Spiralcute, Inc.

Spiralcute, Inc. (株式会社スパイラルキュート) is a Japanese character licensing and production company headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Founded on October 22, 2008, by Yoichi Kawakami, who had previously worked in sales and development at department stores and toy manufacturers, the company is dedicated to producing and managing character-based content. Its business philosophy centers on creating new added value through characters that are 'more CUTE and HAPPY,' aiming to produce content that is eternally loved while constantly evolving beyond conventional frameworks. The company's core business encompasses character license production, character planning, development and design, miscellaneous goods planning and development, and sales promotion planning. Spiralcute is particularly known for discovering and nurturing characters that originate from social networking services and independent creators. It manages the licensing for major hit characters such as Chiikawa (created by Nagano), mofusand (created by Jyuno), and Kopen-chan (created by Rurutea). Spiralcute's history includes early successes with the capsule toy 'Koppu no Fuchiko' in 2012 and the unofficial local mascot 'Funassyi' in 2013. The company later achieved massive success with Kopen-chan in 2017 and Chiikawa in 2020, both of which became social phenomena. Beyond simple licensing, Spiralcute comprehensively produces merchandise, corporate tie-ups, pop-up stores, and collaboration cafes, always prioritizing the creator's vision and the character's worldview. The company also operates official shops and facilities for its characters, including Chiikawa Land, mofusand Fluffy Store, Chiikawa Bakery, Chiikawa Park, and mofusand TOKYO. In 2023, Spiralcute signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with Mercari to combat resale issues. Representative Director Yoichi Kawakami serves as vice-chairman of the Character Brand License Association (CBLA).

Spiralcute was founded on October 22, 2008, by Yoichi Kawakami, who had gained experience in sales and development at department stores and toy manufacturers before going independent. The company was established with the core business philosophy of 'creating new added value through characters and producing them.' In 2012, Spiralcute partnered with Kitan Club to launch the capsule toy 'Koppu no Fuchiko' (Fuchiko on the Edge of a Cup), which became a major hit. The following year, in 2013, the company took on the license management and merchandise production for 'Funassyi,' an unofficial local mascot from Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, driving a nationwide boom. In 2017, Spiralcute began managing the license for 'Kopen-chan,' created by illustrator Rurutea. Backed by its popularity on SNS and LINE stickers, the company produced a wide range of merchandise including miscellaneous goods, capsule toys, apparel, and calendars. Within just half a year of its debut, pop-up stores, collaboration cafes, and book publications were realized, achieving explosive popularity. In 2020, Spiralcute started managing the license for 'Chiikawa,' created by illustrator Nagano. Leveraging its popularity on SNS, the company produced a wide range of merchandise from apparel to food and daily necessities, recording a massive hit that became a social phenomenon. On March 29, 2023, Spiralcute signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with Mercari to combat high-priced resale of character goods on the flea market app. On July 28, 2025, in collaboration with Juice Inc., Spiralcute opened 'Chiikawa Park,' a permanent experiential facility in Ikebukuro Sunshine City. The company also operates official shops and facilities for its characters, including 'Chiikawa Land' (official shop for Chiikawa, located in Kiddy Land and Parco stores nationwide), 'mofusand Fluffy Store' (official shop for mofusand, located in Tokyo Character Street and Parco stores nationwide), 'Chiikawa Bakery' (opened October 29, 2024, in Harajuku Omotesando Tokyu Plaza 'Omokado' in collaboration with LTR Inc.), 'Chiikawa Park' (opened July 28, 2025, in Ikebukuro Sunshine City in collaboration with Juice Inc.), and 'mofusand TOKYO' (opened October 24, 2025, in Harajuku, featuring only concept series with themes changing every few months). Representative Director Yoichi Kawakami serves as vice-chairman of the Character Brand License Association (CBLA), an industry group dedicated to the development of Japan's character business industry, with Sanrio President Tomokuni Tsuji as chairman.

• Spiralcute, Inc. founded

• Launched capsule toy 'Koppu no Fuchiko' with Kitan Club, achieving major success

• Took on license management and merchandise production for 'Funassyi'

• Began managing license for 'Kopen-chan'

• Began managing license for 'Chiikawa'

• Signed comprehensive partnership agreement with Mercari to combat resale

• Opened 'Chiikawa Bakery' in Harajuku Omotesando

• Opened 'Chiikawa Park' in Ikebukuro Sunshine City

• Opened 'mofusand TOKYO' in Harajuku

A character production company that discovers and nurtures SNS-originated and indie characters, managing licensing while respecting creators' visions.

• Chiikawa

  Created by Nagano; a social phenomenon hit character

• mofusand

  Created by Jyuno; popular cat character

• Kopen-chan

  Created by Rurutea; popular penguin character

• Funassyi

  Unofficial local mascot from Funabashi City

• Koppu no Fuchiko

  Capsule toy originally conceived by Katsuki Tanaka, produced with Kitan Club

1. 1株式会社スパイラルキュート／SPIRALCUTE, INCspiralcute.com
2. 2company｜スパイラルキュート（SPIRALCUTE）spiralcute.com
3. 3Spiralcute - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4スパイラルキュート - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org