products, including a condominium complex built in celebration of Hello Kitty's 25th anniversary. Licensees brought Hello Kitty to such diverse products as toasters, telephones, watches, and even specially designed automobiles, as Hello Kitty quickly became as ubiquitous a cartoon icon as Mickey Mouse in Japan. With Hello Kitty, Sanrio had tapped into the Japanese mania for 'kawai' or cuteness, a quality th