Shintarou Tsuji  

Shintarou Tsuji was born on December 7, 1927 in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. He is the founder and representative director of Sanrio, a Tokyo-based company that specializes in character-branded merchandise. In 1960, he founded Sanrio and has since served as its producer for anime movies from 1977 to 1985. Tsuji is also known for his work as a storywriter, having written stories such as Nutcracker Fantasy (Kurumiwari Ningyo), The Sea Prince and the Fire Child (Sirius no Densetsu), and A Journey Through Fairyland (Yosei Florence). All of these stories have been adapted into animated movies by Sanrio. Tsuji has also created some Sanrio characters himself, including the Little Twin Stars.