Name: Big Challenges
Debut: 1978
A crocodile with a silly face! The simple design is very charming and he has a Mona Lisa smile going on.
One of the more well known of the forgotten/obscure Sanrio characters. I believe this is the result of a tweet by @ MaxKriegerVG going viral.
The tweet reads "In 1978, Sanrio designed this crocodile, whose name is BIG CHALLENGES... He was never used for anything." Accompanied by a picture of the named crocodile.
This allowed more people to know about the silly crocodile. He has loads of fanart online. People often refer to him when talking about overcoming something difficult. He has sort of become a patron saint of perseverance. And, most notably, he became a character in the smash hit iPhone game: Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
I believe this tweet set into motion Tom Blind asking Sanrio if they could have the croc in their game. If you want to know more about getting Big Challenges in the game, check out this article:
The team at Sunblink enthuse about its fortuitous and creatively fulfilling partnership with Sanrio and Apple.
So, in the end, he was used for something. This is a testament to overcoming big challenges. If this silly crocodile can overcome years of obscurity who knows what else is possible?? I hope more obscure characters go viral!
