Sanrio Turns Hello Kitty and Friends Into Interactive Pet Robots for Adorable New Micropets Collection
Image by James Richardson
Four of Sanrio’s most popular characters are turning into palm-sized interactive pet robots that can talk, sing, move around and develop new reactions as owners care for them.
The new “Micropets: Sanrio Characters” collection from Takara Tomy recreates Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Kuromi and Pompompurin as four individual robots, each equipped with more than 50 expressions, sounds, reactions and movements alongside an interactive leveling system.
Micropets originally launched in Japan in 2002 as tiny robotic pets that responded to different lengths of sound, with the original toy recognized by Guinness World Records at the time as the world’s smallest voice-activated electric toy.
Takara Tomy revived the line in December 2025 through a new generation co-developed with Australian toy manufacturer Moose Toys, followed by a second wave in July 2026, with the first two modern releases now surpassing 200,000 cumulative shipments across Japan and overseas markets.
The Sanrio collection becomes the third wave of the revived series and replaces the animal designs used across earlier releases with character-specific bodies that recreate details from both the front and back of Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Kuromi and Pompompurin.
Each character can display different expressions including smiles, winks and sleeping faces, while the robots can also talk, sing and move around on their own using the same interactive system developed for the wider Micropets range.
Owners are prompted to care for their Micropet through colored lights on top of its head, with red signaling that it wants to talk, blue indicating a toilet request and green asking for a power charge.
Responding to those requests gradually raises the character’s level and unlocks additional expressions and actions, including dancing and singing, while the heart-shaped light on its head changes color as it progresses.
The robots also speak their own deliberately ambiguous “Micropet language,” using phrases that are designed to sound neither completely Japanese nor English so the same interactions can be used across different regions.
Multiple Micropets can communicate with one another when two or more are placed together, allowing them to dance, race and sing as a group in addition to their individual care functions.
The four-character lineup brings together several of Sanrio’s biggest current stars, including Pompompurin, who topped the 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking for a second consecutive year during the Golden Retriever’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll and Kuromi have also recently joined Bandai’s new “SNAP SCENE Sanrio Characters: Welcome Home” model kit collection, which recreates the characters in miniature everyday scenes and is already confirmed for a US release in 2027.
“Micropets: Sanrio Characters” is scheduled to launch in Japan in late December 2026 through toy stores, department and mass-retailer toy sections, online retailers and the official Takara Tomy Mall, with wider distribution also planned across other parts of Asia.
Each of the four robots is priced at ¥2,970 (approximately $19 / £14), comes with three LR44 button batteries already installed and is recommended for ages four and older.
If you enjoyed this article, you can see more from us directly in your Google feed by adding us as a preferred source.
This post may contain affiliate links, and Essential Japan may earn a commission if you purchase through them.
