San-X Corporation (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) has announced that the exhibition commemorating San-X's 90th anniversary will be held overseas for the first time in Taiwan in 2026. The exhibition will be titled "San-X 90th Anniversary Exhibition."
Taiwan, where San-X characters are extremely popular and serves as a key base for overseas expansion, has been selected as the location for this historic first international exhibition.
About the Exhibition
Domestically, the exhibition has toured 10 locations nationwide over approximately three years as "San-X 90th Anniversary: Our Characters' Grand Exhibition." This marks the first large-scale exhibition commemorating the 90th anniversary of San-X, the creator of mysteriously charming characters. With the desire to share this experience with overseas audiences, Taiwan was chosen as the first international destination in 2026.
The exhibition provides a valuable opportunity for more international visitors to discover over 1,000 characters, including Rilakkuma and Sumikko Gurashi. For this Taiwan exhibition, new main visuals have been created, along with special Taiwan-exclusive visuals featuring characters holding local Taiwanese delicacies. These designs will also appear as venue-exclusive merchandise.
Information about tickets and merchandise will be announced at a later date.
Featured Characters
Tarepanda (Released 1998)
Debuted in 1998. Body length varies from 5 cm to 3 m depending on the individual.
Males and females are difficult to distinguish for amateurs. There are rumors that they multiply by dividing. They can sometimes be caught by placing suama (sweet rice cake) in a transparent jar.
Rilakkuma (Released 2003)
Rilakkuma is a bear in a costume who suddenly moved into the home of an office worker named Kaoru.
Every day, Rilakkuma lazily lounges around.
There is a zipper on the back, but what's inside is a secret.
Living together are Korilakkuma, a mischievous young bear who loves to play pranks, and Kiiroitori, a hardworking and tidy bird.
Chairoikoguma, who lives in the honey forest, is Korilakkuma's friend.
Sumikko Gurashi (Released 2012)
Born in 2012 with the keyword "This is where I feel most comfortable," these characters are not just cute but also slightly negative and surreal, which has gained popularity across a wide range of audiences. When riding a train, corner seats fill up first, and when going to a cafe, people try to secure a corner seat if possible... These characters embody such feelings that many Japanese people share.
Learn more about Sumikko Gurashi
About San-X
San-X continues to create over 1,000 100% original characters, including Rilakkuma, Sumikko Gurashi, and Tarepanda, delivering their mysterious charm to the world through original products, licensing business, various events and promotions, and video content. These characters are cute on the outside, but also have a touch of surreal humor that makes you chuckle, and possess a gentle warmth that comforts and embraces the heart. San-X characters, which are more than just cute, attract many people.
©2025 San-X Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
