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Cute Characters: Kawaii Duos

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This is part of a series of posts where we’ll (re-) introduce you to a themed set of cute characters and where to buy products that feature them. This time, some iconic duos, including twins, best friends and rivals.

Little Twin Stars

Little Twin Stars

The Little Twin Stars are boy (Kiki) and girl (Lala) siblings who come from the stars, sleep on a cloud and sometimes ride unicorns. They’re one of the earlier Sanrio characters, created in 1975, and still very popular today (they came 7th in this year’s character ranking).

where to buy Little Twin Stars
Plush from Sanrio USA | Charm Set from Sanrio Japan | Mugs from Sanrio EU

You can buy lots of Little Twin Stars products at Sanrio’s online shops in JapanEurope and the USA (some only ship locally) + ARTBOX (UK), Kawaii Panda (EU) and VeryGoods (JP) for worldwide shipping. Sanrio USA also have some free wallpapers & paper crafts.

Molang & PiuPiu

Molang & PiuPiu

Molang the bunny and their little chick friend PiuPiu truly are inseparable and a lovely example of best friends. They live together, have adventures together and are always there for each other. While originally quite a niche character from Korea, Molang found a whole new audience in Europe and beyond thanks to an animated series in 2015 – available on Netflix.

Where to buy Molang & PiuPiu
Crochet toys from Molang Shop Korea | Plush cushion from Onmom House
Wallet from Nippon Kawaii | Tote bag from Molang Shop EU

The official Molang Shop (EU) has a whole section of fun freebies to download as well as cute plush, stationery, apparel and more with the duo, while Aurora (US) and Nippon Kawaii (EU) also have plush and more. The Korean Molang Shop doesn’t ship internationally but has some incredible stuff including figures, stationery and crochet toys! You can find some items via Ebay – try seller Onmom House (KR).

My Melody & Kuromi

My Melody & Kuromi

While Kuromi was first introduced as My Melody’s rival in the Sanrio anime show Onegai My Melody in 2005, it took a while for her popularity to grow. Thanks to a big fanbase in the UK, US and Europe, she’s been creeping up the ranks, leading to a spot in the main gang and a top 3 placing in this year’s rankings. Does that mean My Melody is now Kuromi’s rival instead?!

where to buy My Melody & Kuromi
Loungefly backpack at Truffle Shuffle | Gashapon figures at Kawaii Panda
Vanity case at ARTBOX | Hoodie at Dumbgood

While the rivals get separate collections, there’s lots of matching items and you can also find them as a pair – try the same Sanrio shops above – JapanEurope and the USA (some only ship locally) + ARTBOX (UK) and Kawaii Panda (EU) for worldwide shipping. Sanrio USA also have some free wallpapers & paper crafts.

Gloomy Bear & Pity

Gloomy Bear & Pity

While the other duos are generally positive, this pairing of a violent bloodthirsty bear and his human owner/victim Pity is fairly unique in the world of kawaii. Created by Japanese illustrator Mori Chack, Gloomy was one of my early kawaii faves and it’s great to see him back in action, thanks to a new animated series on Youtube.

where to buy Gloomy Bear
All items from the Japanese or international Gloomy Store.

Last year, a new official Gloomy Store (JP) opened up and now there’s an international Gloomy Store too, which ships to the US, Canada, UK, most of Europe and some other countries. Both sites have a similar range with plush, clothing, stationery and accessories. There’s also some free wallpapers to download.


Who’s your favourite of these kawaii duos? We’ll have a poll on Twitter & Instagram later today. If you voted in the panda character polls, Tarepanda won both.

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Super Cute Kawaii is a daily blog sharing the best of kawaii since 2008. Our small team of writers around the world cover the cutest independent makers, our favourite Japanese and Korean characters, cool shops and events worldwide + DIY crafts, reviews, giveaways, Japan travel tips and lots more!

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