It’s the end of an era. After dominating Sanrio’s character ranking contest for five years straight, Cinnamoroll has been pushed aside by the new winner, Pompompurin.
This year’s ranking wasn’t just any old poll—it marked the 40th anniversary of Sanrio’s character ranking tradition.
So... how did Pompompurin pull this off?
Between April 10 and May 25, fans all over the world cast a record-breaking 63 million votes. The final results were revealed during a livestream this week from Yokohama, Japan, and they left people stunned.
His victory might not be random. While Pompompurin's popularity dipped back in the early 2000s, Sanrio eventually gave him what fans call a “charm point:” his backside.
According to one Reddit user, it was the plushies showing off his rear end that brought him back into the spotlight years ago, even winning him first place in the character ranking in 2016, and apparently, they’re still going strong.
Fans are spiraling—and split down the middle
Naturally, people had opinions. TikTok and Reddit were full of Cinnamoroll defenders who felt robbed, and Pompompurin fans who came ready to celebrate.
“Pompompurin didn't win because of love, he won because people didn't want Cinnamoroll to win!!!!! Sorry, but that's not a win to me,” one user wrote under a TikTok video.
“EVIL HAS BEEN DEFEATED,” another person commented, clearly on Team Pompom.
“No way! I did NOT expect that as a Pompompurin fan,” someone else added. “I like most (if not all) of the characters, so I don't mind anyone (even Cinnamoroll again) winning. Still, this was a shock to me! 😳 Pompom looked so cute while waiting for the result.”
Over on X, the reactions are full of excitement:
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