Sanrio’s Strange Cyberbullying Case Confuses Hello Kitty Fans Even Today

You might not think it, but Sanrio can be a very cutthroat brand at times. The franchise is best known for its super adorable mascots like Hello Kitty, but there are plenty who resent the heroine. In fact, the most cutthroat thing which Sanrio has gone through is surely the cyberbullying campaign fans launched against one of its mascots some time ago, and overseas fans are reliving the nightmare online.

For those who do not know, Twitter user batshaped broke the issue down in a succinct post. The issue dates back to 2015 when social media in Japan hosted a revolt against a very unlikely character. Poor Cinnamoroll was attacked on all sides by intense cyberbullying which got bad enough for Sanrio to intervene.

The issue began in the spring when Sanrio posted a cute photo of Cinnamoroll as one is want to do. Gradually, the comments directed to the photo turned sour as a joke, but the bullying only worsened. Before long, posted photos were inundated with negative comments insulting Cinnamoroll’s looks, attitude, interests, and way more.

Yeah, it was ugly. Things got personal real fast.

More than a month went by before Cinnamaroll got a reprieve from her cyberbullies. Sanrio decided to step in to patch up the mascot as well as their rather lucrative IP. With a new post, the brand shared a picture of Cinnamoroll being protected by one of her friends, Chiffon. The fluffy pup was seen frowning for maybe the first time ever, and she had something to tell those bullying her friend.

“I am here on behalf of Cinamoroll to tell you to get out. I’ll protect her, so everyone watch out!”

Clearly, Sanrio and Chiffon are not messing when it comes to Cinamoroll. The adorable mascot is one of Hello Kitty’s good friends, and they will not let her be slandered for long. After all of these years, fans like batshaped continue to wonder why Japanese netizens had such a strong reaction to Cinamoroll, and the answer might never be found. But it seems the heroine is feeling much better nowadays which has fans feeling nice.

So, what do you think about this odd bit of Sanrio history? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!