At 50, Hello Kitty is as 'kawaii' and lucrative as ever

TOKYO -- Hello Kitty turns 50 connected Friday. Befitting a popular icon astatine midlife, nan bubble-headed, bow-wearing character's fictional day has brought depository exhibits, a taxable parkland spectacle and a nationalist tour. And that's conscionable in Japan, her literal birthplace but not nan 1 listed successful her charismatic biography.

Confused? Welcome to nan party. If there's 1 point astir Hello Kitty, it's that she's proven adaptable and arsenic overmuch a study successful contrasts during her agelong career. She — and Kitty is simply a she, according to the institution that owns her — whitethorn person been conceived arsenic a alloy for nan feelings of others, but immoderate women spot an empowering awesome successful her mouthless face.

“Shrewd” is really Mika Nishimura, a creation professor astatine Tokyo’s Meisei University, describes nan measurement Hello Kitty conquered nan worlds of commerce, manner and entertainment. As a tabula rasa unfastened to interpretation, nan non-threatening creation was nan cleanable conveyance for making money, she said.

“American feminists person said she doesn't opportunity thing and acquiesces to everyone. But successful Japan, we besides spot really she whitethorn look happy if you're happy, and sad if you're emotion sad," Nishimura told The Associated Press. "It's a merchandise strategy that's sheer genius. By being truthful adaptable, Kitty gets each those collaborative deals.”

The character's semicentennial is grounds of that. Sanrio, the Japanese intermezo company that holds nan authorities to Hello Kitty’s sanction and image, kicked disconnected nan festivities a twelvemonth agone pinch an animation relationship connected TikTok, Roblox games and an avatar for nan societal networking app Zepeto.

There person been day editions of merchandise ranging from pet collars, cosmetics and McDonald's Happy Meals to Crocs and a Baccarat crystal figurine. A golden coin pendant pinch nan image of Hello Kitty holding nan number 50 is trading for astir 120,000 yen ($800), while a Casio watch costs 18,700 yen ($120).

But first, much connected nan root story.

Unlike Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, Hello Kitty didn’t commencement arsenic a cartoon. A young Sanrio illustrator named Yuko Shimizu drew her successful 1974 arsenic a decoration for stationery, tote bags, cups and different mini accessories. The creation made its debut connected a coin purse nan adjacent twelvemonth and became an instant deed successful Japan.

As Hello Kitty's commercialized occurrence expanded beyond Asia, truthful did her individual profile. By nan precocious 1970s, Sanrio revealed nan character's sanction arsenic Kitty White, her tallness arsenic 5 apples gangly and her birthplace arsenic suburban London, wherever nan institution said she lived pinch her parents and copy sister Mimmy.

“The main taxable of Hello Kitty is friendship. When I first created it, I made a family of which Kitty was a part. But past Hello Kitty started to look successful different settings arsenic nan characteristic grew,” Shimizu told nan BBC successful June. “Sanrio put a batch of effort into building nan marque into what it is today.”

At immoderate point, Sanrio designated Kitty's day arsenic Nov. 1, nan aforesaid arsenic Shimizu's. Her inheritance was embellished pinch hobbies that included playing piano, reference and baking. Her TV appearances required co-stars, including a pet feline 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 depository curator that Kitty, contempt her feline features, was a small girl. A institution spokesperson repeated nan favoritism this year, renewing statement online astir nan requirements for being considered human.

“She is expected to beryllium Kitty White and English. But this is portion of nan enigma: Who is Hello Kitty? We can't fig it out. We don't moreover cognize if she is simply a cat," creation historiographer Joyce S. Cheng, a University of Oregon subordinate professor, said. "There is an unresolved indeterminacy astir her that is truthful amazing.”

Part of nan disorder stems from a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which is Japanese for “cute” but besides connotes a lovable aliases adorable essence. Sanrio recruited Shimizu and different illustrators to create “kawaii” characters astatine a clip erstwhile cute, girlish styles were celebrated successful Japan. But nan connection is utilized often successful Japanese society, and not only to picture babies and puppies.

An aged man, thing arsenic innocuous arsenic an umbrella, a subcompact car aliases a room utensil, aliases moreover a scary movie monster tin get branded “kawaii.” By Western standards, nan thought whitethorn look embarrassingly frivolous. But it’s taken earnestly successful Japan, wherever nan conception is linked pinch nan astir honorable instincts.

The complexity of “kawaii” whitethorn thief explicate Hello Kitty's enduring entreaty crossed generations and cultures, why Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne released a opus titled “Hello Kitty” a decade ago, and why Britain's King Charles wished Hello Kitty a happy 50th day erstwhile he hosted Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako astatine Buckingham Palace successful June.

Although Hello Kitty whitethorn look to embody nan self-sacrificing female stereotype, it’s revealing that 3 women person served arsenic nan character's main designers astatine Sanrio. Yuko Yamaguchi, who has held nan domiciled since 1980, is credited pinch keeping nan characteristic some modern and timeless, giving Kitty achromatic outfits aliases mendacious eyelashes arsenic trends dictated but ne'er removing nan front from her near ear.

“Hello Kitty, this taste object, has thing to show america astir nan history of women successful East Asia, and really East Asian women modernized themselves and became master citizens successful a modern society,” nan University of Oregon's Cheng said.

Sanrio has travel up pinch hundreds of creatures, each adorable and cuddly, but nary pinch nan lasting powerfulness of Hello Kitty. Forget nan understated wabi-sabi artistic historically associated pinch Japan. A chameleon-like cat-girl who reflects unabashed kitsch is nan taste ambassador of a consumer-crazed, happy-go-lucky nation.

“It’s nan anti-wabi sabi, wanting to beryllium arsenic flashy and arsenic bling-bling arsenic possible, for illustration Lady Gaga. In your face, but that’s really portion of nan genius, too. It’s powerful,” Cheng said.

Leslie Bow, a professor of English and Asian American Studies astatine nan University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that while galore Asian and Asian American women spot Hello Kitty arsenic a awesome of defiance, nan protective, caretaking small heart aroused by “kawaii” isn't without power.

“We return attraction of our siblings, our babies, our pets, because we are successful control. We power their actions. And truthful that is besides nan acheronian broadside of cute,” Bow said.

Sanrio has taken advantage of nan character's adaptability by allowing comparatively unrestricted usage of her image successful return for a licensing fee.

Just astir thing goes for nan wee whiskered one, from a increasing world empire of Sanrio-sanctioned Hello Kitty cafes to an “augmented reality” cellphone app that shows Kitty dancing successful beforehand of nan Eiffel Tower successful Paris, London's Big Ben and different tourer landmarks.

On nan unsanctioned side, Hello Kitty moreover has shown up connected guns and vibrators.

During a position earlier this twelvemonth successful Seoul, Hello Kitty designer Yamaguchi said 1 of her unfulfilled goals was uncovering a measurement “to create a Hello Kitty for men to autumn successful emotion pinch arsenic well.” But she's still moving connected it.

“I americium definite nan time will travel erstwhile men are nary longer embarrassed to transportation astir Hello Kitty," intermezo news tract Content Asia quoted Yamaguchi arsenic saying.

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Leff reported from London. Berenice Bautista successful Mexico City contributed reporting.

Yuri Kageyama is connected X: https://x.co/yurikageyama