Sanrio Set to Lose One of Its Most Iconic Character Designers

The designer behind one of Sanrio’s most iconic faces, Cinnamonroll, has officially announced that they’ll be parting ways with the company. Miyuki Okumura made the announcement on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, November 10, 2024 that she would be leaving Sanrio and picking up work as a freelance artist going forward so that she can dedicate more of her time to studying her art and writing. In the statement, Okumura told fans: “I have been involved in the development and nurturing of characters for many years. From now on, I would like to try things other than design, and hope to one day be able to work with the Sanrio characters again when I’m more powerful. It’s been so much fun developing the characters together with all the fans, and each and every memory is a treasure to me.”

The following Monday, Sanrio followed up Okumura’s announcement with their own confirming the bittersweet news. The company expressed gratitude for her time and talents, and encouraged fans of Okumura’s work to send letters to the company through December. Okumura’s highly successful career as a designer for Sanrio can be seen in just how popular Cinnamonroll has become over the years, rising to the same ranks of mainstream noteriety as other Sanrio characters like Kurumi, My Melody, and even Hello Kitty. Working alongside Sanrio for over 25 years, Okumura also had a hand in other Sanrio icons, including the designs for Lloromannic and the members of the fictional idol group Beatcats. In addition to her design work, Okumura was a key member of staff on the Netflix original Aggretsuko anime series, serving as one of the show’s executive producers.

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Cinnamonroll’s Rise To Fame As One Of Sanrio’s Best Original Characters

Originally created in 2001, Cinnamonroll is an adorable – believe it or not – puppy with chubby cheeks, bright blue eyes, and a cute tail that resembles a cinnamon roll. Aside from receiving mountains of merchandise, Cinnamonroll has starred in his own anime movie, manga, and various animated shorts. According to Cinnamonroll’s lore, he lives at Café Cinnamon with his aptly named friends Espresso, Mocha, Milk, Cappucino, and Chiffon. Unsurprisingly with how adorable the character is, Cinnamonroll has, for decades, been one of Sanrio’s most profitable characters. In 2005, the character ranked second in popularity polls, rivaled only by the poster child of the company, Hello Kitty. More recently, Cinnamonroll has overtaken the classic Kitty mascot, placing first place in Sanrio’s 2017-2018 rankings, as well as their 2020-2024 rankings.

Aside from being popular for his looks, Cinnamonroll has made plenty of appearances in other media. In Japan, Cinnamonroll received a move produced by studio Madhouse titled Cinnamon the Movie that released in 2007. In 2023, Cinnamonroll began making frequent appearances on Sanrio’s Youtube channel, as well as a televised cooking series with a popular Japanese actor named Ken Yasuda. Cinnamonroll also featured in his own manga series titled Fluffy Fluffy Cinnamonroll and several picture books designed for younger audiences.

H/T Anime News Network