Love Hello Kitty? You’re Not Alone!

There are currently about… 22,000 Hello Kitty products on the market!
This cute mouthless character is a billion-dollar enterprise, the biggest selling brand of the Sanrio Company Ltd, which was founded is 1960 by Shintaro Tsuji.

Well, it all started in the early '70s. Sanrio was trying to develop its own in-house design department. Hello Kitty was "born" November 1st, 1974 and named "Kitty White". The first product released with Kitty image was a small clear vinyl coin purse that retailed for 240 yen in 1975. Kitty was brought to the USA in 1976.

In the mid-1980s kitten-mania swelled and she became one of the most recognizable Japanese characters on Earth. She is part of the Japanese pop culture of "kawaii" (cute).You can found her image on everything from pin badges to computer accessories.

The main designer for most of Hello Kitty's history (Yuko Yamaguchi) said: "She is inspired by fashion, movies and TV in creating new designs".
Hello Kitty was originally marketed only to young girls. However, in the 1990s company start selling products for teenagers.  2009 marked the collaboration between apparel and accessory brand Stussy and Hello Kitty: new collection included T-shirts, keychains, and hoodies. Anyone can wear Hello Kitty accessories, as long as you don’t overdo it.

In 2010, Hello Kitty entered the …WINE  market! White Kitten with a red bow on her left ear and no mouth:) continuing an expansion of products targeted at older audiences.


Some fun facts we've picked about Hello Kitty:
- Although she was created in Japan, Hello Kitty lives in London, England.
- Hello Kitty’s weight is equivalent to three apples.
- Hello Kitty does not have a visible mouth because she speaks from her heart.
 -There is also a Hello Kitty restaurant that may be found in Taipei, Taiwan.
- There are some reports that Bill Gates once offered $5.6 billion for the rights to Kitty.
- In Yuanlin, Taiwan, a new hospital has recently opened that is entirely Hello Kitty themed!
- Celebs who love Hello Kitty: Christina Aguilera, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Mariah Carey, Heidi Klum, Lindsay Lohan, Mandy Moore, Kelly Osbourne, Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwen Stefani, Steven Tyler, Miley Cyrus and many other celebrities:)

Love Hello Kitty? You’re Not Alone!