Step into the charming world of Hello Kitty Island Adventure where friendship blooms with every thoughtful gift. Whether you’re aiming to win the hearts of familiar Sanrio favorites like Hello Kitty, My Melody, or the mischievous Kuromi, knowing the perfect present is key to unlocking special rewards and deepening bonds. Discover the ultimate guide to the best gifts for every character, from sweet treats like Mama’s Apple Pie to dazzling digital delights for TOPHAT, and master the art of gifting to become the island’s most beloved friend.
To help you figure out what to gift the various characters, we’ve compiled a list for you, broken up by the best gift to give them and a good early-game option when you don’t have a ton of resources. Note that as of this writing, some characters have different “best” gifts for them on the Nintendo Switch version of the game. (An update aligning the gifting point system across platforms will come to the Switch on May 22.)
We also list all the later unlockable characters under a cut for spoiler reasons. Some of these characters have shown up in trailers and whatnot for the game, but we don’t want to dampen any of the surprises for you.
Below, we explain the best gifts for the various Hello Kitty Island Adventure characters and how to make them (or get their recipes).
Badtz-maru’s best gifts
Badtz-maru’s best gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure revolve around his favorite tags: Joke, Tropical, and Pizza. The top starter gift to boost friendship with him is the Pineapple Pizza, crafted using dough and pineapple, which can be found around the island and crafted at the Pizza Oven in Mount Hothead. For higher friendship levels, the Ultimate Joke Pizza is the best three-heart gift, requiring an upgraded Pizza Oven and additional ingredients like tofu. Other liked items include tropical foods, tropical critters, and joke-themed items such as Surprising Soda and Banana Soda. Gifting these items not only increases friendship but unlocks valuable rewards and abilities, including fishing skills and unique furniture.
Favorite gift: Ultimate Joke Pizza (dough pineapple tofu at the pizza oven)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Quattro Formaggi Pizza (dough moon cheese coral milk in the pizza oven)
Good early-game gift: Pineapple Pizza (dough pineapple)
Gift reward: Paper
Max friendship level: 20
Badtz-maru is one of the starting characters at Seaside Resort, most often hanging out at his comic book stand on the docks.
Chococat’s best gifts
Chococat, the inventive and curious feline in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, appreciates gifts that reflect his love for invention, books, and chocolate. The best starter gift to build friendship with him is the Ancient Inventions, which you can craft once you reach a higher friendship level. Early on, Blank Books made from paper and lotus blossoms are great alternatives. For maximum friendship gains, the Interactive History of Chocolate is his top three-heart gift. Additionally, crafting and gifting Chocolate Chai, made from candlenut, chocolate coin, and either cinna bloom or magma bloom, is a valuable option once you have upgraded your espresso machine. Gifting Chococat not only boosts your friendship but also rewards you with useful items like Mechanisms and Gizmos, enhancing your crafting abilities on the island.
Favorite gift: Interactive History of Chocolate (a crafting table recipe unlocked from friendship level three with TOPHAT)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Interactive History of Chocolate
Good early-game gift: Blank Book
Gift reward: Gizmos
Max friendship level: 15
Chococat is one of the starting characters at Seaside Resort. He usually hangs out around the crafting table.
Cinnamoroll’s best gifts
Cinnamoroll’s best gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure revolve around his love for items tagged with Coffee, Chocolate, and Spicy. Early in the game, Spicy Pizza and Chocolate Coins are excellent starter gifts to raise his friendship. As you progress and unlock the upgraded Espresso Machine at Hangyodon’s Comedy Club, you can craft more valuable two-heart gifts like Mocha, Hot Cocoa, and Spicy Pumpkin Latte. The ultimate three-heart gift for Cinnamoroll is the Chocolate Chai Latte, which requires advanced crafting but significantly boosts friendship and rewards. Gifting these items not only strengthens your bond with Cinnamoroll but also earns you valuable Candy Clouds used in other recipes.
Favorite gift: Chocolate Chai (candlenut chocolate coin magma bloom/cinna bloom in the espresso machine)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Spicy Pumpkin Latte (candlenut cinna bloom pumpkin in the espresso machine)
Good early-game gift: Spicy Pizza (dough cinna bloom/magma bloom in the pizza oven)
Gift reward: Candy Clouds
Max friendship level: 20
Cinnamoroll roams around the island, speeding off to various locations to make deliveries.
Hangyodon’s best gifts
Hangyodon in Hello Kitty Island Adventure appreciates gifts that reflect his love for aquatic life, fish, and fabric materials. The best starter gift to give him is any Fish, which helps quickly build friendship. For more valuable gifts, crafting Aquatic Material using fabric, feathers, and shells is highly effective and can be unlocked early by finding the crafting plans above the Sunken Ship. The ultimate three-heart gift for Hangyodon is the Mermaid Figure, crafted from fabric, coconut, and shells, which becomes available after progressing in friendship with My Melody. Gifting items that match Hangyodon’s preferred tags and have higher heart values will maximize friendship gains, helping players unlock special abilities and quests with him.
Favorite gift: Mermaid Figure (crafting table recipe unlocked via friendship level 13 with My Melody)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Mermaid Figure
Good early-game gift: Rare-tagged aquatic fish (Sandy Puffler, Galaxy Grouper, Briny Clamfish)
Gift reward: Candlenut
Max friendship level: 15
Hangyodon is only accessible once you unlock swimming and diving.
Hello Kitty’s best gifts
Hello Kitty’s best gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure reflect her sweet and fruity tastes, making items like Mama’s Apple Pie the perfect starter gift to boost friendship quickly. She appreciates gifts that are fruity, baked, and fancy, with the Red Bow Apple Pie being her most loved three-heart gift. Giving Hello Kitty these thoughtful presents not only strengthens your bond but also unlocks special abilities and story quests, enhancing your gameplay experience on the island.
Favorite gift: Red Bow Apple Pie (flour apple magma bloom in the oven)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): The Future of Everything (crafting table recipe found in a chest on Cloud Island, requires friendship level two with Lala)
Good early-game gift: Strawberry Shortcake (flour strawberry in the oven)
Gift reward: Tofu
Max friendship level: 25
Hello Kitty is one of the starting characters at Seaside Resort, most often found at her cafe.
Keroppi’s best gifts
Keroppi’s best gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure focus on items tagged as Critter, Swamp, and Wood. The ideal starter gift is the Lily Frog, a critter found around the Nature Preserve, which helps quickly increase friendship. For a high-value gift, the Critter Totem is Keroppi’s three-heart favorite, crafted at a Workbench after unlocking the recipe at friendship level 10; it requires Wood Blocks, Coconuts, and Mushrooms. Wood Blocks themselves become craftable at friendship level 4 and are made from sticks or coconuts. Gifting Keroppi these preferred items efficiently raises friendship, unlocking quests, abilities, and rewards tied to his character.
Favorite gift: Critter Totem (crafting table recipe unlocked via friendship rank 10 with Keroppi)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Swampy Music Box (crafting table recipe found in a treasure chest near the Nature Preserve)
Good early-game gift: Bush Fiend critter (caught from evening to night in the Spooky Swamp hedge maze)
Gift reward: Sugarkelp
Max friendship level: 15
Keroppi lives in the Spooky Swamp, though you can often find him hanging out at Badtz-maru’s comic shop.
Kuromi’s best gifts
Kuromi’s best gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure are centered around the tags Soda, Fall, and Spooky, reflecting her unique personality and preferences. The ideal starter gift is the Jack-o-Lantern, which combines both Fall and Spooky themes. For more valuable gifts that boost friendship significantly, Pumpkin Spice Soda stands out as the top three-heart gift, while Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Pudding are excellent two-heart gifts that are accessible early in the game without requiring advanced crafting machines. Joke Soda is also a highly recommended gift due to its easy-to-gather ingredients and decent gift value. Giving these gifts not only strengthens friendship with Kuromi but also unlocks important abilities like Witchcraft and Super Balloon, enhancing gameplay and exploration opportunities.
Favorite gift: Pumpkin Spice Soda (fizzy crystal pumpkin cinna bloom in the soda machine)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Spicy Pumpkin Latte (candlenut cinna bloom pumpkin in the espresso machine)
Good early-game gift: Pumpkin Pie (flour pumpkin in the oven)
Gift reward: Light stone
Max friendship level: 20
Kuromi lives in Spooky Swamp and she’s most often found in her potion hut.
My Melody’s best gifts
My Melody’s best gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure are those tagged with Sweet, Pink, and Dreamy, which help quickly raise her friendship level. The ideal starter gift is Strawberry, while Pink Latte is a valuable two-heart gift crafted from Candlenut and Strawberry or Sakura. For the highest friendship boost, the three-heart gift Pink Clouds Ice Cream, made with Cactus Cream, Sakura, and Candy Cloud, is recommended. Other notable gifts include Strawberry Almond Galette and Almond Pound Cake, which also align with her preferred tags. Giving My Melody these gifts not only strengthens your bond but also unlocks useful abilities like Big Smile and Handy Helper, enhancing gameplay benefits.
Favorite gift: Pink Clouds Ice Cream (cactus cream candy cloud sakura in the dessert machine)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Starry Skies Shake (cactus cream snowcicle starfruit in the dessert machine) or Quattro Formaggi Pizza (dough moon cheese coral milk in the pizza oven)
Good early-game gift: Pink Latte (candlenut strawberry/sakura in the espresso machine)
Gift reward: Flour
Max friendship level: 20
My Melody is one of the starting characters at Seaside Resort, commonly found at her furniture shop.
Pekkle’s best gifts
Pekkle’s best gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure focus on items tagged with Music, Mountain, or Calm themes. The ideal starter gift for Pekkle is any Mountain Critter, which helps quickly build friendship. For higher friendship levels, the coveted three-heart gift is the Mountain Soundtrack, a special item crafted after reaching Friendship Level 8 with Retsuko. Another valuable gift is the Stacked Stones, a two-heart item made from Calming Crystals found in the Crystal Caves of Gemstone Mountain. Gifting these items not only boosts friendship but also unlocks unique rewards and abilities for the player, making Pekkle a rewarding character to befriend.
Favorite gift: Mountain Soundtrack (crafting table recipe unlocked via friendship level eight with Retsuko)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Mountain Soundtrack
Good early-game gift: Calming Crystal (found in the Crystal Caves)
Gift reward: Feather
Max friendship level: 20
Pekkle can be found at Gemstone Mountain, in front of the dance hall.
Pochacco’s best gifts
Pochacco, the sporty and health-conscious dog in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, loves gifts tagged with Sports, Healthy, and Veggie. The best starter gift to give him is Tofu, which you can earn by gifting Hello Kitty. As you progress, you can craft more valuable gifts like the Pochacco Energy Pop and Everything Pizza, which require upgrading crafting stations and unlocking friendship levels with other characters. Giving Pochacco these thoughtful gifts not only boosts your friendship but also unlocks quests, abilities like Speed Walker and Relay, and exclusive rewards, making him a valuable companion on your island adventures.
Favorite gift: Pochacco Energy Pop (fizzy crystal spinip tofu in the soda machine)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Pochacco Energy Pop
Good early-game gift: Tofu bread (flour tofu in the oven)
Gift reward: Strawberries
Max friendship level: 20
Pochacco is one of the starting characters who can be found around Seaside Resort.
Pompompurin’s best gifts
Pompompurin’s favorite gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure revolve around desserts, calm items, and milk. Some of the best gifts to give him include the Calming Crystal, Coral Milk, Hot Cocoa, and a variety of desserts like Alfredo Pizza and Mama’s Pudding. Early in the game, the Dessert Pizza is a highly recommended gift due to its ease of crafting and good gift value. As you increase friendship with Pompompurin, you unlock access to his dessert kitchen, allowing you to craft even more delightful treats that he loves. Gifting these items not only strengthens your bond but also unlocks valuable rewards such as new avatar palettes, furniture, quests, and abilities related to Pompompurin.
Favorite gift: Mama’s Pudding (cactus cream banana coral milk in the dessert machine)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Starry Skies Shake (cactus cream snowcicle starfruit in the dessert machine)
Good early-game gift: Dessert Pizza (dough candy cloud/sugarkelp/swampmallow in the pizza oven)
Gift reward: Bananas
Max friendship level: 20
Pompompurin hangs out at Gemstone Mountain, in or around his dessert boat.
Retsuko’s best gifts
Retsuko’s best gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure focus on items tagged with Fire, Music, and Metal, which help build friendship with her more efficiently. Ideal starter gifts include Toasted Almonds and Magma Bloom, both easy to collect around Mount Hothead. For more valuable gifts, crafting the Volcano Soundtrack or Regional Music Boxes using materials like Mechanisms, Obsidian Shards, and Ingots significantly boosts friendship. The ultimate gift is the Volcanic Guitar, Retsuko’s only three-heart gift, crafted from Ingots, Sparks, and Mechanisms, offering the highest friendship value. Other effective gifts include Toasty Pizza and Surprising Soda, which are easy to make and align well with her preferences.
Favorite gift: Volcanic Guitar (crafting table recipe unlocked via friendship level four with TOPHAT)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Sounds of Steel (crafting table recipe found in a chest in the lava caves)
Good early-game gift: Ingots, but more preferably a Volcano Soundtrack (crafting table recipe found in a lava caves treasure chest)
Gift reward: Dough
Max friendship level: 20
Retsuko is typically at Mount Hothead, lamenting her lost luggage. Once you help her out, she’ll move to hang around the hot springs.
Tuxedo Sam’s best gifts
Tuxedo Sam’s best gifts in Hello Kitty Island Adventure revolve around his preferences for Fabric, Tropical, and Fancy items. Early in the game, giving him tropical critters or foods like Pineapple is effective. As you progress, crafting the Tropical Gift becomes the top starter gift, requiring materials such as Sand Dollars and a Gift Box, which itself needs crafting plans unlocked by friendship with Hangyodon. For higher friendship boosts, two-heart gifts like Tropical Material and Beignets with Pineapple Dip are excellent, while the three-heart gift, Designer Island Doll, is the ultimate present to deepen your bond with Tuxedo Sam. These gifts not only raise friendship levels but also unlock unique rewards and abilities related to fashion and crafting.
Favorite gift: Designer Island Doll (crafting table recipe unlocked via friendship rank 16 with My Melody)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): The Future of Everything (crafting table recipe found in a chest on Cloud Island, requires friendship level two with Lala)
Good early-game gift: Any tropical fish with the “rare” tag (coastal clamfish, tropical sunfish, and summer sole)
Gift reward: Thread
Max friendship level: 15
Tuxedo Sam is one of the starting characters, nearly always found in his clothing shop.
The characters below unlock via certain story quests. Spoilers will be below the image.
Best gifts for characters unlocked via quests (spoiler)
Characters unlocked via quests in Hello Kitty Island Adventure have unique gift preferences that help deepen your friendship with them faster. To maximize friendship gains, focus on giving these characters their three-heart gifts-items they truly love, often tied to their specific likes such as fruity, baked, or fancy treats. For example, unlocking Hello Kitty’s best gifts involves progressing through her friendship levels and upgrading her oven to craft special pies like the Red Bow Apple Pie. Since you can only give three gifts per day, using Friendship Blossoms to extend gifting limits is a smart strategy. Giving the right gifts not only speeds up friendship leveling but also unlocks valuable rewards and new quests tied to these special characters.
Wish me mell’s best gifts
Favorite gift: Any rare candle (creation station recipe unlocked via friendship level 10 with Wish me mell)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Rare candle
Good early gift: Any rare-tagged fish (bog clamfish, burning perch, cavern clamfish, etc.)
Gift reward: Honeycomb
Max friendship level: 20
To unlock Wish me mell, you’ll need to hit friendship rank 11 with My Melody and complete the “Dessert-ed Boat,” “Parched,” and “Revive the Oasis” quests. After this, the questline “Curious Caverns” will unlock, eventually leading you to her.
My Sweet Piano’s best gifts
Favorite gift: Colorful Lamb Plush (crafting table recipe unlocked via friendship rank 10 with My Sweet Piano)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Quattro Formaggi Pizza (dough moon cheese coral milk in the pizza oven)
Good early gift: Critter Totem (crafting table recipe unlocked via friendship level 10 with Keroppi)
Gift reward: Wool
Max friendship level: 20
To unlock My Sweet Piano, you’ll need to reach friendship rank 15 with My Melody and complete the quest series that begins with “A Friend Indeed.”
Big Challenges’ best gifts
Favorite gift: The Greatest Challenge (crafting table recipe unlocked via friendship rank 4 with Lala)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): The Future of Everything (crafting table recipe found in a chest on Cloud Island, requires friendship level two with Lala)
Good early gift: Meditations on Resilience (crafting table recipe unlocked via friendship rank two with Big Challenges)
Gift reward: Little Challenges
Max friendship level: 20
To unlock Big Challenges, you’ll need to complete the story quests that lead up to Icy Peak, which functionally involves “fixing” all the island’s areas and earning their respective Star Fragments.
TOPHAT’s best gifts
Favorite gift: The Future of Everything (crafting table recipe found in a chest on Cloud Island, requires friendship level two with Lala)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): The Future of Everything
Good early-game gift: Candied Banana Coffee (candlenut candy cloud banana in the espresso machine)
Gift reward: Glitches
Max friendship level: 10
TOPHAT will start showing up as a buddy once you clear Big Challenge’s storyline above.
Lala’s best gifts
Favorite gift: Quattro Formaggi Pizza (dough moon cheese coral milk in the pizza oven)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Quattro Formaggi Pizza
Good early-game gift: Almond Pound Cake (flour candy cloud toasted almond in the oven)
Gift reward: Stardust
Max friendship level: 20
While Lala will show up in snippets of the story before you really meet them, you can only start gifting them once you unlock Cloud Island – which happens after saving Big Challenges, hitting rank 17 friendship with Hello Kitty, completing her given quests, and then completing the “Stargazing” quest.
Kiki’s best gifts
Favorite gift: Starry Skies Shake (cactus cream snowcicle starfruit in the dessert machine)
Best gift for raising friendship (Nintendo Switch only): Starry Skies Shake
Good early-game gift: Almond Pound Cake (flour candy cloud toasted almond in the oven)
Gift reward: Stardust
Max friendship level: 20
Kiki unlocks via the same method as Lala above.
Usahana’s best gifts (iOS only)
Favorite gift: Rainbow Dango (rainbow beam 3 mochi)
Good early-game gift: Colorpillar critter
Gift reward: Rice
Max friendship level: 20
Which gifts will help me unlock the “Best Friend” status with each character in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
To unlock the “Best Friend” status with each character in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, you need to give them their preferred high-value gifts, especially those rated as three-heart gifts that match their liked tags. Here are examples of best gifts for some key characters:
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Pekkle: Best three-heart gift is the Mountain Soundtrack. Starter gifts like Mountain Critter help build friendship quickly.
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Hangyodon: Loves Mermaid Figure as a three-heart gift. Starter gifts include Aquatic Material.
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Keroppi: Best three-heart gift is Critter Totem, with Lily Frog as a good starter gift.
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TOPHAT: Prefers digital, stars, and fancy tagged gifts. The top three-heart gift is The Future of Everything, crafted from Little Challenge, Glitch, and Star. Starter gift is Computer.
You can gift up to three items daily per character, and giving them a Friendship Blossom unlocks an extra three gifts per day for that character, speeding up friendship leveling. Reaching Best Friend status unlocks special rewards and abilities, including the ability for that character to collect resources for you daily.
For a full list of best gifts per character and detailed leveling rewards, IGN’s comprehensive gift guide is the best resource.
What are the top gifts to give each Sanrio character for “Best Friend” status
Here are the top gifts to give each Sanrio character in Hello Kitty Island Adventure to reach “Best Friend” status, focusing on their highest-value (three-heart) gifts and preferred gift tags:
| Character | Likes Tags | Best Starter Gift | Top Three-Heart Gift(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retsuko | Fire, Musical, Ingot | Toasted Almond | Volcanic Guitar |
| Hangyodon | Aquatic, Fish, Fabric | Aquatic Material | Mermaid Figure |
| Pochacco | Trophy, Healthy, Veggie | Tofu | Pochacco Energy Pop |
| TOPHAT | Digital, Stars, Fancy | Computer | The Future of Everything |
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Retsuko: Give Toasted Almond as a starter; craft Volcanic Guitar using materials found around Mount Hothead for the best friendship boost.
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Hangyodon: Start with Aquatic Material; the Mermaid Figure is the best three-heart gift to quickly level friendship.
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Pochacco: Tofu works well early on; Pochacco Energy Pop is the top gift for best friend status.
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TOPHAT: Start with Computer (crafted from Mechanism, Spark, and Glitch); the ultimate gift is The Future of Everything, requiring rare materials from Cloud Island.
Giving these high-value gifts that match the characters’ preferred tags maximizes friendship gains. You can gift up to three items daily per character, with additional gifts unlocked by Friendship Blossoms. Reaching Best Friend status unlocks unique rewards and abilities for each character.
For other characters, detailed guides on IGN and the official wiki provide similar gift breakdowns.
