{"rewrite":{"id":"r_8863d992f5ade577a9fddefd","clusterId":"c_be599cae099b47df1f65001e","slug":"bandai-s-sanrio-characters-friends-returns-with-eight-space-themed-soft-vinyl-figures","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Bandai's Sanrio Characters Friends Returns With Eight Space-Themed Soft Vinyl Figures","summary":"Bandai's Candy Division will release SANRIO CHARACTERS FRIENDS 5 on October 5, 2026, priced at 396 yen with tax included. The fifth set in the soft vinyl figure line carries a space theme, with characters dressed as planets and aliens in artwork drawn for the product. The lineup has eight designs: Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, My Melody, Kuromi, Pochacco, Cinnamoroll, Hangyodon, and Tuxedo Sam. Each piece includes soda-flavored gum.","whyItMatters":"The Friends line has settled into a reliable pattern of themed sets sold through candy aisles rather than hobby shops, and this space-cute round shows Bandai is keeping the format on a fixed schedule with new character art each time.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe set ships on October 5, 2026 at 396 yen with tax included, sold through the candy sections of mass retailers nationwide. Each piece is a painted soft vinyl figure with one stick of soda-flavored gum. The eight designs run from Hello Kitty and Pompompurin to Hangyodon and Tuxedo Sam, all drawn for this product under a space theme with the characters dressed as planets and aliens. Bandai notes that store availability dates can differ by shop and that product photos may vary slightly from the final figures.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHello Kitty\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePompompurin\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMy Melody\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKuromi\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePochacco\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCinnamoroll\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHangyodon\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTuxedo Sam\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e","blueskyPost":"Bandai's Sanrio Characters Friends line spreads across eight characters at 396 yen each, but the drawn-for-product art is what keeps a 396 yen gum-and-figure box from reading as a leftover mold run.","twitterPost":"Eight characters in one 396 yen set means each Sanrio Characters Friends figure carries its own new artwork, not a shared template.","threadsPost":"Bandai's Sanrio Characters Friends 5 puts eight characters in one 396 yen box, so the drawn-for-product art does more work than the space theme. At that price the gum is the constant and the figure is the variable. A collector picking one is really picking which of the eight designs gets the strongest pose.","newsletterBlurb":"Bandai's Candy Division has dated the fifth SANRIO CHARACTERS FRIENDS set for October 5, 2026, priced at 396 yen with tax. The eight soft vinyl figures share a space theme with characters dressed as planets and aliens, in artwork drawn for the product. The lineup runs from Hello Kitty to Tuxedo Sam, and each piece comes with soda-flavored gum.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Dengeki Hobby Web\",\"url\":\"https://hobby.dengeki.com/news/3182964/\",\"title\":\"\\\"Space-cute\\\" Sanrio characters assemble in the 5th installment of the candy-toy soft vinyl figure series \\\"SANRIO CHARACTERS FRIENDS,\\\" releasing October 5! Eight designs including Pompompurin and Tuxedo Sam, all with newly drawn artwork!\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4311,"outputTokens":811,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791199770,"createdAt":"2026-10-05T11:25:22.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-05T11:28:25.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T11:28:25.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_be599cae099b47df1f65001e","canonicalTitle":"「宇宙かわいい」サンリオキャラたちが大集合の食玩ソフビ「SANRIO CHARACTERS FRIENDS」第5弾が10月5日発売！ポムポムプリン、タキシードサムなど描き起こしデザインの全8種！","representativeArticleId":"a_a5a529d1fd99b2d3bfb37795","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"SANRIO CHARACTERS FRIENDS\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"figures\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-04T00:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-04T00:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-05T11:28:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Dengeki Hobby Web","url":"https://hobby.dengeki.com/news/3182964/","title":"「宇宙かわいい」サンリオキャラたちが大集合の食玩ソフビ「SANRIO CHARACTERS FRIENDS」第5弾が10月5日発売！ポムポムプリン、タキシードサムなど描き起こしデザインの全8種！"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["SANRIO CHARACTERS FRIENDS"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"figures","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}