Hello Kitty was added to the lineup

Hello Kitty was added to the lineup of early Sanrio characters in 1974 and the first related merchandise was released the following year. Hello Kitty sold well immediately and Sanrio's sales increased seven times up until they slumped temporarily in 1978. New series with Hello Kitty in different themed designs are released regularly, following current trends. Yuko Yamaguchi, the main designer for most of Hello Kitty's history, has said that she is inspired by fashion, movies and TV in creating new designs
Not only owning of those cute characters , they also have the production of various cartoon characters by using them as a logo.
Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan.
Sanrio as well takes part in movie production and publishing. They own the rights to both the Peanuts and Mr. Men characters in Japan. Their animatronics branch, called Kokoro Company, is best known for the Actroid android. They also participate in the fast food industry like running a franchise of KFC in Saitama.
History
Sanrio begins from Yamanashi Silk Company, a production company gifts for the festive period that was founded by Mr. Shintaro Tsuji in the 1960s, with registered capital of just 1 million yen. In 1973, it began to be called Sanrio, San which comes from the word meaning three in Japanese and Rio means river in Spanish. Meaning that it will include the whole world tied together.
Sanrio currently considered as big companies of the world , which is a diversified business. Include the ownership of two Japanese Sanrio theme parks, Harmonyland and the indoor Sanrio Puroland.

Total
The SANRIO have been creating smiles for over 40 years. They believe that a gift is more than just a gift. But, a gift is a means of expressing our heartfelt feelings for others. This philosophy guides all Sanrio activities, whether they're designing a stationery set, a theme park, a retail store or an animated television series. They invite all our friends and guests to experience the magic of these four simple words. small gift, big smile!