Description
Since 1974, Hello Kitty has inspired friendship and kindness throughout the world. She is a friendly reminder to think of others first and to always be kind. She delivers endless smiles with her global message of friendship, encouraging people of all ages to create long-lasting connections by caring for one another.
Message:
- You had me at Hello.
- Keep CALM and wear a bow.
- You can never have too many friends.
- Hello Kitty doesn’t judge.
- She lets you feel how you feel without asking why.
- She speaks from the heart.
The Hello Kitty craze
Artist Yuko Shimizu created the kitty for Sanrio toy company in 1974. The character became a symbol of the Japanese Kawai culture and is loved throughout the world.
Sanrio had no idea that the small, rounded cartoon cat with a red bow and no mouth would become the global megastar she is today. Hello Kitty merchandise now accounts for billions in sales and her face adorns 50,000 products sold in more than 60 countries.
The little half-Japanese, half-English cat has become so globally recognizable that the Japanese board of tourism has appointed her their official tourism ambassador to China and Hong Kong. Hello Kitty has been United States children’s ambassador for Unicef since 1983.
Hello Kitty has no mouth. She speaks from the heart.
The craze reached fever pitch in the 1990s, when fellow megastars such as Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears were photographed wearing assorted pieces of Hello Kitty branding.
The Japanese have a love of all things kawaii (rhymes with Hawaii and means cute).
This is a festive card for a little girl or boy, for Venus Williams (she’s a huge fan) or Lady Gaga (also a fan). For a birthday, for a slumber party invitation, for a sugar-coated office party, for a cat lover.
see also: Pikachu
Hello Kitty is a young female anthropomorphization of a Japanese Bobtail cat with a red bow and no mouth.According to her backstory, she is a perpetual third-grade student who lives outside of London. Kitty and her twin sister, Mimmy (depicted with a yellow bow), celebrate their birthday on 1 November.