The History Of Hello Kitty

The Hello Kitty original coin purse featuring Hello Kitty, a bottle of milk and a fish in a bowl!

Hello Kitty Was Born In 1974

Sanrio began in 1962 by Shintaro Tsuji. Shintaro was of the first people to uncover the appeal of kawaii.

The first products he created were sandals made of rubber with flowers printed on them. When selling these sandals he noticed that the cuter his sandals were (with the printed designs), the more he sold!

Seeing the scope of having cute designs on his products he decided to hire cartoonists to design lovable characters for his products.

One of these cartoonists was Yuko Shimizu who is the ‘official’ creator of Hello Kitty. The first product ever created with the Hello Kitty design was a coin purse which was released in 1974!

Hello Kitty Worldwide Appeal

Hello Kitty’s first appearance in the USA was made only 2 years later in 1976 and then went on to become a worldwide phenomenon!

Hello Kitty is now the icon for Japanese pop culture. and her net worth has increased from $6 billion in 2010 to $42 billion in 2018.

At the start Hello Kitty goods were made for a younger audience but as she became more popular new products catering for teenagers and adults were released.

You can find almost anything Hello Kitty in today’s world, from Hello Kitty bed linen to Hello Kitty pajamas to Hello Kitty bags and Hello Kitty watches!