How well-known are Sanrio characters around the world?

[carinaharumi@mymelody.com]

I am originally from Brazil, and Sanrio is not very popular there. Unless you are of Japanese origins and have family in Japan that talk about and send Sanrio stuff as gifts (which was my case), your only contact with Sanrio would be through pirated items or from the Sanrio stores, located in upclass neighbourhoods. I'm not even sure if they're still open... I now live in Canada, BC, and haven't seen much of Sanrio here either.

What about in your country?

[milkii_ways@mymelody.com]

Uh I'm pretty sure most sanrio charries aren't very popular outside Asia
Except for hello kitty of course!

[carinaharumi@mymelody.com]

Yes, Hello Kitty is the one that gets pirated the most; some items even DARE to add a little mouth to her face!!! I had a pencil case that my grandma got me as a little gift, just a treat to make me eat my veggies. And it had a Hello Kitty design. With a mouth. Smiling. Luckily that awful design faded when I washed it.

[~Corni Number One Lover~]

Yeah, most people who seem to know sanrio well in the states (and else wear) are japanese/into japanese stuff, i think. Hello Kitty might be more well known outside that group, though.

I'd like to think Hello Kitty is more liked by the 'nerd' crowd, overall, though. The idea of unkind people liking hello kitty makes me feel very ill inside and make's me think it isn't right to be a fan of her...

McDonalds have had sanrio themed watches once. I made a necklace out of a chococat one my brother gave me XD (i don't eat at mcdonalds; i'm a vegetarian)