My Melody

**My Melody** (ja:マイメロディ, *Mai Merodī*) is white rabbit character. She is depicted as always wearing a red or pink hood that covers her ears. According to official character profiles her birthday is January 18 and she lives in the forest of Mariland with friends like My Sweet Piano (a sheep), and Flat (a mouse). When My Melody debuted, she was portrayed as Little Red Riding Hood.

My Melody can be found on children's toys and merchandise (from jewelry to household goods). My Melody was first released in 1975 and the first related merchandise was released at the end of that year. At first she was mostly marketed toward young girls, but like Hello Kitty her popularity has increased within women and men of all ages, especially in Asia.

In the late 1980s, My Melody's popularity waned, and the only goods produced were stationery and candy. According to a reader survey published in *Strawberry News* (a magazine published by Sanrio) in 1996, My Melody came out amongst some of Sanrio's most popular characters and as a result, due to popular demand, standard merchandise started re-appearing beginning in February 1997 featuring the original red hood. Goods with the pink hood were re-released in 1999 and as of 2000 there were goods released with multiple color hoods.

On April 3, 2005, an anime series based on My Melody and her friends and produced by Studio Comet started to air on TV Osaka and TV Tokyo television stations, called Onegai My Melody (おねがいマイメロディ), which aired from 2005 to 2008. This anime also spawned a video game for the Nintendo DS titled *Onegai My Melody: Yume no Kuni no Daibouken* (おねがいマイメロディ～夢の国の大冒険～). The game relies heavily on a feature of the Nintendo DS console which requires the player to blow air into the microphone of the unit. The player guides My Melody through timed levels by jumping and using her umbrella to float around and avoid enemies. The game also features unlockable content as well, such as music, images, and mini-games.

My Melody also appears in the Sanrio Digital and Dream Cortex series, *The Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends.* She, however, is mouthless there, and her rival Kuromi doesn't make an appearance.

In 2007, a second game was released for the Nintendo DS titled *My Melody Angel Book ~Denshitechou & Enjoy Game~* (マイメロディエンジェルブック～電子手帳＆エンジョイゲーム～). The game's primary function is as a day planner designed for young girls to keep track of appointments, class schedules, and mini diary entries.

On March 1, 2008, Mattel released a Barbie doll named "My Melody". The My Melody Barbie doll featured a Barbie doll inspired by the My Melody character, with the character's face included in different parts of the doll's fashion and accessories. In an homage to the character's rabbit ears, the doll's hair is styled in pigtails.

On March 26, 2008, a Japanese music compilation album titled "I Love 30 - My Melody" from Tearbridge Records was released with My Melody wearing the original red hood drawn in various artwork styles by Groovisions. Rei Sakuma has been the regular voice of My Melody in Japan since 1989.

My Melody has also been turned into a Pullip doll with two versions; originally released in 2008 and the latest one in 2016.

In 2014, Sanrio celebrated the character's 40th Anniversary by creating a special line of merchandise where she is given a different hood where her ears are dropped down and wears either a bonnet or a flower pin and sometimes depicted with eyelashes. Sanrio Puroland honored the 40th anniversary of the character by creating indoor ride called "My Melody Drive" where visitors are visiting Mariland and encounter My Melody and her friends including Kuromi who attempts to ruin her day.

My Melody is also seen in collaboration goods with other non-Sanrio series, such as one with Sailor Moon in 2017.

In 2019, My Melody became a radio DJ on TOKYO FM with a show called "My Melo Therapy" (マイメロセラピー) where she answers questions from listeners and offers advice. A book with advice from the show was released in 2022.

In the 2020 web series *Hello Kitty and Friends: Supercute Adventures*, My Melody is one of the main characters where she's voiced by Michelle Marie.

In 2010 *The New York Times* said that My Melody was "moderately successful" in terms popularity, but showing no signs of reaching the global popularity of Hello Kitty. My Melody was number one in the Sanrio Character Rankings in 2010 and 2011. In 2019 she was Sanrio's second most profitable character, after Hello Kitty.

Spinoff characters from My Melody include My Sweet Piano, one of her closest companions, Kuromi, her rival, and Little Forest Fellow, a relative.