Hello Kitty doesn’t look her age. And despite recently turning 50 , she is showing no signs of slowing down. In 2025, the Japanese character – worth around US$4 billion (£3.
1 billion) a year to the company that owns her – is due to star in a live-action movie. A new amusement park and resort are also planned. Her 50th year has been celebrated at events in Japan, Singapore, the US and the UK, where she received a birthday message from King Charles at a state banquet in Buckingham Palace.
Quite the party then, for a character with two black-dotted eyes, no mouth and a yellow button nose. Designed in 1974 by Yuko Shimizu (who is not believed to have made much money from her creation), Hello Kitty first appeared on a clear, vinyl coin purse – and has since grown into a merchandise empire consisting of over 50,000 different items sold across 130 countries . Hello Kitty’s longevity is partly down to her inherent simplicity.
In terms of design, she is composed of a few basic shapes, six short marks for whiskers, and a red bow. She is easy to recognise and cheap to reproduce. The character also epitomizes “Kawaii” , the Japanese term for cute.
According to Professor Joshua Dale, a pioneer in the field of “cuteness studies”, perceiving objects as cute triggers psychological instincts for care and protection. A YES Roadster 2022 . With Hello Kitty, children relate to the small, rounded character as being safe.
Like others (see Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and many, .
