LTD. Sanrio Company

Sanrio Company, Ltd. was founded on August 10, 1960, as Yamanashi Silk Center Co., Ltd. by Shintaro Tsuji in Tokyo, Japan, initially aiming to establish a social communication business centered on gift-giving traditions.[1][2][3] The company pivoted to character merchandise in the 1960s, introducing the Strawberry character in 1962 and its iconic Hello Kitty in 1974, which propelled it to global fame in licensing and cute ('kawaii') products.[3][4][8]