Purses, Plush toy, Angel devil, Accessory rose kit, Pastoral and Wristwatch, distributor. The company name “Sanrio” was derived from the Spanish words “San” and “Rio”. The name “San” can be found in many place names, such as San Francisco and San Diego. This translates to “saintly” in English, which means “pure”. “Rio” means river, and can also be found in place names such as Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande. Sanrio created a line of character merchandise designed around gift-giving occasions. Now forty years later, Sanrio Company, Ltd., based in Tokyo and with distribution throughout Japan and Southeast Asia, the Americas and Europe. Sanrio GmbH – the European headquarter is wholly owned subsidiary of Sanrio Co., Ltd., and is located in Hamburg, Germany. Sanrio GmbH distributes products throughout, East and West Europe, Russia, Middle East and Africa. Sanrio GmbH began in 1980 with small corner in department store in Germany. Today, over 3,000 locations proudly display Sanrio character merchandise. This number includes thirty Sanrio boutique stores, the ultimate destinations for the Sanrio magic. These stores are owned and operated by Sanrio and close business partners in each country. The rest are independently owned by operators who share our "small gift, big smile" philosophy.