Hello Kitty Mania

So, who is Hello Kitty, and why is she so famous? Why has she been in the market for so long? If you are a fan of Hello Kitty products, maybe you know the answers to some of these questions, but do you know the history of Hello Kitty?

Hello Kitty is a cartoon character that was developed in the 1970’s by Yuko Shimizo for Sanrio Company of Japan as a new character who could appeal to the preteen in everyone; and as you know they succeeded.

At first, her name was “White Kitty” and it was just a cat sitting with a red bow on her left ear, but soon after became a celebrity and they changed the name to “Hello Kitty”.
The first item that featured Hello Kitty was a coin wallet, which was a very tiny purse with the picture of Hello Kitty embroidered on its side.

After this initial success, the rest is history - new family members appeared, new Hello Kitty poses were created, not only sitting but standing up, new backgrounds and new series for adults in black color started appearing in the market.

Hello Kitty's trademark lack of mouth give her a blank stare into which fans can project their own emotions. If you are happy, she is happy, if you are sad, she is sad.
Hello Kitty has become so popular that you can see American celebrities wear her clothing and/or accessories. Among them Paris and Nicky Hilton have been spotted with Hello Kitty goods, well as Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Cameron Diaz, Heidi Klum, Christina Aguilera, Carmen Electra and Mandy Moore to name some

She is so famous that has led to the creation of two officially licensed Hello Kitty theme parks, one in Harmonyland in Oita, Japan and the indoor theme park Sanrio Puroland in Tama City, Tokyo.  There are also plans to open one in China and one in Malaysia.

Hello Kitty even entered into the wine market with a Hello Kitty Wine collection from Italy. They have the Devil Red, Angel White, Sweet Pink Sparkling and Brut Rose Sparkling, all of them produced and bottled in Italy by Torti Tenimenti Castelrotto. They are available for online purchase or if you live in California, there are some retailers that have them.

Also in  2008,  Hau Sheng Hospital  opened as a Hello Kitty-themed maternity and pediatric hospital in Yuanlin, Taiwan. It is the first and only one Hello Kitty theme hospital and authorized by Sanrio Co. Ltd.  In this hospital, Hello Kitty is featured on the receiving blankets, the room decor, the bed linens, birth certificate covers, and the nurses' uniforms. The hospital's owner hopes that this theme would help ease the stress of childbirth and illness within patients.

There is also a themed restaurant named Hello Kitty Sweets in Taipei, Taiwan. The decorations and many of its dishes are patterned after Hello Kitty. If you are planning to go to this restaurant, make reservations before hand, this restaurant is very popular - and their desserts are beautifully presented. Did I mention, everything is Hello Kitty Hot Pink inside?  So if you like pink, this is the pink-lover’s dream come true. Everything is pink from tables to the floor, to the color of the walls and the waitresses’ uniforms.

In 2008, Japan named  named Hello Kitty Ambassador of Tourism for both Japan and China.

Hello Kitty is an Ambassador for UNICEF too and also has been named the Special Friend of the Children.

Today there are more than 22,000 Hello Kitty products in the market and every month Sanrio takes 600 products off the market and replaces them with new ones to keep the line fresh.

There are hello kitty purses, hello kitty belts, domestic appliances, computer keyboards, headphones, personal stereos, credit cards, sweet wrappers, t-shirts, and Hello Kitty  jewelry, which by the way is extremely beautiful and some of this jewelry has been designed with genuine diamonds.   There is Hello Kitty jewelry designed by Tarina Tarantino, Kimora Simmons and Victoria Couture. 

If you like playing the electric guitar and also for guitar lovers, Sanrio and Fender released a series of Hello Kitty guitars that is well worth to include in your Hello Kitty collection. The Hello Kitty Stratocaster is an original electric guitar made by Squier in pink and black color.

Did I mention that MAC, one of the best brands in cosmetics has a Hello Kitty collection, They have a complete line of cosmetics featuring Hello Kitty. Presently, Mac has two collections: the Hello Kitty Colour Collection and the more high-end Hello Kitty Kouture.

If you are planning to travel, do it on the Hello Kitty Jet by EVA Air. This jet is beautiful and decorated with he Hello Kitty theme on the outside and inside, even the meals, menu and toiletries are Hello Kitty-themed.

Hello Kitty is part of the Japanese pop culture of "kawaii" which means cute. It has been in the market since the 1970’s and her popularity grows every year. It is popular among adults and children and trans-cultural. For me, Hello Kitty is more than just cute products, it is having happy memories of my childhood with my family; my mother taking me and my siblings to the Hello Kitty stores and trying to get her to buy us everything in the store and having fun playing with her and also to continue those nice memories through my daughter. If you are a Hello Kitty fan, enjoy all those 600 new products that Hello Kitty has every month in the market, if you are not a fan, well maybe soon you definitely will get hooked - either on your own or through your daughters you definitely will love to do window shopping in their cute stores.