11 Things You Didn’t Know About Hello Kitty (2024)

I still remember the pocket-size Hello Kitty colored pencil set I had as a girl, and I am delighted that my two Gen Alpha kids have embraced her and her ever-growing cast of Sanrio friends. She turns 50 on Nov. 1, and over the past five decades, she has collaborated with brands ranging from Adidas to Pottery Barn to MAC Cosmetics and more, run for president, been the subject of her own museum exhibition, is at the center of a thriving business—and that’s just for starters. But while she’s recognized around the globe, the Hello Kitty origin story is still a bit of a mystery.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Christina Yano, arguably the world’s foremost Hello Kitty expert, about Hello Kitty’s universal and timeless appeal. “Hello Kitty’s design is brilliantly simple—something you could probably draw yourself,” says Yano, co-curator of Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty, the museum exhibit celebrating her 40th birthday, and author of Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific. “In that cute blankness, she speaks to people, and they think she’s ‘mine.’” That’s certainly true in my household, where my kids think they discovered Hello Kitty, but I know better.

Yano shares more about Hello Kitty’s allure. “In the ’70s, when Hello Kitty was created in Japan, she struck a specific niche of cute goods, geared toward girls. Sanrio took utilitarian objects like a beach slipper and made it special,” Yano says. “‘Cute-ifying’ everyday stuff became a kind of genius, and Sanrio expanded licensing to adult things, such as vacuum cleaners, rice cookers, etc.”

Read on for more about the Hello Kitty origin story.

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Fun facts about Hello Kitty’s origin (and more)

1. Hello Kitty is a cat, not a girl. Let’s get this controversial Hello Kitty fact out of the way first. Despite what you may have heard to the contrary, Hello Kitty is indeed a cat. When I asked Yano about this rumor, she shared that it stemmed from the 2015 museum exhibition that she co-curated. “I wrote all the captions no one reads and flippantly wrote ‘feline this’ and ‘feline that.’” When she shared them with Sanrio for review, she says, “they asked me not to emphasize her as a cat and said, ‘We think of her like a friend, like a girl. She is always supportive, always there.’” That being said, her ears, whiskers and the fact that she comes from a family of cats is enough to convince me that Hello Kitty is a cat.

2. Hello Kitty was born Kitty White in London on Nov. 1, 1974.

3. She has a twin sister, Mimmy, who wears a yellow bow on her right ear to mirror Kitty’s red bow on her left ear.

4. Hello Kitty’s motto is “You can never have too many friends.” Aside from Mimmy, her circle has expanded to her boyfriend, Dear Daniel; her close friend My Melody; Cinnamoroll, who has been voted the most popular Sanrio character for four years running on the brand’s website; and a cast of more than 200 others.

5. She ran for president of the United States in 2016 on the Friendship Party.

6. Hello Kitty has collaborated with countless brands. Recent ones include Adidas, McDonald’s, Crocs, Gund, Forever 21 and Glamnetic Nails.

7. There are even more unlicensed Hello Kitty products in the world, including the infamous Hello Kitty AK-47. In 2013, Sanrio issued a statement, “Sanrio has not and will not authorize the manufacture or sale of any gun or firearm and does not condone the use of our intellectual property for the purposes of marketing such merchandise.”

8. At KittyCon, which ran in conjunction with the 2015 exhibit, attendees had the opportunity to get a free Hello Kitty tattoo from a top tattoo artist, reports Yano, who shares that the line for tattoos was long.

9. Hello Kitty and her friends have been the stars of dozens of TV shows, most recently Hello Kitty: Super Style! The show, which is in its 12th season and airs on Amazon Prime, follows Hello Kitty as she uses her magical bow to transform into a detective, pop star, chef and more to come to the rescue of her friends around town.

10. Hello Kitty has her own theme park, Sanrio Puroland. Unfortunately, for my kids, me and every U.S.-based Hello Kitty fan, it’s in Japan. The indoor theme park, located just outside Tokyo, features rides (picture a Sanrio version of Disney’s It’s a Small World), character meet and greets, shows, themed dining and, of course, plenty of shopping.

11. While you’ll need a passport to visit Sanrio Puroland, there are three Hello Kitty cafes stateside: the flagship Hello Kitty Grand Café in Irvine, California; a smaller outpost in Universal CityWalk in California; and a takeout branch in Las Vegas. Here’s hoping they expand to the East Coast soon!

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Sources:

• Christine Yano, professor emerita at the University of Hawaii and author of Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific; phone interview, Sept. 26, 2024
• Wall Street Journal: “How Hello Kitty Took Over the World”
• Sanrio.com: “Hello Kitty For President! Pop Icon Launches Her Bid with the Friendship Party”
• Sanrio.com: Statement from Sanrio 3/06/2013