Sanrio character “Sporting Bears” depth survey

Sporting Bears are the mascot of The Yamanashi Chuo Bank. It was adopted as the mascot character to liven up the 41st National Sports Festival in 1986. There are also live characters and you can meet them at various events in Yamanashi Prefecture. Let’s take a closer look at Sporting Bears.

Table of contents

• Profile
• KAWAII Points
• Ranking in “Sanrio Character Ranking”
• Places or content where you can meet the character
• Character goods
• Appearing at various events such as sports and ICT
• Conclusion

Profile

There’s very little information about the Sporting Bears on the Sanrio official website. Despite their adorable appearance, they may be quite secretive.

「いってらっしゃい♪」スポーティングベアーズが朝のお見送りをしてくれました!!キャラ男、いってきまーーーーす!!!! #VoteSanrio pic.twitter.com/G3ykCyRiqR

— サンリオキャラクター大賞【公式】 (@sanrio_ranking) April 15, 2014

KAWAII Point

The Sporting Bears are a family of four, but the names of each are unknown. If you look at the old character goods, you’ll see “PAPA”, “MAMA”, “BOKU” and “WATASHI” written on each shirt. I don’t think that’s the name of them, but it’s a very original shirt. lol

引用：SANRIO サンリオ ランチクロス/お弁当包み 山梨中央銀行 SPORTING BEARS size: W42.5×L43(cm)1枚

They have a lot of variations in clothing and participate in the Sanrio Character Ranking every year with a different outfit. They have a sporty name, but they are a wonderful family who are very fashion conscious.

Ranking in “Sanrio Character Ranking”

The Sporting Bears have participated in the Sanrio Character Ranking before, but unfortunately, they always seem to be at the low rank. As far as I could check online, from 2016-2018 they were in the 90th (out of 100 characters) and lowest in 2019; in 2020 They were 79th (out of 80 characters).

Places or content where you can meet the character

When you register as a friend with the Yamanashi Chuo Bank LINE account, the Sporting Bears will send you information on bank deals and local information on Ventforet Kofu (Yamanashi Prefecture’s professional soccer team) and more.

Also, the Sporting Bears’ live character sometimes comes to Ventforet Kofu games and events in Yamanashi Prefecture. Sometimes a photo session will be held, so you might be able to take a picture with him!

Character goods

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any official merchandise currently on sale. Maybe you’ll find some novelty goodies with the Sporting Bears on it from Yamanashi Chuo Bank. Also, employees at Yamanashi Chuo Bank sometimes wear ties with the Sporting Bears on them. If you ever get a chance to meet a Yamanashi Chuo Bank employee, watch out for it. The character is drawn small, so don’t miss it.

Source: マスコットキャラクター「スポーティングベアーズ」の活用強化について

Appearing at various events such as sports and ICT

In June 2015, the Yamanashi Chuo Bank announced ‘Strengthening the use of the mascot character “Sporting Bears”‘. The live characters are not only active at Ventforet Kofu games, but also participate in mothers’ volleyball tournaments and ICT events. He’s such a cute little bear, I wish he’d show up in more places.

山梨テクノICTメッセ
ご当地キャラクターの
スポーティングベアーズ‼️#ICT_Messe pic.twitter.com/MpJcsECU6S

— ウインテックコミュニケーションズ (@Wintech_Com) November 17, 2018

Conclusion

The Sporting Bears have been loved in Yamanashi Prefecture since 1986, when they became the mascot of the Yamanashi Chuo Bank. Although their ranking in the Sanrio Character Ranking has not been great, they have been particularly active lately.
We hope that they will continue to expand their activities in the future.