Sony seeks new global mascot to rival Mario and Hello Kitty

Sony Creative Products is developing a new suite of original character intellectual properties (IP) to establish a global mascot capable of competing with industry icons such as Nintendo’s Mario, Sega’s Sonic, and Sanrio’s Hello Kitty. The initiative aims to diversify Sony’s revenue streams beyond traditional gaming into anime, merchandising, and lifestyle products.

According to reports, the company has set a financial target of 10 billion yen in annual sales from these new character IPs by the 2030 fiscal year. To achieve this, a dedicated team is collaborating with both internal and external creators to build characters with long-term commercial potential.

Several candidates are currently under evaluation, including the sleepy bear character Yofukashikuma no Nemu, the robotic dog Aibo, and a revamped version of the character Pingu. The strategy focuses on creating “evergreen” characters that can maintain popularity across generations and various media platforms.