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

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

Confused? Welcome to the party. If there's 1 happening astir Hello Kitty, it's that she's proven adaptable and arsenic overmuch a survey 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 vas for the feelings of others, but immoderate women spot an empowering awesome successful her mouthless face.

"Shrewd" is however Mika Nishimura, a plan prof astatine Tokyo's Meisei University, describes the mode Hello Kitty conquered the worlds of commerce, manner and entertainment. As a tabula rasa unfastened to interpretation, the non-threatening instauration was the cleanable conveyance for making money, she said.

"American feminists person said she doesn't accidental thing and acquiesces to everyone. But successful Japan, we besides spot however she whitethorn look blessed if you're happy, and bittersweet if you're feeling 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 amusement institution that holds the rights to Hello Kitty's sanction and image, kicked disconnected the festivities a twelvemonth agone with an animation relationship connected TikTok, Roblox games and an avatar for the societal networking app Zepeto.

There person been day editions of merchandise ranging from favored collars, cosmetics and McDonald's Happy Meals to Crocs and a Baccarat crystal figurine. A golden coin pendant with the representation of Hello Kitty holding the fig 50 is selling for astir 120,000 yen ($800), portion a Casio ticker costs 18,700 yen ($120).

But first, much connected the 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 tiny accessories. The plan made its debut connected a coin purse the adjacent twelvemonth and became an instant deed successful Japan.

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

"The main taxable of Hello Kitty is friendship. When I archetypal created it, I made a household of which Kitty was a part. But past Hello Kitty started to look successful different settings arsenic the quality grew," Shimizu told the BBC successful June. "Sanrio enactment a batch of effort into gathering the marque into what it is today."

At immoderate point, Sanrio designated Kitty's day arsenic November 1, the aforesaid arsenic Shimizu's. Her inheritance was embellished with hobbies that included playing piano, speechmaking and baking. Her TV appearances required co-stars, including a favored feline named Charmmy Kitty that made its debut 20 years ago.

But Hello Kitty's 40th day 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 the favoritism this year, renewing statement online astir the requirements for being considered human.

"She is expected to beryllium Kitty White and English. But this is portion of the enigma: Who is Hello Kitty? We can't fig it out. We don't adjacent 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 the disorder stems from a misunderstanding of "kawaii," which is Japanese for "cute" but besides connotes a lovable oregon adorable essence. Sanrio recruited Shimizu and different illustrators to make "kawaii" characters astatine a clip erstwhile cute, girlish styles were fashionable successful Japan. But the connection is utilized often successful Japanese society, and not lone to picture babies and puppies.

An aged man, thing arsenic innocuous arsenic an umbrella, a subcompact car oregon a room utensil, oregon adjacent a fearfulness movie monster tin get labeled "kawaii." By Western standards, the thought whitethorn look embarrassingly frivolous. But it's taken earnestly successful Japan, wherever the conception is linked with the astir honorable instincts.

The complexity of "kawaii" whitethorn assistance explicate Hello Kitty's enduring entreaty crossed generations and cultures, wherefore Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne released a opus titled "Hello Kitty" a decennary ago, and wherefore Britain's King Charles wished Hello Kitty a blessed 50th day erstwhile helium hosted Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako astatine Buckingham Palace successful June.

Although Hello Kitty whitethorn look to embody the self-sacrificing pistillate stereotype, it's revealing that 3 women person served arsenic the character's main designers astatine Sanrio. Yuko Yamaguchi, who has held the relation since 1980, is credited with keeping the quality some modern and timeless, giving Kitty achromatic outfits oregon mendacious eyelashes arsenic trends dictated but ne'er removing the bow from her near ear.

"Hello Kitty, this taste object, has thing to archer america astir the past of women successful East Asia, and however East Asian women modernized themselves and became nonrecreational citizens successful a modern society," the University of Oregon's Cheng said.

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

"It's the anti-wabi sabi, wanting to beryllium arsenic flashy and arsenic bling-bling arsenic possible, similar Lady Gaga. In your face, but that's really portion of the genius, too. It's powerful," Cheng said.

Leslie Bow, a prof of English and Asian American Studies astatine the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that portion galore Asian and Asian American women spot Hello Kitty arsenic a awesome of defiance, the protective, caretaking instinct aroused by "kawaii" isn't without power.

"We instrumentality attraction of our siblings, our babies, our pets, due to the fact that we are successful control. We power their actions. And truthful that is besides the acheronian broadside of cute," Bow said.

Sanrio has taken vantage of the character's adaptability by allowing comparatively unrestricted usage of her representation successful instrumentality for a licensing fee.

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

On the unsanctioned side, Hello Kitty adjacent has shown up connected guns and vibrators.

During a presumption earlier this twelvemonth successful Seoul, Hello Kitty decorator Yamaguchi said 1 of her unfulfilled goals was uncovering a mode "to make a Hello Kitty for men to autumn successful emotion with arsenic well." But she's inactive moving connected it.

"I americium definite the time volition travel erstwhile men are nary longer embarrassed to transportation astir Hello Kitty," amusement quality tract Content Asia quoted Yamaguchi arsenic saying.