Latest news with #Sanrio
Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
'My Melody & Kuromi' ranks near top on Netflix after global debut from Wit studio
Wit Studio, known for popular anime titles such as Spy x Family and Attack on Titan, has released a new stop-motion animated series titled My Melody & Kuromi in collaboration with Sanrio. The show premiered on Netflix on July 24 and has quickly become one of the most-watched programmes on the platform. According to streaming analytics site FlixPatrol, My Melody & Kuromi currently holds the number two spot on Netflix's global TV chart, just behind Untamed. The series is produced by Toruku Studio, a division of Wit Studio focused on stop-motion animation since 2020. The story follows Sanrio characters My Melody and Kuromi as they operate rival sweet shops in Mariland and prepare for a sweets-making contest judged by the renowned pastry chef Pistachio. The 12-episode series has a total runtime of just under 160 minutes, making it suitable for single-session viewing. My Melody & Kuromi features a theme song titled 'Kawaii' by K-pop group Le Sserafim. The track was produced by Gen Hoshino, previously known for music in Spy x Family and its feature film Code: White. Netflix's recent success with animated titles includes Dan Da Dan and KPop Demon Hunters, both of which have achieved top 10 rankings. With My Melody & Kuromi now joining the ranks, Netflix's position in the animated content market is strengthening. All My Melody & Kuromi episodes are currently available for streaming.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Moomins enter the cuteness pantheon, with help from Gen Z
A long mural for 'The Door Is Always Open,' a new exhibition that celebrates the Finnish author Tove Jansson and her Moomin family creations, at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York, on July 17. The Moomin family – Moominpappa, Moominmamma and Moomintroll – live in Moominvalley, where they welcome all friends, visitors and vagrants for adventures and sweet treats. Lately, though, the milk-white hippo-esque characters created by Finnish author and artist Tove Jansson, have taken over the central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library in New York City. With huge, friendly eyes and protruding, snuffly snouts, they peer from balconies and dance across giant pink and green floor displays. On a recent summer afternoon, Ms Meera Sastry, who was visiting from Los Angeles, stopped by to see the exhibit on the recommendation of a college friend. 'I remember Moomins growing up, from online – I was big into Tumblr,' said Ms Sastry, 23, pausing to admire a photograph of Ms Jansson by the Finnish coast. 'Of course they were cute, like Sanrio characters. But I liked that they were also anxious, and had little narratives.' Ms Sastry hadn't read any of the nine books featuring the characters, she admitted: 'I'll have to get on that.' Others browsing the exhibit, including an art teacher on a road trip with her friends, had also first learned of these lovable creatures online, where Moomins have gone the way of Snoopy and Miffy – decades-old cartoon characters who have been rediscovered and embraced by a younger generation and have spread widely through merchandise and online content. When the library announced the exhibition on Instagram, said Ms Linda E. Johnson, the president and CEO of the Brooklyn Public Library, it became the account's highest-performing post to date. Mr Lukas Dean, 22, a Norwegian singer who recently appeared on 'The Voice', mainly uploads content about two things on TikTok: music and Moomins. One video, captioned 'pov: when someone asks me what happened to all my adult money,' features Dean cross-legged on a kitchen floor, flanked by stacks of Moomin-themed dishware. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump says many are starving in Gaza, vows to set up food centres Asia Cambodia, Thailand agree to 'immediate and unconditional ceasefire' to de-escalate border row World US, China hold new talks on tariff truce, easing path for Trump-Xi meeting Asia Giant algal bloom off South Australia devastates marine life, threatens seafood exports Sport Dare to dream, urges Singapore's first International Swimming Hall of Famer Joseph Schooling Singapore 44 suspects under probe for involvement in SIM card fraud Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole: Road recovery works progressing steadily, tests under way Singapore ST Explains: What we know about the Tanjong Katong sinkhole so far The comments sympathize with his situation: 'relate so hard,' 'literally me,' 'ok don't call me out like this.' Mr Dean's obsession with Moomin collectibles began when his father brought him back a treat from a blood drive: In Norway, everyone who donates receives a Moomin mug. Now he has a collection of about 40 of them (not all from donating blood). Choosing one each morning, he said, 'sets my mood for the day.' 'A lot of people like the nostalgia aesthetic,' he added. This year is the 80th anniversary of 'The Moomins and the Great Flood', the children's book by Ms Jansson that originated the Moomin universe. From the beginning of Moomintimes, the characters and their stories have been related but separate entities, from a business perspective. In the 1950s, Ms Jansson and her brother Lars founded Moomin Characters Ltd to manage the copyright of the booming Moomin brand. The brand, already renowned and beloved in Ms Jansson's native Finland, quickly expanded internationally when the artist began making comic strips for The Evening News in London. The characters surged in popularity in the 1990s, when Moomin-themed video games and television shows fueled a Moomin renaissance in Europe and Japan. (It was also in this decade that the Moomin mugs, which were originally hand-painted by Ms Jansson, were reintroduced and mass produced.) Now, the Moomins have entered a global pantheon of cuteness: The Brooklyn Public Library Exhibit is the first in the United States to celebrate Ms Jansson's creatures. 'Moomins are being discovered in the US by new generations, spreading word from person to person,' said Mr Thomas Zambra, 36, the director of business development for Moomin Characters. He and his brother, Mr James Zambra, the company's creative director, are Ms Jansson's grandnephews and the third generation of family members to run the business. In the United States, awareness of Moomins began in 'small pockets bubbling up here and there,' Mr Thomas Zambra said. That has been changing rapidly, particularly as major American retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Urban Outfitters begin to carry Moomin products, and as 'younger generations are organically discovering the Moomins through social media and the '90s animation on YouTube,' the Zambra brothers, who are based in Finland, wrote in an email. The brand collaborations have helped, too. In the past few years, high-end luxury labels, including Rimowa, Acne Studios and Comme des Garçons have introduced products like Moomintroll luggage tags (Rimowa), a US$620 (S$798) Moomin-printed button down (Acne) and an entire collection of Jansson-inspired designs (Comme). Worldwide sales of Moomin products, not including books, are more than US$800 million a year, Mr Thomas Zambra said. The characters surged in popularity in the 1990s, when Moomin-themed video games and television shows fueled a Moomin renaissance in Europe and Japan. PHOTO: SARA KRULWICH/NYTIMES But Moomintroll were always intended by Ms Jansson to be something of an adorable Trojan horse for more serious social issues. Ms Jansson was an outspoken pacifist, and her first Moomin book, which was published in 1945 and portrays her Moomin family traveling through a dark forest is often read as an allegory for World War II. Ms Jansson was also lesbian and lived with her life partner, Ms Tuulikki Pietila, sometimes on a remote island that inspired the settings for her adult novels 'The Summer Book' and 'Fair Play'. The Brooklyn Public Library exhibition, which is titled 'The Door Is Always Open,' champions Ms Jansson's message as a call for acceptance and inclusivity. It opened in June, LGBTQ+ Pride Month. 'An openly queer women at that time writing about the issues and the themes that are part of her work was avant-garde,' Ms Johnson said. NYTIMES
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
This week in PostMag: Hello Kitty creator Sanrio and a South African safari
One of the first things I ever loved was a Hello Kitty diary. Yes, there were stuffed animals (Snuffy the bear, RIP), sticker books and an American Girl doll or two, but it's the red Sanrio diary from 1993 that's somehow become a core memory. The lock, shaped like Hello Kitty's head, was cute but flimsy at best. Inside? Kindergarten confessionals, scrawled in shaky handwriting and even shakier grammar. Seeing a vintage Hello Kitty diary brings back memories for PostMag editor Cat Nelson. Photo: Etsy Things escalated in Grade 2 when Miki moved from Japan to our sleepy California town. With her came a parallel universe of pencil cases, stickers and characters beyond anything our Lisa Frank-addled brains had seen. Keroppi erasers, Badtz-Maru mechanical pencils, pastel My Melody folders. Sanrio wasn't just cute, and it wasn't just a toy company. It was as aspirational and worldly as an eight-year-old could get. So it's no wonder I devoured Sumnima Kandangwa's cover story this week, which explores Sanrio's staying power across generations . She charts the company's shape-shifting fandom, from a collector with a 1,000-piece Hello Kitty stash to Zoomers swearing allegiance to Kuromi's soft-punk aesthetic. And these characters aren't just merch. I was struck by this as our photographer, Jocelyn Tam, and I worked on the images for this piece. One young woman we photographed felt compelled to tell us, unprompted, that it might be a Hello Kitty charm hanging off her bag, but only because it was limited edition and her friends convinced her. Her real favourite is Kuromi. They may be cartoons, but loyalties run deep. Elsewhere, Bernice Chan profiles Aqua founder David Yeo, who started out cooking for friends in his Hong Kong flat and somehow ended up with a 25-year-old international restaurant empire. He's the kind of obsessive who can, apparently, taste the seasonal shift in a bag of rice. I'm impressed. And then there's the Karoo. Mark Eveleigh heads to South Africa's semi-arid desert for a walking safari, which is not something I plan to do any time soon but greatly enjoyed reading about. It's part travelogue, part nature thriller – lions, rewilding, the return of springbok. I thought of our Yellowstone feature from a few issues back and how the park has brought back nearly extinct wolves. Both reminders that not everything that disappears stays gone. While you might not find me on the Karoo any time soon, you may run into me at Montana. Associate editor Gavin Yeung chats with bartenders Lorenzo Antinori (Bar Leone) and Simone Caporale (Barcelona's Sips) about their new cocktail outpost on Hollywood Road. It's a throwback to 1970s and 80s Cuban culture – and it sounds delightful. See you there for a drink? Finally, August looms. Hong Kong might not stage a full European-style exodus, but the city does slip into silent mode and we're pausing issues on August 3, 17 and 31. That said, we're not very good at staying away. You can always find us online, and we'll be back on August 10 and 24 in print. I'm looking forward to it already.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Discreet charm of Sanrio's Hello Kitty unleashes the power of cute
The Don Don Donki store in Causeway Bay is buzzing as always, and the Kuromi shelf is already picked clean. Joyce C stares at the empty space and sighs. Around her, shoppers scoop up other Sanrio items: Hello Kitty erasers, My Melody hair clips, Cinnamoroll stickers. Advertisement 'Whenever I go to Donki to buy Kuromi merch, it's always sold out,' she says, half-exasperated, half-amused. The 22-year-old has been steadily building her Kuromi collection since she started working, but her attachment to the mischievous bunny in a black jester hat goes back to her childhood. As someone who grew up in early noughties Hong Kong, I understand the appeal. It was near impossible to ignore the many mascots stamped onto stationery and lunchboxes. As an adult, I still plaster Kuromi and Cinnamoroll stickers on everything I own. I'm far from alone. At Sanrio Fes 2025, in Yokohama, Japan, the company announced this year's Character Ranking, where Pompompurin claimed first place. Photo: Sanrio Before Labubu, Sonny Angel and Crybaby ignited the collectible figurine frenzy, there was Sanrio, a Japanese company whose mascots brought kawaii culture into the global mainstream. For many, Hello Kitty was the first character they collected or passed on to the next generation. In June, at Sanrio Fes, in Yokohama, Japan, the company announced this year's Character Ranking that drew a record 63 million ballots, with Pompompurin edging out Cinnamoroll, and Pochacco, Kuromi and Hello Kitty rounding out the global top five. The ranking isn't only a leaderboard; it shows Sanrio fandom is still strong even as competitors such as Pop Mart churn out blind boxes at speed. Joyce first saw Kuromi on television in kindergarten. 'You feel an affinity for one character and it just sticks with you for a very long time,' she says. She felt drawn to Kuromi for its edgy, punk feel – at least, as edgy as Sanrio gets. 'It's a dark aesthetic and I used to be into that. I thought that was cool.' Kuromi is the playful foil to the sweet and innocent My Melody. Photo: Jocelyn Tam On her debut in 2005, Kuromi was positioned as the playful foil to the sweet and innocent My Melody, who has evolved to symbolise an alternative, online subculture.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Netflix's Best New Kids Show Has High Audience Scores, Is Adorable
My Melody and Kuromi Well, now that my kids are getting older, I am attempting to find them the occasional show to watch with our limited screen time rules that is not Paw Patrol. Sorry pups, I love you but…I've had enough. One new offering on Netflix is the best new kids show that the streamer has offered in a while, and you may want to check it out. It's the adorable My Melody and Kuromi, a Japanese stop-motion series. The movie is based on Sanrio characters, the company creating hundreds of 'kawaii' characters over the years including the global icon, Hello Kitty. Here, My Melody is a rabbit that was originally created in 1975 and has returned for this brand new series literally 50 years later. Man, 1975 does not feel like 50 years ago, does it? I'm getting old. Kuromi, the other rabbit, was originally conceived in 2005. Here's the synopsis of the series: 'My Melody opens a cake shop in Mariland. After encountering a magical heart in the forest, strange things start happening around her. Meanwhile, Kuromi's Japanese sweets shop across the street is always empty. Kuromi searches for the secret to My Melody's cakes. My Melody and Kuromi work hard to prepare for a sweets-making contest judged by the world-famous pastry chef Pistachio. However, no one knows that this will lead to an incident that threatens the fate of Mariland.' My Melody and Kuromi The show has debuted at #4 on Netflix's top 10 list in the US, which has been watching more and more Asian programming, usually Japanese and Korean, in recent years. While the show does not yet have any critic or audience scores in on Rotten Tomatoes, if you head over to IMDB, the show is currently clocking in at an 8.3/10, extremely high in the context of that site. For instance, my son's beloved Paw Patrol is a 6.1/10. Spidey and His Amazing Friends a 5.8/10. Peppa Pig a 6.3/10. A show that bests it? That would be the legendary Bluey, with a 9.3/10. But I mean, you're just not going to beat Bluey. My Melody and Kuromi is an easy watch, with season 1 being 12 episodes that are 11-15 minutes each for breezy viewing and holding attention spans. This is a TV-PG series, not TV-G, though I'm genuinely not sure why. The first episode has Kuromi stealing ingredients from a rival so I mean, crime? I don't know. Check it out, it's very cute and a good family series so far. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
