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Mar 26, 2025

Hello Kitty & Friends Put the Pedal to the Metal in New Toy Series Collectibles

Hello Kitty and her fellow Sanrio friends have been behind the wheel of several cute crossovers. Now, they're driving to new heights with cars from an iconic toy line. Takara Tomy is known for its

Hello Kitty and her fellow Sanrio friends have been behind the wheel of several cute crossovers. Now, they're driving to new heights with cars from an iconic toy line.

Takara Tomy is known for its Tomica cars, and the brand is expanding with the new Tomica Tunes series. Featuring cute cartoonish characters in equally adorable automobiles, the line starts out with several Sanrio favorites. Launching in a matter of months, these are just the first of what are certain to be several such collectibles from the brand.

Hello Kitty and her fellow Sanrio friends are crossing over with Gintama, and two locations are set to offer collaborative items for both brands.

The first wave of Tomica Tunes toy cars features seven Sanrio-themed collectibles, although only six have currently been revealed, with the other still a secret. As the name suggests, the line will seemingly focus on anime and cartoon characters, with the vehicular toys themselves having a similarly cartoonish aesthetic. In the case of the Sanrio toys, each of the drivers is somewhat super-deformed, with the cars themselves themed around the characters. For instance, Hello Kitty's matches her red bow, while Cinnamoroll's car has the same blue and white color scheme as the dog himself. The other Sanrio characters in question are the jester hat-wearing Kuromi, My Melody, Pompompurin and Pocchacho, and it's possible that the seventh toy will be a character such as the fish Hangyodon or a similar "B-list" Sanrio mascot.

Ironically for such optimistic and lovable characters, the Tomica Tunes Sanrio cars have the mascots all looking scared and despondent, as if unsure where they're going. Nevertheless, they're supposed to keep driving forward while showcasing a cute form of teary-eyed perseverance. The diecast cars will each cost 1,320 Japanese yen (~US$8.75) and be released in just over a month in May 2025. This is the Japanese release date, with the toys set to become available in specialty stores and online. Beyond Sanrio, it's unknown what other brands the Tomica Tunes line will feature, or if the Sanrio-specific series will continue. However, it's described as "TOMICA TUNES SANRIO CHARACTERS Vol. 1," meaning it's likely to go beyond the more mainstream characters from the brand to feature more esoteric Sanrio favorites.

Source: Takara Tomy

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