Kitty White, more popularly known as Hello Kitty, is celebrating a huge milestone this year – her 50th birthday!
In 1974, the sweet little girl from London (who, as Sanrio revealed in 2014, is not actually a cat!) was created by cartoonist Yuko Shimizu. Back then, Sanrio’s original CEO, Shintaro Tsuji, had requested cute characters to decorate the rubber sandals he was selling. He believed that added charm made his products “sell in a completely different way.”
Thus, Hello Kitty joined the growing cast of original Sanrio characters, which started in 1973 with Coro Chan, a gentle young bear, who was also designed by Shimizu. It wasn’t until 1975, however, that Kitty’s face actually appeared on any merchandise – a vinyl coin purse.
Sanrio quickly capitalised on Japan’s growing kawaii culture, which celebrates cuteness and innocence. In fact, Hello Kitty’s rapid rise to fame after her debut is often credited with popularising the phenomenon. Characterised by soft colours, cuteness, and simplistic shapes, Hello Kitty perfectly embodied the kawaii aesthetic, as did Sanrio’s other characters who were soon to join the roster.
“Shintaro Tsuji […] believed that added charm made his products “sell in a completely different way.”
In a 2023 poll, fans voted on their favourite Sanrio characters. Surprisingly to some, Hello Kitty didn’t take the top spot – nor has she in many years! Instead, the mischievous rabbit, Kuromi; the sweet golden retriever, Pompompurin; and the curly-tailed dog, Cinnamoroll (my personal favourite) took the top 3 spots. Cinnamoroll even secured first place for the fourth year in a row!
Throughout the company’s history, Sanrio has expanded into all types of media. Hello Kitty specifically has featured in many shows, starting with Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theatre in 1987, video games, and even collaborations with other well-known brands like Crocs, Balenciaga, and Adidas.
“The franchise’s simplistic, friendly charm appeals to both the innocence of children and the nostalgia of teens and adults – and it works!”
This broad use of the franchise has understandably hooked many fans of all ages since the 1970s, and it’s no wonder that Kitty continues to generate billions of dollars of revenue for Sanrio each year. The franchise’s simplistic, friendly charm appeals to both the innocence of children and the nostalgia of teens and adults – and it works! If a bottle of Hello Kitty wine comforts you after a long day, as this study implies nostalgic consumption does, why wouldn’t you indulge?
50 years after her creation, Hello Kitty remains a kawaii cultural icon and one of the most successful media franchises of all time. For the festivities, the Tokyo National Museum is hosting a Hello Kitty exhibition until January 2025. From Sanrio themselves, they have launched a “Friend the Future” campaign, promoting kindness and mindfulness as we look towards the next 50 years. A short paragraph reads, “how we care for the future today determines the world that awaits us tomorrow.” Such a sweet message would, without a doubt, be endorsed by the birthday girl herself, who will hopefully still be baking cookies with her friends, as she loves to do, on her 100th birthday. Happy Birthday, Hello Kitty!
