Pochacco's birthday is February 29, which comes only in leap years.
The year 2024 was a special year, as it coincided with a leap year and the 35th anniversary of Pochacco's debut.
To commemorate this double anniversary, we would like to introduce Pochacco's charm along with his 35-year history.

Pochacco is a little dog boy who loves going for walks and taking the long way.
He's a curious and clumsy little guy who sometimes sticks his nose where it isn't wanted. He loves banana ice cream, and his favorite flower is the Chinese milk vetch.
He is as tall as four cups of his favorite banana ice cream.

His weighs as much as three giant carrots from his home town carrot patch.

Pochacco’s name is derived from the Japanese onomatopoeia "pocha-pocha," which conveys a cute, plump, and charming appearance. One of his most adorable characteristics is his soft and squishy cheeks.

Another beloved characteristic is his perky little ears. Much of Pochacco's charm comes from how lively and playful he is.

He also has many friends.
Some come in little groups, like the three chick sisters called the Piichans, but counted individually, he has 29 friends in total!

Pochacco has gone to many places and made many friends on his beloved walks!

Pochacco was introduced in August 1989 through a series of products for elementary and junior high school students.

At that time, many Sanrio characters made their debut through products, and customers mainly encountered them for the first time at Sanrio stores or through The Strawberry News (an in-house newspaper that provides the latest information on Sanrio characters and goods).

To grab customers’ attention in stores filled with lots of merchandise, new characters would often debut with a diverse lineup that included stationery, lunch items, and more.

Pochacco also launched a wide range of 34 items, including stationery, handkerchiefs, plush toys, and sweatshirts.

After his debut, Pochacco steadily gained popularity, but it wasn’t until around 1991—two years later—that his fame truly expanded.
Around this time, designs of Pochacco wearing clothes began to appear.

These designs were created for Sanrio’s 1991 spring and summer merchandise, showing Pochacco in the process of putting on a shirt.

From then on, Pochacco gradually had more opportunities to wear outfits, and his look in a shirt became a staple.
Along with this, his popularity as a character continued to grow, and he went on to achieve first place in the Sanrio Character Ranking—a fan-voted contest hosted by Sanrio—for five consecutive years from 1991 to 1995.

Around 2014, Japan gradually experienced a retro boom centered on the 1980s, and characters who debuted at that time were once again attracting attention.

Pochacco was also influenced by this trend, and in 2014, a new series of designs was released featuring him alongside Tuxedosam (1979 debut) and Ahirunopekkle (1989 debut.)

The popularity of this series led to the introduction of a new design series of Pochacco goods in 2017. This was the first time in 18 years that Pochacco was featured in his own series of designs.

Designed with adults in mind, this series features trend-setting mint green as its accent color. The character outlines also changed from thick, black lines to thin, hand-drawn style lines.

These products became so popular that the following year, 2018, Sanrio also launched a series of “oshiri” (bottom) designs. The design was inspired by feedback from fans at signing events, where many said what they loved most about Pochacco was his adorable little bottom.

In 2020, Pochacco started his career as a member of the boy character unit, Hapidanbui. In 2020 and 2021, Pochacco placed third in the Sanrio Character Ranking, and in 2023, he placed first in the Hong Kong region of the overseas rankings.

And in 2024, his 35th anniversary year, a new design was produced.
This design also incorporates the logo from Pochacco’s 1989 debut, preserving the look and feel of that era.

Regarding Pochacco’s future, the designer in charge shared:
"Over the past 35 years, many fans who loved Pochacco as children have grown up, and some now have children of their own. I hope that Pochacco will continue to be loved by these longtime fans, and that he can also become a character cherished by their children and grandchildren."

The next leap year that coincides with Pochacco’s anniversary will be 20 years from now—a truly special year.
What kind of character will Pochacco be when he reaches his 55th anniversary? How will he have grown?
Stay tuned for what the future holds for Pochacco!

©︎ 2026 SANRIO CO., LTD.

*This article is a re-edited version of an article published on February 22, 2024.