Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty is one of the many fictional characters produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. Hello Kitty merchandise is usually bright pink and often features the Hello Kitty logo of a small white cartoon cat with a bow on the top of its head. Hello Kitty is a rather old trademark for a Japanese company, having been first copyrighted in 1976. The clear line drawing style of Hello Kitty is not original. The character Hello Kitty shows a striking resemblance to the character Miffy by Dick Bruna.
Although mainly aimed at the pre-adolescent female market, the Hello Kitty product range goes all the way from purses, stickers and pen sets to toasters, televisions, clothing, and computer equipment. It has a cult-like following, especially in Asia, where Hello Kitty adorns cars, keychains, purses, bags and many consumer products. A Hello Kitty anime, targeted towards young children, has also been produced.
This character was once featured in an advertising campaign of the retail chain Target.
On Japanese television, Hello Kitty (and pals) have starred in at least one anime series of their own. "Hello Kitty's Paradise" ran for 16 episodes between 1993 and 1994. It was first released in English in November 2002.
Singer Lisa Loeb has admitted to be a fan, and has even dedicated a whole album in homage to Hello Kitty, called Hello Lisa.
Books
- Hello Kitty: How Sanrio Turned Cute into Cash, Ken Belson and Brian Bremner. John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2003. ISBN 0470820942.
