What's Your Favorite Sanrio Character (That Isn't Hello Kitty)?

For more from Small Gift, check out "Kitty in Pink: Sanrio's '80s Prom," "Sanrio Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary with 'Small Gift'" and "Sanrio Meets Fight Club in Peekaboo Monster's Installation for Small Gift."

Hello Kitty might be the most famous Sanrio character, but she certainly isn't the only one. At Small Gift, the exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sanrio, we saw all sorts of characters, from fan favorites like Badtz-Maru and Little Twin Stars to more obscure characters like Goropikadon and Hangyodon.

Shannon Cottrell

Kuromi on a prom dress at Kitty in Pink

​ At Kitty in Pink, the '80s prom party that closed out Small Gift in L.A., we asked a handful of people what were their favorite Sanrio characters that weren't Hello Kitty. Their answers are below, feel free to add yours to the comment section.

Goropikadon (The Thunder Brothers)

Shannon Cottrell

The Thunder Brothers in the Small Gift art show

​ Irene Yuen mentioned Goropikadon, also known as The Thunder Brothers, a trio of boys with pastel hair that aren't terribly well-known in the U.S.

"I just discovered them recently because my friend wanted to do them for the VIP party," she said.

The Thunder Brothers were first released in 1982. Their Sanrio character bio states their birthday as the "twenty-fifth day of the fourteenth month of the fifty-third year of the Thunder calendar."

That is confusing. Sanrio characters usually have conventional birthdays, like December 8 (Landry) or October 31 (Kuromi). Regardless, the Thunder Brothers are pretty cute and each one has a distinct personality.

Hangyodon

Shannon Cottrell

Hangyodon hangs from the ceiling of Barker Hangar

​ Michelle Nguyen of Bubble Punch, the event team that helped coordinate the Small Gift parties, says that she used to prefer Badtz-Maru, but, right now, she's into Hangyodon.

"He's awesome," she said.

Hangyodon is, like The Thunder Brothers, a lesser-known Sanrio character that stems from the 1980s. He's adorable, with a face a little reminiscent to a character on The Simpsons. However, Hangyodon has what might be the saddest character bio in Sanrio-land. Despite his penchant for making people laugh, he's described as "a sensitive and lonely little guy" who "dreams of being a hero, but things never seem to go according to plan." Poor, little dude.