Sanrio Co. said it has agreed with Warner Bros. Consumer Products of the United States to co-brand merchandise featuring Sanrio's Hello Kitty and Warner's Tweety Bird.
"It is probably the first time ever that two companies have agreed on a full-fledged project to develop products featuring their respective characters," said a spokesman at Sanrio, a Tokyo-based licensor of original characters, on Thursday.
Under the agreement, Sanrio and Warner will jointly develop the products and Sanrio will sell them in Japan and in other parts of Asia through its stores.
The main target for its products are girls and women between the ages of 16 and 30.
The two companies will also license the new brand to other companies.
In March, Sanrio will start selling more than 200 Tweety and Hello Kitty products for the Japanese market.
Between 80 and 100 new products will be developed every three months. Sanrio expects 5 billion yen in sales on a retail price basis in the first fiscal year.
The Sanrio spokesman said the products will be sold in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
No launch date has been set for marketing in those countries.