yoshikitty, the beloved collaboration between Hello Kitty and YOSHIKI – leader of the legendary band X JAPAN and one of the most influential composers in Japanese history – is nominated for the 8th straight year in the 37th Annual Sanrio Character Ranking contest, following years of unprecedented success.
Capturing the public’s heart, yoshikitty has dominated the fan voting each year since debuting in the international competition which nominates 80 of the top characters from among more than 450 Sanrio personalities. With YOSHIKI’s vast international fanbase, yoshikitty often leads the rankings, boasting an all-time high of third place worldwide. Last year, yoshikitty fought a fierce competition and claimed first place in Italy, Germany, France, and Thailand. yoshikitty has also been ranked first place in Brazil and second place in China in past years.
Over the last decade, yoshikitty has become associated with leading name brands and over 500 diverse products ranging from high fashion clothing, jewelry, postage stamps, and even a $10,000 solid gold figurine.
yoshikitty was introduced by the Sanrio brand in 2009 and takes cues from real-life muse and Japanese music icon YOSHIKI. In addition to selling over 50 million singles and albums combined with his band X Japan, YOSHIKI has headlined the world’s largest stages, including the Coachella Music Festival, London’s Wembley Arena, and Japan’s premier venue Tokyo Dome which he sold out a record-breaking 18 times. YOSHIKI has collaborated with Beatles producer Sir George Martin, Queen, Sarah Brightman, The Chainsmokers, Bono, will.i.am, and St. Vincent. No stranger to the Hello Kitty family, he composed the official Hello Kitty theme song and dedicated the anthem to his close friend Tsuji Kunihiko, the son of Sanrio founder Shintaro Kunihiko.
This year, voting starts April 7th at 7PM PDT and goes through May 22nd at 9PM PDT. Fans are eligible to vote daily from all devices.
Result Announcement Schedule:
First update: April 12, 9PM (PDT)
Interim result 1: April 26, 8PM (PDT) *In Sanrio + app only
Interim result 2: May 11, 9PM (PDT)
Final result: June 12
Use all devices to vote online for yoshikitty here
