, also known by her real name ,
is a fictional character created by
Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by
Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company
Sanrio
is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and manufactures products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and Fashion accessory, a ...
.
Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as a British
anthropomorphized white cat with a red bow and no visible mouth.
According to her backstory, she lives in a
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
suburb with her family, and is close to her twin sister Mimmy, who is depicted with a yellow bow.
Hello Kitty was created in 1974 and the first item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in 1975.
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.
Hello Kitty's popularity also grew with the emergence of ''
kawaii
''Kawaii'' is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity. ''Kawaii'' culture began to flourish in the 1970s, driven by youth culture and the rise of cute characters in manga and anime ...
'' (cute) culture.
The brand went into decline in Japan after the 1990s, but continued to grow in the international market.
By 2010, the character was worth a year and ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called her a "global marketing phenomenon".
She did about at retail in 2013.
UNICEF
UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
has appointed Hello Kitty children's ambassador and the Japanese government appointed her ambassador of tourism.
There are Sanrio
theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
s based on Hello Kitty: Harmonyland in
Hiji, Ōita
270px, Hiji Town Hall
270px, Hiji Castle ruins
is a town located in Hayami District, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 28,025 in 12811 households, and a population density of 380 persons per km2. The total area ...
, Japan,
Sanrio Puroland
, also known as ''Hello Kitty Land'', is an indoor theme park located in Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan. Opened on December 7, 1990, it hosts attractions, live shows, shopping outlets, and restaurants dedicated to List of Sanrio characters, Sanrio ...
in
Tama New Town
is a large residential development, straddling the municipalities of Hachiōji, Tama, Inagi and Machida cities, in Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a new town in 1965. It is approximately long stretching east-west, and between and wide, loc ...
,
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, Japan, and Hello Kitty Shanghai Times in
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, China.
The Hello Kitty
media franchise
A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...
has grown to include a number of
animated series
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. 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
Accessory may refer to:
* Accessory (legal term), a person who assists a criminal
In anatomy
* Accessory bone
* Accessory breast
* Accessory kidney
* Accessory muscle
* Accessory nucleus, in anatomy, a cranial nerve nucleus
* Accessory nerve ...
, and toys, along with other items. In 2008, there were over 50,000 different Hello Kitty branded products.
Creation and design

In 1962,
Shintaro Tsuji, founder of Sanrio, began selling rubber sandals with flowers painted on them.
Tsuji noted the profits gained by adding a cute design to the shoes and hired cartoonists to design cute characters for his merchandise.
Hello Kitty was designed by
Yuko Shimizu and was added to the lineup of early Sanrio characters in 1974.
Hello Kitty was initially known only as .
Shimizu got the name ''Kitty'' from
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...
's ''
Through the Looking-Glass
''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' is a novel published in December 1871 by Lewis Carroll, the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a mathematics lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, University of Oxford. I ...
''; during a scene early in the book, Alice plays with a cat she calls ''Kitty''. Sanrio's motto is "social communication", and Tsuji wanted the brand name to reflect that by including a greeting. He first considered "Hi Kitty" before finally settling on "Hello Kitty", her current name.
Sanrio decided to make Hello Kitty
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
because foreign countries, in particular Britain, were trendy in Japan at the time of Hello Kitty's creation. Sanrio already had several characters set in the US, and it wanted Hello Kitty to be different.
In 1976 Setsuko Yonekubo temporarily took over as lead designer for Hello Kitty, after Shimizu left Sanrio. In 1980
Yuko Yamaguchi became lead designer and has remained in charge since. Yamaguchi has said that fashion, movies, and TV inspire her in creating new designs. New series involving Hello Kitty with different themed designs are released regularly, following current trends.
Spokespeople for Sanrio have said that Hello Kitty has no mouth, as they want people to "project their feelings onto the character" and "be happy or sad together with Hello Kitty."
Another explanation Sanrio has given for Hello Kitty's lack of a mouth is that she "speaks from the heart. She's Sanrio's ambassador to the world and isn't bound to any particular language."
However,
Yuko Yamaguchi has also said that "Kitty has a mouth" that is "hidden in the fur". Representatives for Sanrio have said that they see Hello Kitty as a symbol of friendship, which they hope she will foster between people across the world.
There has been speculation that Hello Kitty has her origins in
Maneki Neko, a traditional Japanese cat figurine. The name "Hello Kitty" is a back-translation of ''Maneki Neko'', meaning "beckoning cat" in English. Despite this, no definitive statement supports that speculation. Hello Kitty has also instead been put forth as an early example of ''
mukokuseki'', a Japanese term meaning "stateless" or "nationless" in reference to characters lacking any identifiable national background.
History and reception
The character's first appearance on an item was in March 1975 on a vinyl coin purse sold in Japan, where she was pictured sitting between a bottle of milk and a goldfish bowl.
She first appeared in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in 1976 when Sanrio opened a Gift Gate store in
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...
.
Hello Kitty sold well immediately after her 1975 launch, and Sanrio's sales increased sevenfold.
Due to Japan's growing economy, many Japanese children could afford to buy Hello Kitty products.
Her popularity also grew with the emergence of ''
kawaii
''Kawaii'' is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity. ''Kawaii'' culture began to flourish in the 1970s, driven by youth culture and the rise of cute characters in manga and anime ...
'' culture, which embraces cuteness.
UNICEF
UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
named Hello Kitty as children's ambassador to the United States in 1983, children's ambassador in Japan in 1994, and gave her the title of ''UNICEF Special Friend of Children'' in 2004, a title unique to her.
Originally, Hello Kitty was only marketed towards a child and preteen audience. In the 1990s, the target market for Hello Kitty was broadened to include teenagers and adults as a
retro brand.
Marketing to those who could not get Hello Kitty merchandise as children, and those who fondly remember items they had, Sanrio began selling Hello Kitty branded products such as purses and laptops.
The 1994–1996 ''Face'' series was the first to be designed specifically for mature consumers.
The Hello Kitty brand rose to greater prominence internationally during the late 1990s. At that time, several celebrities, such as
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
, had adopted Hello Kitty as a fashion statement.
New products featuring the character were made available in a large variety of American
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...
s.
Hello Kitty's popularity in Japan peaked in the late 1990s when she was the country's top-grossing character. In 2002, Hello Kitty lost her place as the top-grossing character in Japan in the Character Databank popularity chart. In a 2010 survey, she was in third place behind
Anpanman and
Pikachu from ''
Pokémon
is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
''.
In 2010, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' attributed the character's relative decline in Japan to her biography not being "compelling enough to draw many fans." The newspaper later wrote that analysts called the characterization "weak",
and that Hello Kitty not having a mouth has dampened her success as an animated TV character.
According to Character Databank, Hello Kitty was the third highest-grossing character in Japan as of 2013. In 2019 and 2020, Character Databank ranked her fifth, and as of 2021 she was out of the top five.
Overseas, her global popularity has increased over the years.
According to Sanrio, Hello Kitty was appearing on 12,000 new products each year as of 1999.
Beginning in 2007, following trends in Japan, Sanrio began using darker designs for Hello Kitty with more black and less pink and pulled away from ''kawaii'' styles.
By 2008, Hello Kitty was responsible for half of Sanrio's $1 billion net income, and there were over 50,000 different Hello Kitty branded products in more than 60 countries.
By 2010 the character was worth a year and ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called her a "global marketing phenomenon".
Worldwide annual sales reached in 2013.
In July 2008, the Dutch artist
Dick Bruna, creator of
Miffy, alleged that Hello Kitty is a copy of Miffy, being rendered in a similar style. He stated disapprovingly in an interview for the British newspaper ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'': "That
..is a copy
f Miffy I think. I don't like that at all. I always think, 'No, don't do that. Try to make something that you think of yourself'."
[Dick Bruna, creator of the Miffy books, talks about his life and work ''The Daily Telegraph'', 31 July 2008](_blank)
Mercis, the firm that managed copyrights for Bruna, took Sanrio to court over their Hello Kitty-associated character Cathy, a rabbit which made her first appearance in 1976 and which Mercis argued infringed the copyright for Miffy. A court in Amsterdam ruled in favour of Mercis in November 2010 and ordered Sanrio to stop the production and sale of merchandise featuring Cathy in the
Benelux
The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...
countries. However, in June 2011, the two companies announced that they had reached a settlement agreement to end their legal dispute. Sanrio stopped using the Cathy character, and the two firms jointly donated €150,000 for reconstruction after the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...
.
As of 2014, 90% of the profits from Hello Kitty came from licensing of products for the international market. She has been particularly popular in other Asian countries for decades, such as in China, where her cultural impact is comparable to that of
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
in the Western world. In 2008, Japan named Hello Kitty the ambassador of Japanese tourism in both China and Hong Kong, marking the first time
Japan's tourism ministry had appointed a fictional character to the role. Sharon Kinsella, a lecturer at Oxford University on Japanese sociology, called the selection of Hello Kitty "a bit farcical ... as if a dumbed-down cultural icon ... can somehow do something significant to alter the gnarly and difficult state of
China–Japan relations."
In the United States, Hello Kitty is recognized by more than 80% of young adults in the 18–23 age group, .
In 2014 a four-day convention, Hello Kitty Con in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, attracted over 25,000 visitors. The convention was held in celebration of Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary.
Sanrio's
Puroland Tokyo theme park also held a celebration spanning several days in November 2014.
Character
Hello Kitty is a ''
gijinka'', an
anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
or personification of a
Japanese Bobtail cat.
Official character profiles list her full name as , born in the suburbs of
London, England
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, on November 1. Her height is described as five apples and her weight as three apples. She is portrayed as a bright and kind-hearted girl, very close to her twin sister Mimmy. She is good at baking cookies and loves her mama's homemade apple pie. She likes to play the piano and collect cute things, and her favorite subjects in school are English, music, and art.
Hello Kitty is portrayed with a large family with the surname ''White''. Her twin sister Mimmy is described as "shy and very girly", interested in sewing and dreaming of marriage. While Hello Kitty wears a red bow on her left ear, Mimmy wears a yellow one on her right. Their papa George is described as dependable, humorous but also absent-minded. Their mama Mary is portrayed as a good cook who loves doing housework. Grandpa Anthony likes to tell stories and grandma Margaret likes sewing.
In addition to family, Hello Kitty is also depicted with several animal friends, including the mice Joey and Judy, the bears Tippy and Thomas, the raccoon Tracy and the squirrel Rorry.
Aside from the core Hello Kitty characters, several spinoff characters have been created: Hello Kitty's boyfriend
Dear Daniel in 1999,
Charmmy Kitty, Hello Kitty's pet cat, and Sugar, her pet hamster, both in 2004, and her superhero alter-ego
Ichigoman in 2011.
SFGATE said in 2004 that in light of the level of success of Hello Kitty, her fictional biography "seems almost too modest – or irrelevant" and "doesn't seem to have played much of a part" in the success.
In 2014 an anthropologist was told by Sanrio that Kitty White was not simply a cat (i.e. "depicted on all fours"), describing her as a little
English girl called Kitty White, from outside London.
Following reports that interpreted this to mean she was human, a Sanrio PR representative said that the organization had "never said she was a human", explaining
anthropomorphization by comparing the character to
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
: "No one would mistake the Disney character for a human–but at the same time he's not quite a mouse. Just like Hello Kitty isn't a human, she's not quite a cat either."
Sanrio stated further, "Hello Kitty was done in the motif of a cat. It's going too far to say that Hello Kitty is not a cat."
Media
Animated series
There have been several different animated series starring Hello Kitty. The first was ''
Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater'', an animated television series with 13 22-minute episodes that premiered in 1987. The next, an
OVA titled ''
Hello Kitty and Friends
There are several different Hello Kitty animated series, featuring the cartoon character Hello Kitty, from the Japanese company Sanrio.
''Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater'' (1987)
'' Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater'' is a Japanese-Amer ...
'', spanned 30 entries originally released in Japan between 1989 and 1994. ''Hello Kitty's Paradise'' came out in 1999 and was 16 episodes long. ''Hello Kitty's Stump Village'' came out in 2005, and ''
The Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends'' came out in 2008 and has aired 52 episodes. A
crossover series under the name ''Kiss Hello Kitty'' (that paired animated versions of the members of the rock band
KISS
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
with Hello Kitty) was announced in March 2013. Produced by
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...
, this show was supposed to air on The Hub Network (now
Discovery Family
Discovery Family (known on-air as Discovery Family Channel and abbreviated as DFC) is an American Specialty channel, cable television channel co-owned by The Cartoon Network, Inc. and Hasbro Entertainment, which are divisions of Warner Bros. Di ...
), but it never came to fruition.
' was a long-running live-action children's program that aired on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.[YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...]
. It features Hello Kitty talking to the camera about her life in the style of
vlog
A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...
ging YouTubers.
Sanrio began streaming the newest 2D animated Hello Kitty series ''Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures'' on YouTube on 26 October 2020.
Comics
Hello Kitty had two
Japanese comic series serialized in ''
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Shueisha on the third of each month. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are '' Nakayoshi'' and '' Ciao''. It is one of the best-selling manga magazines, having sold over 590million c ...
'', a
shōjo manga
is an editorial category of Manga, Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent girls and young adult women. It is, along with Shōnen manga, manga (targeting adolescent boys), Seinen manga, manga (targeting young adult and adult men ...
magazine - ''Hello Kitty Doki'' (ran from May 2007 to April 2008) and ''Hello Kitty Peace'' (released in June 2008).
In March 2016, Sanrio launched a
webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...
featuring Hello Kitty as a
strawberry
The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...
-themed superhero called
Ichigoman (''ichigo'' meaning strawberry). The webcomic is created by
Toshiki Inoue
is a Japanese screenwriter from Saitama Prefecture. He is known for his work on anime and tokusatsu dramas and films. He is the son of , who himself was a screenwriter for tokusatsu dramas. He is also a manga author, and has written both ''Mebiu ...
and Shakua Sinkai and updates once a month. Ichigoman first appeared in 2011 in an exhibition with
Yuko Yamaguchi's art.
Music
Hello Kitty has her own branded album, ''Hello World'', featuring Hello Kitty-inspired songs performed by a collection of artists including
Keke Palmer,
Cori Yarckin, and
Ainjel Emme under Hello Kitty's
Lakeshore Records
Lakeshore Village Entertainment, LLC was an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum. Lakeshore Entertainment is headquartered in Bev ...
record label. Hello Kitty was also chosen by
AH Software to be the basis of the new
Vocaloid
is a singing Speech synthesis, voice synthesizer software product. Its signal processing part was developed through a joint research project between Yamaha Corporation and the Music Technology Group at Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona. The s ...
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sanrio.
Musician
Yoshiki unveiled the Hello Kitty theme song "Hello Hello" in November 2014 at the first Hello Kitty Con. Yoshiki, who was the first celebrity to have his own Hello Kitty doll, "Yoshikitty", was approached by Yamaguchi to compose the song seven years prior.
Video games
There are numerous ''Hello Kitty'' games starting with the release of the first title for Famicom in 1992; however, the majority of these games were never released outside of Japan. Hello Kitty also has made cameo appearances in games featuring other Sanrio characters, such as the
Keroppi game, ''Kero Kero Keroppi no Bōken Nikki: Nemureru Mori no Keroleen''. Special-edition consoles such as the
Hello Kitty Dreamcast, Hello Kitty Game Boy Pocket, and Hello Kitty Crystal Xbox have also been released exclusively in Japan.
Hello Kitty appeared as a guest character in
Sega
is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
's ''
Sonic Dash'' in 2016, as part of Sega's partnership with Sanrio. Hello Kitty and
My Melody (another Sanrio character) appeared together in ''
Super Mario Maker'' as unlockable Mystery Mushroom costumes. Hello Kitty appears as a playable character via
downloadable content
content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
in ''
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania''. A costume based on Hello Kitty, as well as a Hello Kitty-inspired costume known as "Cutest Friend", were available as rewards in ''
Fall Guys'' as part of the first Season 4: Creative Construction Fame Pass.
Partial list of Hello Kitty video games
*''
Hello Kitty no Hanabatake'' (1992,
Famicom
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...
): a platformer
*''
Hello Kitty World'' (1992,
Famicom
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...
): a Famicom port of ''
Balloon Kid'' co-developed by
Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles.
The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
and Character Soft.
*''Hello Kitty's Big Fun Piano'' (1994,
PC): a piano simulation
*''Kitty the Kool'' (1998,
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
) a game from
Imagineer
*''
Hello Kitty's Cube Frenzy'' (1998,
Game Boy Color
The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...
,
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
): a
life simulation
Life simulation games form a subgenre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual characters (human or otherwise). Such a game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation ...
/
minigame
A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than th ...
collection
*''DDR Hello Kitty'' (1999,
Bemani Pocket): a handheld ''Hello Kitty'' game in the ''
Dance Dance Revolution
(''DDR'') is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, ''Dance Dance Revolution'' is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance ...
'' series
*The ''
Hello Kitty Simple 1500'' series (
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
): a series of specifically low-priced games
*''Gotouchi Hello Kitty Sugoroku Monogatari'' (2003, PlayStation): a
sugoroku
(literally 'double six') refers to two different forms of a Japanese board game: ''ban-sugoroku'' (盤双六, 'board-sugoroku') which is similar to western tables games like backgammon, and ''e-sugoroku'' (絵双六, 'picture-sugoroku') which i ...
-based game
*''Hello Kitty: Happy Party Pals'' (2005,
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
): an action/adventure game
*''
Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue'' (2005,
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
,
GameCube
The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
,
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
): an action/adventure game
*''Mainichi Suteki! Hello Kitty no Life Kit'' (2007,
Nintendo DS
The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
): a puzzle game
*The ''Hello Kitty Simple 2000'' series (2007,
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
): a series of specifically low-priced games
*''
Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams'' (2008,
Nintendo DS
The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
): an adventure game published by
Empire Interactive
Empire Interactive was a British video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in London. Founded in 1987 by Ian Higgins and Simon Jeffrey, it was acquired by Silverstar Holdings in 2006 and collapsed in 2009.
History
Empire ...
developed by Sanrio Digital. In the game, Hello Kitty moves to the Big City where she meets other Sanrio characters and makes new friends.
*' (2008,
Nintendo DS
The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
): a
PDA application featuring a diary, calendar, alarm clock, money managing system and school planner
*''
Hello Kitty Online'' (2009,
PC): an online
MMORPG
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game.
As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...
developed by Sanrio Digital and
Typhoon Games. The game allows players to create and customize characters, then use them to battle monsters, socialize with one another, mine for ore, do domestic chores like farming or cooking, and participate in quests.
*''Hello Kitty Parachute Paradise'' (2009,
iPhone
The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
/
iPod Touch
The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and formerly marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a po ...
): an iPhone game with tilt-based controls
*''
Apron of Magic'' (2010, Arcade,
iOS
Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
,
Nintendo 3DS
The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...
): An Arcade Card Game developed by
Examu
Examu, formerly known as Yuki Enterprise, was a Japanese video game company founded in 2000. It mostly produced fighting games for arcades and home consoles. It is known for owning Team Arcana, the developer of the original intellectual propert ...
to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Sanrio. The game features Hello Kitty and other notable Sanrio Characters.
*''Hello Kitty Seasons'' (2010,
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
): A game in which the playable character is appointed as Deputy Mayor to help Sanrio Town.
*''Hello Kitty Picnic'' (2012,
Nintendo 3DS
The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...
)
*' (2014,
iOS
Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
,
Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
The W ...
,
Nintendo Switch
The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
): A
kart racing game
A kart racing game, also known as cart racing game or go-kart racing game, is a subgenre of Racing game, racing games. Kart racing games have simplified driving mechanics while including unusual racetrack designs, obstacles, and Vehicular combat ...
featuring ''Hello Kitty'' and other
Sanrio
is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and manufactures products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and Fashion accessory, a ...
characters
* ''Hello Kitty and Friends: Happiness Parade'' (2022, iOS and Android; 2023, Switch): a
rhythm game
Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to pres ...
. The mobile versions are Netflix exclusives.
* ' (2023,
Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple Inc. It is available through a dedicated tab of the App Store on devices running iOS 13, visionOS, tvOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. The service launched o ...
; 2025,
Nintendo Switch
The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
PC,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...
): a cozy
social simulation game taking place on an island visited by various Sanrio characters. The game won the Apple Arcade Game of the Year award in 2023.
Films
Three ''Hello Kitty'' anime films were released in Japan. ''Hello Kitty: Cinderella'' released in 1989, ''Hello Kitty no Oyayubi Hime'' released in 1990, and ''Hello Kitty no Mahō no Mori no Ohime-sama'' released in 1991.
On 3 July 2015, Sanrio announced a full-length animated Hello Kitty theatrical feature initially planned for 2019. In early 2019, it was revealed that
New Line Cinema
New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
would be teaming up alongside Sanrio and Flynn Picture Company for an "English language film based on the venerable kid brand." In 2021, it was reported that Jennifer Coyle and Leo Matsuda had been hired to direct the film with Lindsey Beer set to pen the script.
Products

Originally aimed at the pre-adolescent female market, the Hello Kitty product range has expanded from dolls, stickers, greeting cards, board games, clothes, backpacks, lunch boxes, piggy banks, pencils, erasers, accessories, school supplies and stationery to purses, toasters, televisions, other home appliances, massagers, motor oil
and computer equipment. These products range from mass market items to high-end consumer products and rare collectibles.
, more than 50,000 Hello Kitty product lines were available in over 130 countries.
High-end
Sanrio and various corporate partners have released Hello Kitty-branded products, including the Hello Kitty
Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporati ...
electric guitar (since 2005, with
Fender, under its
Squier
Squier is an American brand of electric guitars owned by Fender. The former manufacturing company, established as "V. C. Squier Company" was founded in 1890 by Victor Carroll Squier in Battle Creek, Michigan, producing strings for violins, ban ...
sub-brand, in the US)
and an
Airbus A330-200 commercial passenger jet airliner, dubbed the
Hello Kitty Jet (2005–2009, with
EVA Airways in Taiwan). In late 2011 and early 2012, EVA Air revived their "Hello Kitty Jets" with their three new
A330-300s. However, due to high demand, the airline added two more alongside their existing A330-200s in mid-2012. A year later, EVA Air introduced one of their
777-300ER
The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner.
...
s as another Hello Kitty Jet, which featured other Sanrio characters as well as Hello Kitty.
In 2009, Hello Kitty entered the wine market with a collection of four wines available for purchase online. The collection included a sparkling rosé, a sparkling white wine, a red wine, and a white wine, each adorned with Hello Kitty branding and packaging. This venture marked a strategic move to expand the product lines targeted at older audiences, combining the iconic character's charm with the sophistication of wine.
Establishments

Hello Kitty is included as part of the Sanrio livery at the Japanese theme parks Harmonyland and
Sanrio Puroland
, also known as ''Hello Kitty Land'', is an indoor theme park located in Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan. Opened on December 7, 1990, it hosts attractions, live shows, shopping outlets, and restaurants dedicated to List of Sanrio characters, Sanrio ...
. The Hello Kitty Shanghai Times theme park in
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, China opened in 2019.
A theme park called Hello Kitty Town existed in
Iskandar Puteri
Iskandar Puteri (formerly known as Nusajaya) is a Cities of Malaysia, city and the administrative capital of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is situated along the Straits of Johor at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula and the southernmos ...
, Johor, Malaysia from 2012 to 2019.
In 2014, Sanrio partnered with the Indonesian theme park Dufan to introduce Hello Kitty Adventure, a cinema based attraction.
Hello Kitty cafés have opened around the world, including in Seoul and other locations in South Korea; Bangkok, Thailand; Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia; Irvine, California; the Westfield Santa Anita, Santa Anita Mall in California, and the Park MGM in Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada.
There is a themed restaurant named Hello Kitty Sweets in Taipei, Taiwan, which opened in 2008. The restaurant's decor and many of its dishes are patterned after the Hello Kitty characters. Another restaurant called the Hello Kitty Diner opened in the Chatswood, New South Wales, Chatswood area of Sydney, Australia, and a Hello Kitty dim sum restaurant opened in Kowloon, Hong Kong.
In 2008, a Hello Kitty-themed maternity hospital opened in Yuanlin, Changhua, Yuanlin, Taiwan. Hello Kitty is featured on the receiving blankets, room decor, bed linens, birth certificate covers, and nurses' uniforms. The hospital's owner explained that he hoped that the theme would help ease the stress of childbirth.
Clothing
Dr. Martens collaborated with Hello Kitty in 2010 and 2020. The 2020 collaboration includes platform boots, platform sandals as well as a satchel. Forever 21 collaborated with Hello Kitty on clothing collections several times, the first one in 2011. In 2018, Puma (brand), Puma collaborated with Hello Kitty to create a collection which features sneakers for both children and adults. Also in 2018, Converse (shoe company), Converse collaborated with Sanrio to create a collection which includes shoes ranging from kids' to adult sizes as well as clothing and bags. In 2020, Skechers collaborated with Hello Kitty releasing chunky-soled style shoes with brand's logo and Hello Kitty's face and bow. Hello Kitty is used as a brand for sanitary pads in Asia and Latin America.
In May 2025, Hello Kitty collaborated with Italian fashion brand GCDS to host a two-day bakery pop-up at Piccolo Pan in Milan. The event featured themed treats such as Hello Kitty-shaped donuts, shokupan, and matcha ice cream, coinciding with the launch of their Spring/Summer 2025 capsule collection.
Legacy and impact

In 1994, artist Tom Sachs (artist), Tom Sachs was invited to create a scene for Barneys New York Christmas displays and titled it ''Hello Kitty Nativity''. In the scene, the Virgin Mary was replaced by Madonna with an open Chanel bra, the three Kings were all Bart Simpson, the stable was marked by a McDonald's logo, and the Christ Child was replaced by Hello Kitty. This contemporary revision of the nativity scene demonstrated Sachs' interest in the phenomena of consumerism, branding, and the cultural fetishization of products. Many audiences instead took offense to the artwork, which received backlash from Catholic organizations for its misuse of Christian symbolism.
In 2009, Tom Sachs (artist), Tom Sachs' ''Bronze Collection'' was shown at the Public art space in Manhattan's Lever House#Public art space, Lever House, as well as in the Baldwin Gallery in Aspen, Colorado, and the Trocadéro, Paris, Trocadéro in Paris. The collection featured white bronze casts of a foam core Hello Kitty sculpture – a style distinctive to the artist. As of April 2010, the ''Wind-Up Hello Kitty'' sculpture is still on display at Lever House. Although Sachs did not seek permission to use the character in his work, a brand marketing manager for Sanrio was quoted as saying "You know, there was Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol, and then Michael Jackson and Jeff Koons. When you're an icon, that's what happens." In 2013 ''The Wall Street Journal'' said Sanrio's attitude to copyright was "wikt:laissez faire, laissez-faire" compared to companies like The Walt Disney Company, Disney, and that they have let artists use Hello Kitty's likeness without interfering.
In 2015, a nine-foot tall pearlescent Hello Kitty sculpture by artist Sebastian Masuda was exhibited at the Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza in New York City, as part of the Japan Society's exhibition: ''Life of Cats: Selections from the Hiraki Ukiyo-e Collection''.
Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne wrote and recorded a song called "Hello Kitty (song), Hello Kitty" for her fifth studio album, ''Avril Lavigne (album), Avril Lavigne'', released in 2013. The Hello Kitty
Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporati ...
guitar, originally released in 2005, was initially aimed at pre-teen girls,
but has since been used by notable guitarists including Krist Novoselic, Courtney Love, Dave Navarro, and Lisa Loeb. In 2022, vintage Hello Kitty Stratocasters were among the most popular musical instruments sold on the marketplace Reverb.com. While it originally retailed for $230, some re-sold for over $1,000.
In 2022, ''Saturday Night Live'' aired a sketch parodying Hello Kitty's backstory (described by ''The A.V. Club'' as "incongruous, corporate-sanctioned") and Sanrio's handling of it.
The sketch centers on managers at a fictional Hello Kitty store. They describe the character in contradictory terms as a "human little girl" who is in third grade and also 48 years old.
''The Atlantic'' described the sketch as both "a skewering of the ever-expanding Hello Kitty commercial universe" and as capturing the gaslighting and manipulation of truth of the time.
In 2024, Hello Kitty teamed up with Bruno Mars to celebrate he
50th anniversary The collaboration included Hello Kitty x Bruno Mars merchandise and food & drink Specials a
Hello Kitty Cafe at The Park MGM Las Vegas Both Hello Kitty and Bruno Mars welcomed fans t
"just the way you are" in the spirit of inclusivity, friendship and kindness. The merchandise is still available to purchase on th
Sanrio website
Notes
References
External links
*
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2016.
{{Authority control
Hello Kitty,
Anthropomorphic cats
Cartoon mascots
Cat mascots
Child characters in animation, Kitty, Hello
Child characters in anime and manga, Kitty, Hello
Child characters in literature, Kitty, Hello
Child characters in television, Kitty, Hello
Child characters in video games, Kitty, Hello
Children's manga
Child superheroes, Kitty, Hello
Female characters in advertising
Female characters in animation
Female characters in television
Fictional people from London
Fictional twins
Mascots introduced in 1974
Mass media franchises
Sanrio characters
Television mascots
Toy brands
Toy mascots
Video games featuring female protagonists