‘Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure’: Is Rilakkuma a Sanrio Character?

Fans of stop-motion animation and relaxation are rejoicing as Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure has just landed on Netflix. The sequel to 2019’s critically acclaimed Rilakkuma and Kaoru, this stop-motion animated series is introducing a whole new audience to the Rilakkuma brand, which has been popular in Japan for many years but has only recently started to make inroads into the American mainstream. 

However, many viewers, especially those new to the brand, wonder if Rilakkuma is made by Sanrio, the famous company behind the legendary Hello Kitty. 

Here is everything you need to know about Rilakkuma before you dive into Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure. 

What is Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure about? 

2016’s Rilakkuma and Kaoru followed overworked and underappreciated office worker Kaoru. While her life is hard, Kaoru’s day is often brightened by her three unusual roommates. Kaoru lives with the lazy bear Rilakkuma, the small and mischievous bear Korilakkuma and Kaoru’s hardworking pet bird Kiiroitori. Following the ups and downs of a single year, the show touched on the melancholy of modern life and how friendship and small adventures can make it all worthwhile. 

Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure follows Rilakkuma, Karou, and their friends as they go to a theme park. While at the park, they go on many adventures and meet new friends, many of whom need help. Thankfully, while Rilakkuma is lazy, he’s always able to make someone smile. 

Netflix describes the series by saying:

This new stop-motion animation series is written by Makoto Ueda and Takashi Sumita of the theater troupe Europe Kikaku. This series is produced by Dwarf, directed by Masahito Kobayashi of the same studio, and produced by San-X. In addition to Kaoru (voiced by Mikako Tabe), who first appeared in Rilakkuma and Kaoru, Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, and Kiiroitori go to play at a theme park that is about to close. There, they encounter many events and meet different people in this eight-episode series of 15-minute episodes depicting their active daily lives.

Is Rilakkuma a Sanrio character? 

Many people think Rilakkuma is a Sanrio character. However, this is not the case. Rilakkuma is made by another company called San-X. San-X was first formed in 1932 as Chida Handler. It didn’t take on its modern name of San-X until 1973. At first, San-X didn’t market via characters, but rather put various drawings and scenic images on its products. However, when their character Pinny-Mu became surprisingly popular in the late-80s, San-X shifted and became a character marketing company and launched a whole new slew of characters.

In 2003, San-X launched the Rilakkuma character. With a name that is a portmanteau of the words relax and kuma (the Japanese word for bear), Rilakkuma was first introduced to audiences via the four-panel comic series Rilakkuma Seikatsu. These comics laid out the character’s basic concept: that Rilakkuma was a bear who loved to relax and eat snacks. 

The character quickly became popular in Japan and is slowly growing in popularity in America, with the TV show helping speed up this growth. But while San-X has a similar name and business model to Hello Kitty creators Sanrio, the two companies are not linked.