Hello Kitty

This article is about the character. For other uses, see Hello Kitty (disambiguation).

Hello Kitty
Sanrio character
First appearanceMarch 1975 (created 1974)
Created byYuko Shimizu
Voiced byMegumi Hayashibara (1990–2023), others[a]
In-universe information
Full nameKitty White[5]
SpeciesAnthropomorphic cat
GenderFemale
FamilyMimmy (twin sister)
George (father)
Mary (mother)
Anthony (grandfather)
Margaret (grandmother)
Charmmy Kitty (pet cat)
Significant otherDear Daniel (boyfriend)
NationalityBritish

Hello Kitty (Japanese: ハロー・キティ, Hepburn: Harō Kiti),[6] also known by her real name Kitty White (キティ・ホワイト, Kiti Howaito),[5] is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio.[7][8][9] Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as a British anthropomorphized white cat with a red bow and no visible mouth.[10][11] According to her backstory, she lives in a London suburb with her family, and is close to her twin sister Mimmy, who is depicted with a yellow bow.[5][12]

Hello Kitty was created in 1974 and the first item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in 1975.[13][14] Originally, Hello Kitty was only marketed towards pre-teenage girls, but beginning in the 1990s, the brand found commercial success among teenage and adult consumers as well.[15] Hello Kitty's popularity also grew with the emergence of kawaii (cute) culture.[16] The brand went into decline in Japan after the 1990s, but continued to grow in the international market.[17] By 2010 the character was worth $5 billion a year and The New York Times called her a "global marketing phenomenon".[17] She did about $8 billion at retail in 2013.[18]

UNICEF has appointed Hello Kitty children's ambassador and the Japanese government appointed her ambassador of tourism.[15] There are Sanrio theme parks based on Hello Kitty: Harmonyland in Hiji, Ōita, Japan,[19] Sanrio Puroland in Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan, and Hello Kitty Shanghai Times in Shanghai, China.[20] The Hello Kitty media franchise has grown to include a number of animated series targeted towards children, as well as several comics, animated films, video games, books, music albums and other media productions. A variety of products have featured the character over the years, like school supplies, clothing, accessories, and toys, along with other items. In 2008, there were over 50,000 different Hello Kitty branded products.[15]

  1. ^ "Megumi House" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. キングレコードによる林原の紹介ページ。出演履歴にハローキティは出てこない
  2. ^ "キティちゃんの声優はあの有名声優だった！ だれだかわかる？ ｜ ガジェット通信 GetNews". Getnews.jp. 18 August 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Your Speaker Coach — Your Speaking Journey". Your Speaking Journey. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Hello Kitty Voices - Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. Retrieved 1 July 2020. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  5. ^ a b c "Hello Kitty". Sanrio. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  6. ^ サンリオキャラクターたちの本名、言えますか？ (in Japanese). 11 July 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  7. ^ "Hello Kitty | cartoon character". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Hello Kitty celebrates 30". China News Daily. 19 August 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  9. ^ Takagi, Jun (21 August 2008). "10 Questions for Yuko Yamaguchi". TIME. Archived from the original on 26 August 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  10. ^ Miranda, Carolina A. (26 August 2014). "Hello Kitty is not a cat, plus more reveals before her L.A. tour". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference kotaku was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference sanriofriend was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Anderson16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Phoenix40 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference independent was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference sfgate2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference nytimes2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Martinez, Michael; Hurtado, Jaqueline (2 November 2014). "Hello Kitty turns 40, draws 25,000 fans to convention". CNN. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Sanrio Character Park Harmonyland". Harmonyland.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference chinadaily2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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