Hello Kitty turns fifty

Unlike Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, Hello Kitty didn't start as a cartoon. A young Sanrio illustrator, Yuko Shimizu, drew her in 1974 to decorate stationery, tote bags, cups and other small accessories. The design debuted on a coin purse the next year and became an instant hit in Japan. As Hello Kitty's commercial success expanded beyond Asia, so did her profile. By the late 1970s, Sanrio revealed the character's name as Kitty White, her height as five apples tall and her birthplace as suburban London, where the company said she lived with her parents and twin sister Mimmy. "The main theme of Hello Kitty is friendship. When I first created it, I made a family of which Kitty was a part. But then Hello Kitty started to appear in other settings as the character grew," Shimizu told the BBC in June. "Sanrio put a lot of effort into building the brand into what it is today." At some point, Sanrio designated Kitty's birthday as Nov. 1, the same as Shimizu's. Her background was embellished with hobbies, including playing piano, reading and baking. Her TV appearances required co-stars, including a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty that made its debut 20 years ago—but Hello Kitty's 40th birthday brought an update that astonished fans. Sanrio clarified to a Los Angeles museum curator that Kitty, despite her feline features, was a little girl. A company spokesperson repeated the distinction this year, renewing debate online about the requirements for being considered human.

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Away from the boardroom and stock market, there was also an intriguing incident earlier this year. While Hello Kitty's true identity is relatively well-known in Japan, some overseas fans were shocked by comments from a Sanrio executive in July. Speaking on US television, retail business development director Jill Koch told viewers, "Hello Kitty is not a cat" and is a British schoolgirl. Her comments sparked a flurry of social media posts, with fans expressing shock and confusion about the revelation. "Hello, Kitty is Hello, Kitty, and she can be whoever you want her to be. She can be your sister or your mother, and it can be another you," Mr Tsuji says. Pushed on whether he has any idea why his grandfather decided not to make her Japanese, Mr Tsuji concludes: "London is an amazing city, and it was the envy of many Japanese girls, so that may be one of the reasons they decided that she's from London."

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