Lego and Sanrio have officially announced a multi-year partnership that will bring Hello Kitty, Kuromi, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, and Gudetama into brick form for the first time ever. The sets are slated for a 2027 release, and this is genuinely the first time the two brands have worked together.
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The first bricks of a long-term deal
This is not a one-and-done licensing arrangement. Lego is describing the Sanrio collaboration as a multi-year partnership, which means the 2027 launch is the opening move, not the full picture. Exactly how many sets are planned, what price points they will hit, or which characters get their own dedicated builds has not been revealed yet.
What Lego has done is launch a dedicated Sanrio page on its website, where fans can check in monthly for hints about what is coming. The key here is that Lego is clearly building anticipation deliberately, drip-feeding details rather than doing a full reveal all at once.
Why Hello Kitty makes sense as a Lego property
Hello Kitty first appeared in 1974 and the character's reach has only grown since. Sanrio merchandise now sells across more than 130 countries and regions, with roughly 50,000 different types of products sold annually. That kind of scale puts Hello Kitty in the same conversation as the major entertainment IP that Lego has built sets around before.
Sanrio has been executing a deliberate strategy to position itself as a global IP platform, with North America flagged as a key growth market. The plan includes more licensed merchandise, games, animation, and immersive entertainment. Lego fits neatly into that roadmap.
Hello Kitty's momentum right now is real
The Lego announcement lands in the middle of a genuine Hello Kitty surge. In August 2026, McDonald's rolled out a Hello Kitty and Friends x Godzilla Happy Meal featuring eight crossover toys. That followed a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Hello Kitty collection the previous year. A Burger King collaboration has also been reported as a possibility for fall 2026.
Sanrio also launched a new global children's YouTube channel in September featuring Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, and My Melody. The company's 50th anniversary push in 2024 accelerated licensing activity significantly, with North America and China both showing strong growth. The Lego deal is another piece of that same momentum.
For gaming fans, Hello Kitty has already made moves in that space too. The Overwatch x Sanrio crossover brought Hello Kitty skins to the game, and if you missed it, the Overwatch x Sanrio Hello Kitty skins guide covers how to get every skin from that event.
What Lego collectors should watch for
Lego has a strong track record with licensed IP sets aimed at adult collectors, from the Botanical Collection to its various architecture and pop culture lines. A Sanrio collaboration could go in several directions: compact character builds similar to the BTS Dynamite set, display-focused dioramas, or minifigure-scale playsets.
The multi-year framing suggests Lego is thinking about this the same way it has approached other long-running partnerships. If you want a sense of how Lego handles character rosters across a big licensed lineup, the LEGO Party unlockable characters and minifigures guide is a good reference for how deep those rosters can go.
Sanrio's character family is large enough to support years of releases without repeating, which is probably exactly what both companies are counting on.
The bigger picture for Sanrio fans
Sanrio's push into gaming, animation, and physical products is accelerating fast. The Lego partnership is the most high-profile toy collaboration the brand has landed, and with monthly hints dropping on Lego's dedicated page, the buildup to 2027 is going to keep the conversation going for a while. Check back on Lego's Sanrio hub for updates, and keep an eye on gaming guides as Sanrio's gaming crossovers continue to expand.
