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British culture was very fashionable in Japan during the '70s so Sanrio gave her a British backstory in order to stand out from other cartoon characters of the time. Her "real" name is Kitty White and she was born in London to father George and mother Mary, has a twin sister, Mimmy (distinguishable by a yellow bow), and a boyfriend called Dear Daniel. In 1976, a range of Hello Kitty-branded items launched in the United States.

Unlikely cool factor

Originally aimed at pre-pubescent girls and the pervasive kawaii (cute) culture in Asia, the simple design has evolved to include a seemingly endless range of applications. Her popularity is sometimes attributed to the fact she has no mouth - she reflects whatever emotion the onlooker is feeling. She is cute, she is happy, she is sad, she is cool, she is cheeky, she is ironic.

Her popularity quickly spread - mainly by word of mouth, ironically - and in 2016 licensed product sales were estimated to be worth $US4.4 billion despite minimal marketing spend. However, despite famously having no mouth, a series of cartoons exist (mainly on YouTube) where she does have a mouth and is able to speak - albeit with an American accent, which is interesting for a British/Japanese cat!

From 1976 to 1980, Yonekubo Setsuko developed the character but, since 1980, Yuko Yamaguchi has been the designer, overseeing Kitty's evolution into the phenomenon of today.

In Japan, Yamaguchi is a larger-than-life character herself - with flame-coloured hair like a flamboyant housewife - and is said to have a net worth of $US9 million thanks to Kitty, her self-proclaimed "partner in life".

As the original Kitty collectors' tastes matured, Yamaguchi ensured Kitty kept up. When a high-school girl wrote to her asking for the "sort of Kitty a grown-up could have", she evolved her designs from cute to cool by introducing edgy, black and white styles. Sanrio exploited the cool factor and expanded their licensing agreements to become the world's 12th-biggest licensor in 2016.

Celebrity fans, including Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Cameron Diaz and Paris Hilton, added to the overall "cool" of Kitty fandom in a sort of cross-promotion synergy: Paris Hilton is cool because she has a Hello Kitty necklace; Hello Kitty is cool because Paris Hilton is wearing her necklace. Katy Perry has a Hello Kitty tattoo on her middle finger and even Barbie has Hello Kitty outfits and accessories.

Paws in every pie

While the vast majority of Sanrio's rapidly expanding product range consists of small souvenirs and gifts, there exists a number of extremely large, expensive items thanks to collaborations and product licensing Sanrio has made with corporations looking to appeal to this growing market. These include a Swarovski range of jewellery and collectables, a must-have Stratocaster guitar, and even a Hello Kitty wine range. In Taiwan, there is a Hello Kitty maternity hospital which Sanrio says aims to calm anxious mothers - though it also serves to start the next generation of Kitty consumers from day one.

Kitty's lack of dependence on games, TV movies or cartoons has meant she has outlasted other popular Japanese kawaii such as Tamagotchi and Pokemon. She is not a plaything, and thus appeals to both children and adults. By applying her image to almost anything - from snowboards to kitchen appliances to vacuum cleaners and even condoms - she has an almost infinite potential reach. By 2008, there were over 50,000 Hello Kitty-branded products in over 130 countries.

In 2016, a web comic, Ichigoman ( Strawberryman) launched, starring Hello Kitty as the title superhero who fights monsters with the help of a giant robot.

Presidential bid

Despite - or perhaps because of - her success, Hello Kitty has not been without controversy. Some Japanese feel their national identity was emasculated when the Allies denied them their own defence force after World War II and now being represented by a cat with no mouth wearing a pink bow just compounds the image of Japan as weak, impotent and infantile. Japanese feminists also see Kitty as symbolising geisha-like servility - females who only exist to please others.

In 2007, Thai police who misbehaved or broke rules were forced to wear pink Hello Kitty armbands as punishment.

In 1994, Barneys (the chic department store based in Manhattan) had a Christmas window display by artist Tom Sachs which depicted the nativity scene with Kitty as baby Jesus, the Madonna with six breasts and wearing a Chanel outfit and Air Jordan shoes. The three wise men were all Bart Simpson and it had a McDonald's sign suspended over the scene. The concept was a "representation of the commercialisation of Christmas" but the Catholic League found it offensive and Barneys quickly removed it.

In 2000, a shortage of Hello Kitty toys at a Singapore McDonald's led to violence when a riot ensued with seven people injured and three taken to hospital.

She has even been tainted by violence when, in 1999, a gruesome murder was discovered in Hong Kong. A dismembered head was found stuffed into a Hello Kitty doll in an apartment filled with Hello Kitty products - from curtains to kitchenware.

In 2016, Sanrio announced their "Hello Kitty for president of the US" campaign as leader of the Friendship Party, running as "cute, smart and kind". However, being born in London made her ineligible to run. We can only surmise what the world would be like today had she won!
FACTS
In 2014, Sanrio made $US6.5b in licensing retail sales

Ranked world's sixth-biggest licensor right behind Disney (Mickey Mouse) and Mattel (Barbie)

Sanrio market cap - ¥161.7b ($2b)

5-yr dividend growth -12.2 per cent according to Bloomberg

Facebook - more than 13 million likes

Instagram followers - 960,800

15,000+ retail outlets

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Hello Kitty's multibillion-dollar success story

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British culture was very fashionable in Japan during the '70s so Sanrio gave her a British backstory in order to stand out from other cartoon characters of the time. Her "real" name is Kitty White and she was born in London to father George and mother Mary, has a twin sister, Mimmy (distinguishable by a yellow bow), and a boyfriend called Dear Daniel.

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Sanrio profit seen down 25% amid tough competition

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We bring you the Asian business, politics, economy and tech stories others miss.

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r/sanrio - Sanrio plushes that aren’t super expensive?

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25 votes and 7 comments so far on Reddit

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Should Sanrio lower the prices for their merchandise? 

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Should Sanrio lower the prices for their merchandise? 

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- Sanrio can possibly sell out on a lot of items

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- More sales occur with lower prices
- Raise more money
- Happier customers
- Better reviews

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