The initial quick results of the "2024 Sanrio Character Ranking" popularity event have been announced, with Pochacco, celebrating its 35th debut anniversary this year, securing the first place.

Pochacco has risen from fourth place last year, claiming the top spot in the early results for the first time. It also ranked first in the "overseas rankings" for both Hong Kong and Korea.

Cinnamoroll, last year's leader, is currently second, followed by Pompompurin in third, marking a domination by "dog characters" at the top. The consistently popular characters like Kuromi in fourth place (last year third), Hello Kitty in fifth (last year fifth), and My Melody in sixth (last year sixth), along with Hangyodon in seventh (last year seventh), are expected to rally in the upcoming rankings.

Notably, Hanamaru Obake, a fresh character from last year’s user-participation project "NEXT KAWAII PROJECT" and a newcomer this year, impressively ranked eighth.

Ahiru no Pekkle made a significant leap from sixteenth last year to ninth place, marking its first appearance in the top ten. The movements of Cogimyun, who slightly improved from eleventh last year to tenth, are also garnering attention.

The voting event kicked off on April 11 at 11:00 AM. This report includes only the web voting results up to 11:59 PM on April 14, excluding any votes from Sanrio shops' "Chip de Vote" method. Voting will continue until May 26, with the final results to be announced at "SANRIO FES 2024" held at Tokyo Big Sight on June 16.

The voting period will continue until May 26. The character designer autograph session and the second phase of the greeting event are accepting lottery applications until April 18. The mid-term rankings will be announced on May 9 at 1:00 PM.

Quotes from Notable Characters:

[Cinnamoroll (last year's winner)]: "Thanks for all your support last year! I hope to have fun with everyone again this year."
[Pompompurin (second place last year)]: "I hope your support helps me grow even bigger!"
[Kuromi (third place last year)]: "I'm aiming to be the best this year too! Kuromi should be number one!"
[Hello Kitty (fifth place last year)]: "It's Hello Kitty's 50th anniversary at the character grand prix! I'll do my best! Please support me!"
[Hanamaru Obake (new entry)]: "I'm excited for my first participation! I hope everyone on Earth will cheer for us!"

Event Details:

"2024 Sanrio Character Ranking"
Schedule: Voting period from April 11 (Thu) to May 26 (Sun)
※ Web voting from 11:00 AM on April 11 (Thu) to 5:00 PM on May 26 (Sun); Strawberry Newspaper voting from April 10 (Wed).
Initial quick report (1st to 10th) on April 16 (Tue) at 1:00 PM
"Sanrio+" exclusive announcement (1st to 20th) around noon on April 26 (Fri)
Mid-term announcement (1st to 20th) on May 9 (Thu) at 1:00 PM
※ Full ranking (1st to 90th) can be viewed on the voting site by logging in with "Sanrio+" ID
Final results (1st to 90th) to be announced on June 16 (Sun) at "SANRIO FES 2024," with details to be disclosed later
※ Times for each announcement may be subject to change
Number of participating characters: 90

"2024 Sanrio Character Ranking Partner Division"
Schedule: Voting period from April 11 (Thu) at 11:00 AM to May 26 (Sun) at 5:00 PM ※ Web voting only
Mid-term announcement (1st to 3rd) on May 9 (Thu) at 1:00 PM
Final results to be announced on June 16 (Sun) at "SANRIO FES 2024"
Number of participating characters: 28 (planned)