Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday ... stems from a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which is Japanese for “cute” but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence. Sanrio recruited Shimizu ...

or have sex using a Hello Kitty condom.) Sanrio, the company which owns the character, makes almost $4bn in sales annually. Kitty’s popularity is emblematic of the global craze for cute things.

These efforts laid what we might term the first “geological layer” of Hello Kitty’s US strategy. Over time, each generation’s collective memory of the cute Japanese knick-knacks that they ...

A visitor looks at giant Hello Kitty display at the exhibition "As ... a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which is Japanese for “cute” but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence.

Frederic J. BROWN/AFP/AFP Hello Kitty, the cute, enigmatic character that adorns everything from handbags to rice cookers, turns 50 on Friday -- and is still making millions for her Japanese creators.

Hello Kitty, the cute, enigmatic character that adorns everything from handbags to rice cookers, turns 50 on Friday - still making millions for her Japanese creators. The simple design of the ...

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Hello Kitty, one of the most loved Sanrio characters, is marking her 50th anniversary with a bang. A new ...

Hello Kitty, the cute, enigmatic character that adorns everything from handbags to rice cookers, turned 50 on Friday—and is still making millions for her Japanese creators. The simple design of the ...

TOKYO--Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday ... stems from a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which is Japanese for “cute” but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence. Sanrio recruited Shimizu ...

TOKYO — Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday ... stems from a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which is Japanese for “cute” but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence.