<h3><span class="strongInContent">Sanrio is disappointed, but Hello Kitty should pick a job.</span></h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Hello Kitty&#8221; at the successor to McDonald&#8217;s, pink burgers posted on SNS one after another in Russia.</span></p>
<p> On August 4, JIJI.COM, a news site operated by Jiji Press, distributed an article that Sanrio lovers should not miss.</p>
<p> JIJI.COM, a news site operated by Jiji Press, reported an article on August 4 that Sanrio lovers should not miss. It was reported that a hamburger bearing the name &#8220;Hello Kitty&#8221; had been released for the summer season only at &#8220;Hukusuna i Tochka&#8221; (Delicious. That&#8217;s it).</p>
<figure id="attachment_435727" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-435727" style="width: 5616px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f254f3f8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/08/c99ce9040b0e75f0a1216ad7155e211f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-435727" class="wp-caption-text"> Hello Kitty celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. The Tokyo National Museum and other exhibitions were held in various countries.</figcaption></figure>
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<p> According to the article, the Hello Kitty burger has pink buns and cheese sauce. The top of the touch panel frame for ordering is decorated with Hello Kitty&#8217;s ears and ribbon, and on the side is a banner-like plate that reads in Japanese, &#8220;Isn&#8217;t she cute? on the side of the touch panel.</p>
<p> Sanrio opened Russia&#8217;s first &#8220;Sanrio Shop&#8221; in Moscow in 2003. It seems that Sanrio began to develop its licensing business in Russia around 2010.</p>
<p> Since Russia&#8217;s military invasion of Ukraine, Japan has imposed economic sanctions in cooperation with the G7 and other major countries and has been designated an &#8220;unfriendly country&#8221; by the Russian government. As the invasion has become more protracted, many Japanese companies have decided to suspend or withdraw their operations in Russia.</p>
<p> Sanrio is not among them.</p>
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<p> JIJI.COM&#8221; states, &#8220;It is believed that a Russian company, which continues its character licensing business, was involved in the product planning.</p>
<p> Since the article was distributed on April 4, there has been a series of posts on social networking services from Sanrio fans expressing their dissatisfaction and condemnation.</p>
<ul>
<li><span class="strongInContent"> &#8220;I am disappointed that Sanrio is still continuing its licensing business in Russia,&#8221; said one fan.</span></li>
<li><span class="strongInContent"> Sanrio is in the business of selling dreams to children, but they have low ethical standards!</span></li>
<li><span class="strongInContent"> If this is an official collaboration, I will never buy Sanrio goods again.</span></li>
<li><span class="strongInContent">This licensing agreement, Hello Kitty should have picked a better job.</span></li>
<li><span class="strongInContent"> 《I think Sanrio&#8217;s philosophy is &#8220;Compassion, everyone get along. They continue to do business in a country that is unilaterally beating them up and turn their backs on Ukrainian children who have lost their dreams and hopes. That is the impression I got.</span></li>
</ul>
<p> One of the most noticeable posts was the one with the nuanced preface, &#8220;I find it hard to believe that Sanrio allowed this.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" We contacted Sanrio directly!　Their response was..."></div>
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<h3><span class="strongInContent">We would like to refrain from commenting on the details of any individual licensing agreements.&#8221;</span></h3>
<p> When we asked Sanrio in writing about the background of the Hello Kitty Burger launch, we received the following response via e-mail from the Corporate Branding Department&#8217;s Public Relations Division.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The local subsidiary in charge of our European operations has entered into a license agreement with Sanrio regarding this matter.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Under our vision &#8220;One World, Connecting Smiles.&#8221;, we aim to make as many people as possible smile and spread the circle of happiness around the world.</span><span class="strongInContent"> </span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> In our licensing business, we are doing business with various companies and organizations globally by utilizing Sanrio&#8217;s characters, but I would like to refrain from commenting on the details of individual licensing agreements.</span></p>
<figure id="attachment_435728" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-435728" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3a42be95"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/08/8898fd40482f286b47228f0540064cca.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-435728" class="wp-caption-text"> The pink &#8220;Hello Kitty Burger&#8221; unveiled at the new product launch of &#8220;Vkusno i tochka&#8221; (Delicious, That&#8217;s All), the successor to Mac&#8217;s in Moscow, Russia, this July.</figcaption></figure>
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<p> Is there any risk of Sanrio entering into a character licensing agreement in today&#8217;s Russia that could damage its brand image and reduce sales in Japan and the rest of the world? Kazunori Matsushita, a branding expert, answers the following question.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent">Sanrio&#8217;s corporate philosophy is &#8220;Minna Nakayaka&#8221; (&#8220;Everyone get along well together&#8221;). I assume that the decision was made based on this philosophy. Sanrio&#8217;s decision to launch Hello Kitty Burgers in Russia is not a violation of the company&#8217;s corporate philosophy. From a brand management perspective, it is not a wrong strategy.</span><span class="strongInContent"> </span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> However, there are definitely pros and cons in public opinion. Sanrio must have thought about the risks involved. So, as the next course of action, I think we need to send out a message that conveys our thoughts.</span><span class="strongInContent"> </span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Sanrio&#8217;s vision of &#8220;One World, Connecting Smiles.&#8221; includes the wish that each and every person in the world, including children in Russia as well as in Ukraine, will have a smile on their face, so we should send out a message that conveys that message clearly. Therefore, the message should be conveyed in a way that conveys this message. This is not to sell a product, but to make clear what we are as a company.</span><span class="strongInContent"> </span></p>
<p> If <span class="strongInContent">we do not take measures to avoid risk as much as possible at times like this, the brand&#8217;s position will become unstable</span>.</p>
<p> The response from Sanrio this time did not contain the &#8220;clear message&#8221; that Matsushita pointed out, but the smiling faces of Russian children may be the answer.</p>
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 Sayuri Saito

 Afro (1st photo), Kyodo News (2nd photo)

 The successor to McDonald's, which withdrew from Russia, has reportedly launched a limited-edition hamburger bearing the "Hello Kitty" name. Since the article about this was distributed, there have been a number of posts on social networking sites from Sanrio fans complaining and accusing the company.

Lamentation in Japan over the launch of &#8220;Hello Kitty Burger&#8221; at the successor to McDonald&#8217;s in Russia&#8230; Sanrio asked Sanrio for the truth.

Lamentation in Japan over the launch of “Hello Kitty Burger” at the successor to McDonald’s in Russia… Sanrio asked Sanrio for the truth.

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