The Character Company

Three Bigrees Tray

2011-02-21T15:50:00.000-05:00

I found this set of two Three Bigrees trays on eBay a few years ago. They feature the "Hamburger Stand" theme (my favorite!) and are marked $4.50.

Megalomania Change Purse

2010-02-10T13:38:00.002-05:00

This Megalomania change purse by Expression dates from the late 70s/early 80s and is from my childhood collection. It's about 2.5 inches in diameter and is marked $3.40.

Hello Kitty Tape Dispenser

2010-01-17T16:07:00.002-05:00

This Hello Kitty tape dispenser is dated 1976 and labeled $1.25.

The tape itself is long gone, although it can be refilled.

Puddles Plush

2010-01-02T10:40:00.006-05:00

I few years ago I was very excited to find this Three Bigrees plush on eBay. He's Puddles the Hippo and stands about 7 inches tall. He's not dated (or priced) anywhere, but I would guess early '80s. He's wearing burgundy corduroy pants with faux leather suspenders.

Best of all, he still has his original paper tag:

The back explains the origin of the Three Bigrees:

I wonder which Bigree is Cuddles and which is Bubbles? My guess would be that Bubbles is the elephant and Cuddles is the Rhino. But we'll have to go to the magical place called Ree to find out!

Noranekoland Stickers

2009-08-10T15:46:00.002-04:00

This set of Sanrio Noranekoland stickers dates from 1989. It features three cats: brothers Kuro and Tora and sister Mike.

Tora must be the tiger-striped cat, Mike is the calico (calicos are almost always females) and Kuro is the black and white one. I never saw this character in the 80s, and I suspect it was not common outside of Japan.

Let's Chat Pencil Case

2009-08-02T15:43:00.002-04:00

This plastic "Let's Chat" pencil case is by Sony Creative Products and features Penjamin Penguin. It's dated 1982. On the back it is also marked Expression.

I never saw a lot of Sony Creative Products items growing up in the 80s, but I did have a Let's Chat notebook that I remember getting in a dollar store-type place.

Bunny and Matty Mug

2009-07-12T12:36:00.003-04:00

This Sanrio Bunny and Matty child-size ceramic mug is only 2.5 inches tall. It's dated 1976. The front looks to me like a pilot theme with Bunny and Matty wearing goggles and a parachute (but also a raincoat, rain hat, and boots).

But on the back, Matty is sitting in a cloud trying to catch a baseball:

Who said cute had to make sense? Hop two!

Megalomania Eraser

2009-04-19T20:10:00.002-04:00

This Megalomania eraser by Expression is from my childhood collection.

It's 3 cm x 4 cm and features the space theme. It's marked $1.00 - pretty pricey for 1980!

Robby Rabbit Sticker

2009-04-11T08:10:00.003-04:00

This Robby Rabbit sticker by Sanrio comes from my '80s sticker collection. It features Robby and his bee friend painting.

It was a trade, which explains why it's not on it's original backing. I always kept my stickers on their backings in pristine condition, so I never understood why some kids took them off or stuck them on things. Still, I remember being happy to get this one, since Robby wasn't a very common character even then.

Three Bigrees Helmet Clip

2009-04-04T13:53:00.003-04:00

This Gakken/Victoria Fance Three Bigrees paperclip is in the shape of an American football helmet, part of the sports theme set. The front features the elephant dressed as a cheerleader. It's marked $1 and is 4 cm high and wide.

The back shows the details of the helmet:

Little Gang Stickers

2009-03-24T20:58:00.003-04:00

These Little Gang All-Star Stickers feature four adventurous kittens having fun with hot air balloons, bombs, and sardine cans.

While the manufacturer isn't marked on these stickers, this is the same character on the "Scoop" Expression notepad I posted previously. I always thought of this character as "Scoop," although the notepad does say "Little Gang" and that makes more sense! Thanks to Flickr friend *Iron Lace* for pointing this out and solving a piece of the Expression puzzle - check out *Iron Laces*'s eraser with the same Little Gang character. This is made by Sony Creative Products. Now I've noticed that the Sony Creative products items I have do say Expression (but the Expression items do not say Sony Creative Products). Perhaps Expression was taken over by Sony Creative Products?

Mimu and Chimu Erasers

2009-02-14T11:39:00.003-05:00

This tiny eraser set by Gakken/Victoria Fancy features the characters Mimu & Chimu - two little bugs.

The erasers are 1 inch tall and are marked $1.00.

Hello Kitty Puffy Stickers

2009-02-07T10:53:00.002-05:00

These classic Hello Kitty puffy stickers come from my childhood collection and are dated 1976.

I got these stickers as a "trade" during the early '80s sticker craze, and they have been in my sticker album ever since. I don't know what I traded to get them, but I'm sure I got the better deal, even with the missing flower sticker. Can you imagine kids occupying themselves with trading stickers and arranging them in albums nowadays?!

Megalomania Pencil Case

2009-02-01T11:29:00.003-05:00

This Megalomania pencil case by Expression is about 8 inches long and made of metal. It features the flying saucer theme.

Inside:

The bottom indicates the price was $3.20. I've had this since the late 70s/early 80s.

Sanrio Cats Mailbox

2009-01-17T16:37:00.006-05:00

This Sanrio clear plastic mailbox is only 2.5 inches long and features cats wearing striped dresses. I don't know if this character has a name, but I've only ever seen them on this item. It's dated 1979.

Inside the mailbox are tiny sheets of paper and envelopes with cat stamps drawn on:

A Stage of Life Pen

2009-01-11T17:59:00.002-05:00

This pen features A Stage of Life: Gentle Hippo and his Beautiful Girl Friend:

It was made by Expression and isn't dated, but I've had it since the early 80s. The pen has yellow ink.

Three Bigrees Paperclips

2009-01-02T16:03:00.002-05:00

This set of 12 Three Bigrees (Victoria Fancy by Gakken) paperclips was a recent Ebay find. The plastic part is 2 cm in diameter and the back has a metal clip. They feature the Three Bigrees in a sports theme.

Not dated, but probably from the early 80s.

Hello Kitty Pencil Sharpener

2008-04-19T20:57:00.001-04:00

This Hello Kitty pencil sharpener from Sanrio is dated 1976. The roof of the house slides off to empty the pencil shavings.

Megalomania Comb Set

2008-04-13T08:19:00.002-04:00

This Megalomania comb set by Expression features the flying saucer theme. Inside the plastic case is a mirror and a pocket for the comb.

Marked $4.00 and not dated.

Tiny Candy Vase Mug

2008-04-06T09:53:00.003-04:00

This ceramic Tiny Candy vase/mug from Gakken Victoria Fancy is about 6 inches tall. The opening is only 1 inch in diameter, so it's not very practical for a mug, but it does have a handle which is unusual for a vase.

The front features a little girl riding a pegasus with two bunnies hanging on.

The back has one bunny riding a star. I never liked the little girl, but I was willing to overlook it for the cute bunnies. The bottom is marked $6.50.

Cheery Chums Box

2008-03-30T16:16:00.005-04:00

This pink plastic box from Sanrio features the Cheery Chums. It's dated 1979, 1984.

Robby Rabbit Pencil Case

2008-03-23T10:17:00.002-04:00

This Sanrio Robby Rabbit pencil case is dated 1976 and priced at $1.95US. It's about 2.5 x 8.5 inches and it made of metal. It features Robby painting along with his bee friend.

Three Bigrees Desk Organizer

2008-03-16T10:30:00.002-04:00

This aqua plastic desk organizer features the Three Bigrees playing instruments (or trunk in the case of the elephant). It's about 4 inches square.

Like other Gakken Vistoria Fancy items, this isn't dated, but does have a price ($4.80). I've had this since the early 1980s and used it to store my pencil collection.

Bicku Rican Mascot in a Can

2008-03-02T12:52:00.007-05:00

This little Sanrio mascot is a terry-cloth chick sitting in a felt can. The front says "Bicku Rican A South Pole Village."

The back says "Mascot in a Can." It's dated 1982.

I've had this since 1982 and have never seen another one like it or anything else with this Sanrio character.

Hello Kitty Stapler

2008-02-23T16:08:00.003-05:00

This is a 1976 Hello Kitty stapler from Sanrio featuring the original primary color scheme. It's about 4 inches long and uses tiny staples.

Megalomania Mascots

2008-02-10T15:30:00.000-05:00

These two Megalomania mascots are furry plush with pompom feet and a rope tail. Each wears a tiny pink jingle bell and stands about 3 inches tall. I've had the one on the left since the early 1980s. The right, somewhat evil-looking mascot was a more recent acquisition from eBay.

Robby Rabbit Pin-Back Button

2007-08-05T15:27:00.000-04:00

This pin-back button from Sanrio features the character Robby Rabbit and dates from 1981.

Robby is playing tennis with his bee friend, and the button features the inspirational slogan "Never Give Up." Recently, I read that Robby was designed to appeal to boys; but that never occured to me as a child, and Robby Rabbit was one of my favorite Sanrio characters.

Little Gang Scoop Notepad

2007-07-26T19:46:00.001-04:00

Another character line from the Japanese company Expression was a group of four white kittens known as Scoop (or possibly Little Gang). This is a die-cut notepad in the shape of a bottle from the early 80s.

The front: News flash! New Star Discovered... We're Seeking Thrills and Adventure Everytime.

An inside page: Let's Challenge Something New! (the back features the same image as the front cover without lines)

The back cover: Create New Life with Expression (all for the price of $2.50)

Three Bigrees Envelope

2007-07-15T15:59:00.000-04:00

The Three Bigrees, a hippo, rhino, and elephant, are characters from the Victoria Fancy line of the Japanese company Gakken. Gakken still exists, but their stationery line has spun off into a new company Gakken Sta:Ful and seems to feature licensed characters like Olivia the Pig and Harry Potter.

This small (2.75" x 4.5") envelope features the Three Bigrees in their Hamburger Stand motif. It isn't dated, but probably dates from the early 80s and was part of a larger stationery set.

Front:

Back:

Victoria Fancy items were harder to find than Sanrio, but I remember rummaging through the sale loft of the Paper Barn in Peddler's Village to find these characters.

Megalomania Stickers

2007-07-08T16:06:00.000-04:00

Megalomania, a wide-eyed black kitten, was a character from a Japanese company called Expression. More rare than Sanrio, Megalomania and other Expression characters could be obtained at several toy/gift shops in the Bucks County, PA area including The Paper Unicorn, Foster's Toy Store, and The Paper Barn at Peddler's Village in Lahaska.

The character goods from Expression were actually more expensive than Sanrio items, but were worth it since Megalomania was and is my all-time favorite character. No trace of the company Expression seems to exist today.

Hello Kitty Airplane Eraser

2007-04-21T10:01:00.000-04:00

This Hello Kitty eraser dates from 1976 and originally cost $0.85. The case features my favorite Hello Kitty motif, Kitty flying her airplane. The eraser itself has an intoxicating bubblegum scent still potent after 30 years.

Bunny & Matty Stickers

2007-04-15T14:51:00.000-04:00

Bunny & Matty were one of Sanrio's earliest character designs. Interestingly, early items are marked "Bunny & Ratty." Sanrio must have realized Ratty would not go over well in the US market.

Bunny & Matty Stickers, 1976

Welcome!

2007-04-08T09:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome to The Character Company. This blog will be devoted to interesting Japanese character items, particularly vintage 70s and 80s items or unusual characters. Everyone is familiar with Sanrio’s Hello Kitty, but there are other more obscure characters from competing companies that also deserve recognition.

I was born a few years before Hello Kitty and was just the right age when she arrived on the scene in 1976. My first contact with Sanrio and other mascot items was at a store in the newly-built Montgomery Mall in North Wales, PA. The tiny store was called The Character Company, and it featured items emblazoned with the familiar Peanuts and Disney faces, but also other characters that were new to me. I immediately gravitated to these Japanese characters. Not only were they so cute, but they also had no stories attached to them in the way cartoon characters did, which left room for imagination.

The Character Company closed suddenly and prematurely, in my opinion. Fortunately, I discovered other sources of stationery products and even new characters at local card and toy stores. There was an abundance and diversity of these types of stores in the late 70s and early 80s that, sadly, no longer exists. Now to find anything beyond the Hello Kitty style-of-the-month one has to visit specialty stores in Asian neighborhoods or shop on-line.

This blog will feature images from my collection along with any known details and personal reflections. Each post will focus on one item, and I welcome any information or reminiscences readers have to share.