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Sanrio Deals with Fallout Over Hello Kitty's Voice Change, Removal of Videos

Sanrio's iconic mascot character Hello Kitty welcomed her 49th anniversary on November 1, with Sanrio opening new accounts for the character on TikTok, Roblox, and Zepeto in anticipation of her 50th anniversary next year. But not all went well for the anniversary, as Sanrio deleted all videos on the character's official YouTube channel, and some videos featuring the character on the official YouTube channel for the Sanrio Puroland theme park.

Couple that with Megumi Hayashibara, the voice of Hello Kitty for 33 years, stepping down from the role right on the day of the anniversary, and you have a recipe for at least some amount dissatisfaction among fans. For many fans, the decision to seemingly renew the entire brand without preserving old memories soured what was supposed to be a happy anniversary for the character.

In a statement issued to J-Cast News, Sanrio asked people to understand that for some of its characters, including Hello Kitty, the character's voice is intended to be the actual character speaking, and thanked fans for continuing to support the characters.

The official Hello Kitty YouTube channel does have new videos though, which tease a new project for the character, with the tagline "Friend the Future." Let's hope it plays out better than the current decisions for the character.

Source: J-Cast News via Hachima Kikō