Sanrio Co.
Sanrio buys Mr. Men characters
Sanrio Co. has bought the rights to the Mr. Men animated characters from Chorion Ltd., looking to cut its reliance on Hello Kitty, which generates 80 percent of the company's overseas licensing revenue.
Sanrio will acquire all shares of the Mr. Men animated film development and production unit from London-based Chorion, the company said in a statement that didn't include the terms of the deal.
Japan's Sanrio to cut reliance on Hello Kitty
Japan's Sanrio Co. aims to spend as much as JPY30 billion (USD381.2 million) to buy the rights to a character for the first time and cut its reliance on Hello Kitty.
"We want to diversify our character portfolio instead of spending time to boost recognition of our existing characters in overseas markets," managing director Susumu Emori said in an interview.
Sanrio to license Hello Kitty theme park in China
Sanrio Co., the Japanese maker of Hello Kitty character goods, has agreed to work with a Chinese company to build a theme park in eastern Zhejiang province of China, the company said on Monday.
Sanrio will license the use of its Hello Kitty characters to a closely held company in Zhejiang that plans to open a 95,000-square-meter theme park in 2014, Hideo Yamaguchi, a Sanrio spokesperson, said over telephone.
