Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty is originally from Japan.  She was created in 1974 by Yuko Yamaguchi. The owner of Sanrio had asked his staff to create some more animals to adorn small children's gifts.  Kitty was given the green light.  Her first appearance was on a coin purse in 1975, pictured above.  She's now celebrating her 50 year anniversary. 

In 1976 SetSuko Yonekubo took over as Kitty's second designer. She gives Kitty her first standing pose. Prior to this she is sitting in all her pictures.  SetSuko also draws her behind the wheel of a plane and riding a dolphin. Part of Hello Kittys allure is that she can fit into so many different situations.  She is marketed as being sweet, polite, loves her family and friends. Her catch phrase is "you can never have too many friends. "

In 1980 Yamaguchi took over as her current designer and continues until current day. Yamaguchi has successfully changed her presentation every year.  Hello Kittys success can be attributed to her versatility and Sanrio's openness to licensing agreements which started early on with Hello Kitty. She is now the 15th highest earning character of all time.  She's sold in over 130 countries. 

Some highlights include:

1983: Appointed ambassador to the United States by UNICEF. 

1992: Pink becomes her primary color.

1995: Hello Kitty turns 25yrs old and gets a boyfriend Dear Daniel.

2001: Cartoon series"Growing up with Hello Kitty" debut.

2007: Her first appearance as a Ballon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

2014: Hello Kitty theme park open in China.

2014: 40th anniversary KittyCon in Los Angeles.

Some little know facts about Hello Kitty are that she was born November 1st in London, England.  She has a twin sister Mimmy who wears a yellow bow. Mimmy is shy and likes embriodery and patchwork. Her parents Mary and George are also part of the cartoon.   Mary likes to knit. The kids are taught things like how to answer a phone, clean up after themselves and have good manners.

Sanrio has profited off Hello Kittys friends Badtz-Maru, Cinnamoroll, Keroppi, Pompompurin, Kuromi, Pochacco, Chocolate, Twin Stars and more recently Aggretsuko and Gudetama. My personal favorite is My Melody who was created in 1975. She is a white rabbit with a pink hood over her ears.  She was inspired by little red riding hood.  She lives in Mariland. She is honest, good natured and loves to bake.

Hello Kitty owns two pets. A Persian cat named Charmmy Kitty and a Djungarian hamster named Sugar. Sugar was given to Hello Kitty by Dear Daniel as a gift.  I know it seems weird for a cat to own a cat pet. Is it really any weirder then Mickey Mouse owning Pluto? The real controversy is that in 2024 it was announced that Hello Kitty is a human girl.  I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that. That's too much to handle right now.  Maybe I will deep dive into that topic in a future article where I tackle her not having a mouth and gender equality. 🤔 

Similar licensing agreements have led to a sea of mass produced items in the United States. Some collectors love Hello Kitty merchandise, some prefer one of her friends. I have found most of my Sanrio swag at the Avenel flea market which is open Saturday and Sundays. Sanrio warns of counterfeit merchandise but it's hard to tell in my opinion, with so many items available. If I think something is cute, I'm not going to worry about it being real or fake. I guess that is what separates me from a real collector.  There are websites and Facebook groups setup to buy, sell and trade all kinds of merchandise.  I hope you find what your looking for and here is my collection below.