TOKYO - Sony Group Corp. is promoting character goods and events sales as a part of its efforts to strengthen its thriving content business, with one such character, Swiss-born "Pingu," recently seeing a resurgence in its popularity.
Merchandise sales of the penguin character, the marketing rights of which have been held in Japan by Sony since 1991, doubled in fiscal 2025 from the previous year, as the company has promoted it on social media and through collaborations with other companies.
Pingu, the main character of a penguin family animation that began in 1980, has been aired in Japan since the 1990s. The character is popular not only among Japanese in their 30s and 40s who watched the TV animation series in their childhood but also among younger generations.
On Thursday, Sony held a press event showcasing an exhibition titled "More than just cute!? The Pingu Exhibition," which will start the following day and runs through Sept. 6 at Tokyo International Forum.
In the exhibition, visitors can see a display of original clay animation puppets used in the filming, learn about the behind-the-scenes production process and buy various goods including stuffed animals and bags.
Sony has recently bolstered its content business by obtaining the rights to the works of Ado Mizumori, a Japanese artist known for her illustrations of girls, and turning Peanuts Holdings LLC, a U.S. company that holds the rights to the comic series "Peanuts" featuring Snoopy, into a subsidiary.
