Sanrio has just officially named Chokochilla — a strawberry-loving chinchilla with a strawberry-shaped beret and pink ears and tail — as the winner of its 2026 Happilina Friends competition.
Who Is Chokochilla?
Chokochilla is a happy-go-lucky chinchilla who, after eating too many strawberries, ended up with pink ears and tail. According to her bio, she “is proud of her fluffy fur and squishy little cheeks” and “loves to sit in the palm of your hand and chat away.”
Sanrio’s 2026 Happilina Friends Contest
Earlier in March, Sanrio launched a new project titled “Happilina Friends,” a fresh lineup of potential new characters that fans could vote for to secure a permanent spot for them on the Sanrio roster. The project introduced 10 unique characters: Onegaimashu, Kawaii Sprinkles, Chouchoumagirouge, Nemrytale, Grumpynivee, PowaPowaPowari, Nyamnyamnew, Luna & Oliver, Rukarundecor and Chokochilla.
After the voting period closed in May, the votes were tallied and the winner was announced at Pacifico Yokohama, at the Sanrio Fes 2026 event.
In the interim rankings for the championship, the strawberry-topped chinchilla took first place in all three categories: the Always Together Award, the Collector’s Choice Award and the Favorite Story Award.
What Happens to the Other Characters?
In the Happilina Friends arena, only one chinchilla emerged victorious. The other nine tributes — Onegaimashu, Kawaii Sprinkles, Chouchoumagirouge, Nemrytale, Grumpynivee, PowaPowaPowari, Nyamnyamnew, Luna & Oliver and Rukarundecor — bow out of the spotlight, their futures now uncertain.
Sanrio hasn’t officially confirmed what happens to the unsuccessful tributes. In past competitions like the Next Kawaii Project, characters who didn’t earn permanent status quietly faded from active merchandising, surviving only in archival mentions and the memory of dedicated collectors.
That said, the official Happilina Friends site explicitly uses “Season 1” framing in its URL structure — suggesting Sanrio plans future iterations. If “Happilina Friends Season 2” arrives with the 2027 Sanrio Character Ranking, some of this year’s fallen tributes may yet return for another shot at survival.
For now, though, only Chokochilla makes it out of the arena. The other nine fade into the archives, remembered fondly by the fans who voted for them and quietly forgotten by everyone else.
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Updated On June 28, 2026
