Strawberry Newspaper

The Strawberry Newspaper (いちご新聞, Ichigo Shimbun), also known as the Strawberry News, is a Japanese monthly magazine published by Sanrio. It was first published in 1975 and is aimed at children, primarily girls. It contains news on Sanrio's products and characters, the most well-known of which is Hello Kitty. The magazine is published in a large size tabloid format and printed in full color. It has been in continuous publication since 1975, and as of 2019 six hundred issues had been published, and according to Sanrio, each new issue was printed in 100,000 copies. The first issue of the magazine was published in April 1975, had the American dog character Snoopy on the cover and cost 100 yen. As of 2025, the cost per issue is 220 yen. Originally, the magazine was published twice a month, but it shifted over to once a month in 1982. Aside from news, the magazine includes various contents that tie-in to Sanrio characters, like stories and activities. There are arts and crafts, including step-by-step instructions for how to draw the characters or do origami, as well as papercraft like gift boxes, miniature books and paper dolls printed in the magazine to cut out and construct. There have also been instructions for how to do magic tricks, and also board games and card games to cut out and play. Older issues also had sheet music for character songs and step-by-step instructions for doing dances inspired by the characters. It regularly includes recipes for making food and desserts in the image of Sanrio's characters. The back of the magazine is sometimes printed in a pattern with Sanrio's characters, and can be cut out and used as wrapping paper or a book cover. Each issue includes a poster and comes with a bonus item, typically a simple...