Who owns Mr. Men and Little Miss?
Mr. Men and Little Miss is owned by Sanrio (Japan, TSE: 8136), which has owned the brand since 2011.[1][2][3][4]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Sanrio Company, Ltd. — Company Profile. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Sanrio Company, Ltd. reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇯🇵 Japan, Tokyo
- Origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Founded
- 1971 by Roger Hargreaves
- Category
- Media & entertainment › Franchises & parks › Entertainment franchises
- Parent ticker
- TSE: 8136
- Last verified
- · 4 sources
About Mr. Men and Little Miss
Mr. Men began in 1971, when Roger Hargreaves drew Mr. Tickle in answer to his eight-year-old son's question about what a tickle looks like; the books sold a million copies within three years and the first Little Miss titles followed in 1981. Sanrio acquired the characters in 2011 and holds them through Mister Men Ltd, the British subsidiary it set up for them that year.
Ownership timeline of Mr. Men and Little Miss
Where Mr. Men and Little Miss sits in Sanrio
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Sanrio ownership tree →
See the full Sanrio brand portfolio (10) →
Other brands owned by Sanrio
Sanrio controls 10 brands on Brandtree, 10 of them in media & entertainment.
Also in media & entertainment
- Aggretsuko (2015)
- Cinnamoroll (2001)
- Gudetama (2013)
- Harmonyland (1991)
- Hello Kitty (1974)
- Kuromi (2005)
- Little Twin Stars (1975)
- My Melody (1975)
- Sanrio Puroland (1990)
Other brands in entertainment franchises, and who owns them
Sanrio has more brands in entertainment franchises on Brandtree than any other owner: 8 of 18.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Degrassi | WildBrain | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Disney | Disney | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Gundam | Bandai Namco | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Kakao Friends | Kakao | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
| Godzilla | TOHO | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| DC | Warner Bros. Discovery | 🇺🇸 United States |
| In the Night Garden | WildBrain | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Strawberry Shortcake | WildBrain | 🇨🇦 Canada |
About the owner: Sanrio
Sanrio is a publicly listed company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1960. Brandtree records 10 brands under its control, and it is listed as TSE: 8136.
Sanrio was established on 10 August 1960 as Yamanashi Silk Center and took its present name in 1973, after it had started selling gift products carrying its own designs. Its business is the creation and licensing of characters, together with gifts, greeting cards, publishing, recorded music, musicals, theme parks and digital content. Founder Shintaro Tsuji is honorary chairman and Tomokuni Tsuji is president and chief executive. It reported consolidated net sales of ¥194,088 million for the year to 31 March 2026 and employed 1,423 people.
🇬🇧 Mr. Men and Little Miss and other British brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 543 brands that began in the United Kingdom. 282 of them (52%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Mr. Men and Little Miss among them.
- Anime Limited — TOHO 🇯🇵
- BelfastLive — Reach 🇬🇧
- Celtic FC Women — Celtic plc 🇬🇧
- Chrysalis Records — Reservoir 🇺🇸
- Country Life — Future 🇬🇧
- Eventim Apollo — CTS Eventim 🇩🇪
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Mr. Men and Little Miss?
The parent company of Mr. Men and Little Miss is Sanrio, a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Is Mr. Men and Little Miss British or Japanese?
Mr. Men and Little Miss originated in the United Kingdom in 1971, but it is owned today by Sanrio, which is headquartered in Japan. So Mr. Men and Little Miss is a British-origin brand under Japanese ownership.
Since when has Sanrio owned Mr. Men and Little Miss?
Sanrio has owned Mr. Men and Little Miss since 2011.
Is Mr. Men and Little Miss still owned by Sanrio?
Yes. As of 26 September 2026, Mr. Men and Little Miss is still owned by Sanrio. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (4) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Sanrio Company, Ltd. — Company Profile — Sanrio Company, Ltd., Official document; retrieved 26 September 2026.
- [2] Sanrio Company, Ltd. — Our Brands — Sanrio Company, Ltd., Official document; retrieved 26 September 2026.
- [3] Sanrio Company, Ltd. — Company History — Sanrio Company, Ltd., Official document; retrieved 26 September 2026.
- [4] Mr. Men & Little Miss — About us — Mister Men Ltd, Official document; retrieved 26 September 2026.
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