Kuromi Fever: My Current Sanrio Obsession

I grew up with Sanrio, spending my time and money at shops like Ponytails and Sanrio Surprises at the local malls. Back then, I never really had a favorite character – which probably saved me a lot of money! Unfortunately, I’m now obsessed with Kuromi – the stylish tomboy bunny rabbit. Kuromi is a relatively new Sanrio character, who was introduced in 2005 as a rival to My Melody (who’s been around since 1975!). She’s already gotten to #3 in the most popular Sanrio Characters rankings!

Anyways, I managed to avoid getting too obsessed in the past somehow, probably because I was focused on Tokidoki and possibly more obscure stuff. Around the holidays, I considered making a large Hot Topic purchase of Kuromi stuff in preparation for my oncoming obsession. I decided to just get a few things with some rewards I had, which required picking up in the store in person to avoid shipping charges. I even had my sister pick up some pajama pants for me from BoxLunch.

The store that unfortunately has no pick up option, but all the cool stuff that Hot Topic and BoxLunch carries is Her Universe, so I placed one large order with them that included some extra gifts for friends and family. During their recent Easter sale, I bought the cutest skirt with pockets that I love so much I want the matching top, which is sadly sold out and really hard to find on resale. I’ve already spent a lot on Mercari, Ebay, depop, and Postmark trying to fill my obsession. I’ve even found a few things on Vinted!

I think part of my obsession is due to the fact that Kuromi’s black and white coloring is very similar to my cat Peanut, who I’m also obsessed and in love with. Oddly enough, I’ve gotten most of the Kuromi skirts released by Hot Topic/Her Universe, but none of the jeans. The jeans are very expensive and it’s really hard to justify the cost! I’m slightly obsessed with Little Twin Stars too, but too a much lesser degree because their stuff is actually even more expensive due to its obscurity. Or so it seems to me. Also, the color schemes are usually pastels, while Kuromi’s are usually pink and black or purple and black – which I prefer.

My newest shopping discovery is Temu and AliExpress, both of which carry tons of Kuromi and Sanrio stuff for actually very cheap prices. Temu seems to have more toys, accessories, and home goods, whereas AliExpress is more clothing, collectibles, and so much stuff I want. So far, I’ve only ordered Kuromi stuff on Temu because they have really good coupons when you join. However, my wish list on AliExpress grows so much each day. Unfortunately, shipping is not always free and it really adds up. As much as I want to be the Kuromi girl at the top, I’m hesitant about the costs!