Bad Badtz-Maru (バッドばつ丸, Baddo Batsu Maru), commonly named "Badtz-Maru", is a male penguin with spiky hair, and one of the many characters produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. He was created by Hisato Inoue in 1993. He is the main protagonist the Badtz-Maru universe. Unlike the more popular Hello Kitty, he has an attitude and is one of the few characters that is marketed to all genders. He was born on April 1st (April Fool's Day).