he's a simply drawn, bubble-headed white cat whose net worth is in the billions. She's been given a special honorary title by UNICEF and has her own theme park in Japan. Her image adorns thousands upon thousands of products, from the totally useless to the incredibly practical. And even though she just turned 30, don't expect this kitty to grow up any time soon.
Created in 1974 by designer Yuko Shimizu, Hello Kitty began as any another character would for Sanrio, the Japanese company famous for its cutesy children's trinkets. But it was the cute cat's lasting power (she quickly outlasted other Sanrio characters like My Melody and Tuxedo Sam) that made her what she is today – perhaps the world's most famous feline.
Originally intended for children, Sanrio expanded its Hello Kitty line to lure an older market, after a high school student wrote the company in 1987, complaining about the lack of products made specifically for teens. Today, Kitty's popularity spans the ages.
Hello Kitty's vague personality profile fits with Sanrio's tendency to allow its customers to personify the characters however they choose. What we do know is the enigmatic cat lives in London with her parents and twin sister, Mimmy. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, eating yummy cookies (no wonder she and I bonded at such a young age) and, best of all, making new friends. According to Hello Kitty, "You can never have too many friends!"
Or too many customers, it seems. Kitty's likeness appears on tens of thousands of new products each year – everything from tarot cards to diet pills to home electronics to dental fillings. (Hey, if you're going to get a cavity filled, it may as well be done with some style, right?) The brand will soon begin to target consumers on a whole new platform, with a MasterCard aimed at girls 10 to 14.
At the end of its 2003 fiscal year, Sanrio reported Hello Kitty products accounted for half the $9.5 billion it made in total sales worldwide. This is one kitty who is purring all the way to the bank.
Her appeal is undoubtedly broad – a Google search for "Hello Kitty" yields more than 1.5 million results. So, what exactly makes her so popular? Maybe it's that so many of us grew up with her, or that celebrities like Gwen Stefani, Jessica Alba, Sarah Jessica Parker and Drew Barrymore have all been spotted totting Hello Kitty goodies. Singer Lisa Loeb even released an album, Hello Lisa, which paid homage to the feline on its album cover and throughout the liner notes.
In Singapore, adoration for Kitty reached dangerous proportions in 2000, when McDonald's decided to give away limited-edition dolls with every Extra Value Meal it sold. Passionate consumers – mostly teenagers – stormed the restaurant's franchises, some offering to pay as much as $180 for each set of dolls. Arguments and fistfights broke out in the long lineups, and riot police were sent in to control the crowds. In a country where public drunkenness is illegal and carrying narcotics equals an automatic death sentence, this truly shows the fanatical love people have for Kitty.
Not all press can be good press, and Hello Kitty is no exception to this rule. Porn stars Kiko Wu and Bianca Lee have been known to cavort lustfully with Hello Kitty merchandise. Sanrio cautiously guards Hello Kitty's wholesome image as far as all of its licensed products go, and doesn't associate itself with some of the more questionable merchandise available.
In an attempt to keep Kitty up with the latest pop-culture trends, Sanrio tries to "do new things" with her every five years. Each new incarnation of Kitty brings praise, of course, but also criticism from all parts of the globe. Kitty's been called everything from a post-feminist icon to a corporate whore by the anti-consumerism crowd, and she's been studied by a cult following of international marketers and anthropologists fascinated by the Japanese "culture of cute." Despite any negative attention she may receive, appreciation of the little white feline continues to skyrocket.
Charitable organizations worldwide are beginning to catch on to the allure of the character. Hello Kitty is currently serving as a Special Friend of Children for the U.S Fund for UNICEF, to help more females in developing countries attend school. She's also involved in a charity auction benefiting UNICEF, where you can bid on some pretty extraordinary (and expensive) Hello Kitty items, like an Airstream Trailor, a Betsey Johnson prom dress and a Kimora Lee Simons diamond charm bracelet (all start at $40,000). Many actors and musicians have also created their own Hello Kitty art pieces for the auction. Bid on drawings by Calista Flockhart or Lucy Liu starting at just $150.
Kitty's 30th birthday celebrations were no small affair (with her yearly income, why would they be?). In addition to official celebrations at Sanrio's Tokyo-based theme park, the company has also sponsored a traveling art exhibit featuring depictions of Kitty as seen through the eyes of 60 artists and designers from around the world. One artist went so far as to tattoo the feline all over her back. Another, American fashion designer Jeremy Scott, created Hello de Milo, with Kitty's noggin replacing the armless statue's own.
After 30 years in the business, the little cat with the yellow nose and ribbon in her hair shows no signs of slowing down. So, what's next for Kitty? Since there aren't many consumer segments in which she doesn't pop up, maybe all that's left for her is world domination. Now that would make a truly purrfect ending!
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