At 50, Hello Kitty is as 'kawaii' and lucrative as ever
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[October 31, 2024]
By YURI KAGEYAMA and LISA LEFF
TOKYO (AP) — Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday. Befitting a pop icon at
midlife, the bubble-headed, bow-wearing character's fictional birthday
has brought museum exhibits, a theme park spectacle and a national tour.
And that's just in Japan, her literal birthplace but not the one listed
in her official biography.
Confused? Welcome to the party. If there's one thing about Hello Kitty,
it's that she's proven adaptable and as much a study in contrasts during
her long career. She — and Kitty is a she, according to the company that
owns her — may have been conceived as a vessel for the feelings of
others, but some women see an empowering symbol in her mouthless face.
“Shrewd” is how Mika Nishimura, a design professor at Tokyo’s Meisei
University, describes the way Hello Kitty conquered the worlds of
commerce, fashion and entertainment. As a tabula rasa open to
interpretation, the non-threatening creation was the perfect vehicle for
making money, she said.
“American feminists have said she doesn't say anything and acquiesces to
everyone. But in Japan, we also see how she may appear happy if you're
happy, and sad if you're feeling sad," Nishimura told The Associated
Press. "It's a product strategy that's sheer genius. By being so
adaptable, Kitty gets all those collaborative deals.”
The character's semicentennial is evidence of that. Sanrio, the Japanese
entertainment company that holds the rights to Hello Kitty’s name and
image, kicked off the festivities a year ago with an animation account
on TikTok, Roblox games and an avatar for the social networking app
Zepeto.
There have been anniversary editions of merchandise ranging from pet
collars, cosmetics and McDonald's Happy Meals to Crocs and a Baccarat
crystal figurine. A gold coin pendant with the image of Hello Kitty
holding the number 50 is selling for about 120,000 yen ($800), while a
Casio watch costs 18,700 yen ($120).
But first, more on the origin story.
Unlike Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, Hello Kitty didn’t start as a cartoon. A
young Sanrio illustrator named Yuko Shimizu drew her in 1974 as a
decoration for stationery, tote bags, cups and other small accessories.
The design made its debut on a coin purse the next year and became an
instant hit in Japan.
As Hello Kitty's commercial success expanded beyond Asia, so did her
personal profile. By the late 1970s, Sanrio revealed the character's
name as Kitty White, her height as five apples tall and her birthplace
as suburban London, where the company said she lived with her parents
and twin sister Mimmy.
“The main theme of Hello Kitty is friendship. When I first created it, I
made a family of which Kitty was a part. But then Hello Kitty started to
appear in other settings as the character grew,” Shimizu told the BBC in
June. “Sanrio put a lot of effort into building the brand into what it
is today.”
At some point, Sanrio designated Kitty's birthday as Nov. 1, the same as
Shimizu's. Her background was embellished with hobbies that included
playing piano, reading and baking. Her TV appearances required co-stars,
including a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty that made its debut 20 years
ago.
But Hello Kitty's 40th birthday brought an update that astonished fans.
Sanrio clarified to a Los Angeles museum curator that Kitty, despite her
feline features, was a little girl. A company spokesperson repeated the
distinction this year, renewing debate online about the requirements for
being considered human.
“She is supposed to be Kitty White and English. But this is part of the
enigma: Who is Hello Kitty? We can't figure it out. We don't even know
if she is a cat," art historian Joyce S. Cheng, a University of Oregon
associate professor, said. "There is an unresolved indeterminacy about
her that is so amazing.”
Part of the confusion stems from a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which
is Japanese for “cute” but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence.
Sanrio recruited Shimizu and other illustrators to create “kawaii”
characters at a time when cute, girlish styles were popular in Japan.
But the word is used often in Japanese society, and not only to describe
babies and puppies.
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Hello Kitty waves as she appears to attend the opening ceremony of
the exhibition "As I change, so does she," marking the 50th
anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
An elderly man, something as
innocuous as an umbrella, a subcompact car or a kitchen utensil, or
even a horror movie monster can get labeled “kawaii.” By Western
standards, the idea may seem embarrassingly frivolous. But it’s
taken seriously in Japan, where the concept is linked with the most
honorable instincts.
The complexity of “kawaii” may help explain Hello Kitty's enduring
appeal across generations and cultures, why Canadian
singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne released a song titled “Hello Kitty”
a decade ago, and why Britain's King Charles wished Hello Kitty a
happy 50th birthday when he hosted Japan's Emperor Naruhito and
Empress Masako at Buckingham Palace in June.
Although Hello Kitty may seem to embody the self-sacrificing woman
stereotype, it’s revealing that three women have served as the
character's chief designers at Sanrio. Yuko Yamaguchi, who has held
the role since 1980, is credited with keeping the character both
modern and timeless, giving Kitty black outfits or false eyelashes
as trends dictated but never removing the bow from her left ear.
“Hello Kitty, this cultural object, has something to tell us about
the history of women in East Asia, and how East Asian women
modernized themselves and became professional citizens in a modern
society,” the University of Oregon's Cheng said.
Sanrio has come up with hundreds of creatures, all adorable and
cuddly, but none with the lasting power of Hello Kitty. Forget the
understated wabi-sabi aesthetic historically associated with Japan.
A chameleon-like cat-girl who reflects unabashed kitsch is the
cultural ambassador of a consumer-crazed, happy-go-lucky nation.
“It’s the anti-wabi sabi, wanting to be as flashy and as bling-bling
as possible, like Lady Gaga. In your face, but that’s actually part
of the genius, too. It’s powerful,” Cheng said.
Leslie Bow, a professor of English and Asian American Studies at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that while many Asian and
Asian American women see Hello Kitty as a symbol of defiance, the
protective, caretaking instinct aroused by “kawaii” isn't without
power.
“We take care of our siblings, our babies, our pets, because we are
in control. We control their actions. And so that is also the dark
side of cute,” Bow said.
Sanrio has taken advantage of the character's adaptability by
allowing relatively unrestricted use of her image in return for a
licensing fee.
Just about anything goes for the wee whiskered one, from a growing
global empire of Sanrio-sanctioned Hello Kitty cafes to an
“augmented reality” cellphone app that shows Kitty dancing in front
of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, London's Big Ben and other tourist
landmarks.
On the unsanctioned side, Hello Kitty even has shown up on guns and
vibrators.
During a presentation earlier this year in Seoul, Hello Kitty
designer Yamaguchi said one of her unfulfilled goals was finding a
way “to develop a Hello Kitty for men to fall in love with as well.”
But she's still working on it.
“I am certain the day will come when men are no longer embarrassed
to carry around Hello Kitty," entertainment news site Content Asia
quoted Yamaguchi as saying.
___
Leff reported from London. Berenice Bautista in Mexico City
contributed reporting.
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