Sanrio’s beloved beret-sporting golden retriever Pompompurin has been crowned as the winner of the 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking.
Pompompurin took the crown with over 7 million votes, an increase of more than 1.4 million votes compared to last year. The 2026 championship brought an overall record high of 70,647,379 votes — showing Sanrio’s ever-growing presence as a global kawaii powerhouse.
Photo by Aya Sato | © 2026 SANRIO CO., LTD. Copyright Sanrio Co., Ltd.
This is Pompompurin’s second consecutive win after last year‘s thrilling battle where the character gallantly defeated five-year champion Cinnamoroll. The 2025 win marked the first time in nine years that Pompompurin received the coveted first place prize, but perhaps thanks to the global festivities commemorating his 30th anniversary this year, Pompompurin’s reign has been extended.
Sanrio Fes 2026 Top 10 Winners
The Sanrio Character Ranking is an annual popularity contest that started in 1986 in Sanrio’s official “Monthly Strawberry Newspaper” publication. Characters are selected from over 450 historic and internationally iconic mascots from Sanrio’s extensive catalogue. This year, fans could vote for their favorite from a list of 90 total characters.
The winners were announced at Pacifico Yokohama, where characters gathered on stage to accept their placement in true beauty pageant style.
The final 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking top 10 results were:
- Pompompurin
- Cinnamoroll
- Pochacco
- Kuromi
- Hello Kitty
- Ahiru no Pekkle
- My Melody
- Tuxedosam
- Hangyodon
- Little Twin Stars
To see how the remaining 80 characters performed, you can now check the full Sanrio Character Ranking on the official website.
Some other notable wins include Osaru no Monkichi, who received the honorable mention “41st Special Award” to match with the 41st annual event. Buddy Eddy, the mascot for the Sanrio English Master educational program, placed in the 50th spot but was awarded the “Jump Up Award” for significantly jumping up 35 spots in the ranking from last year’s results.
As the Sanrio Character Ranking receives votes from fans around the world, Sanrio also reports the top rankings for select individual countries. While trends tend to remain relatively constant across international Sanrio fans, some country rankings show incredibly unique statistics that highlight each region’s culture. Some stand-outs in this department include Thailand, where Japanese rockstar Yoshiki’s Sanrio alter-ego Yoshikitty reigns supreme.
The “Partner Division” recognizes popular collaborations with Sanrio characters. Out of 40 entries, the top spot went to the Sirotan collaboration.
With more exciting news, Chokochilla was announced as the winner of 2026 Happilina Friends competition. Out of 10 original characters introduced earlier this year, the strawberry-loving chinchilla won the most votes in all three categories and will be debuting as Sanrio’s new character.
Pacifico Yokohama is also hosting Sanrio Fes around the Minatomirai area, with stage shows, pop-up shops, games and plenty of photo spots. Even the Minatomirai train station gates currently feature character voices when you tap your IC card. The famous Yokohama Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel is also joining in the celebration with a special limited-time illumination show featuring characters like Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll and Pompompurin shining in the night sky.
Related Posts
- McDonald’s Japan Announces Pompompurin Collaboration
- Pompompurin Wins 2025 Sanrio Character Ranking
- Meet Chokochilla: Sanrio’s New Strawberry-Loving Chinchilla
Updated On June 28, 2026
