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Hello Kitty is the most well-known of many fictional characters produced by the Japanese company Sanrio.

Hello Kitty was created in 1974 by the Sanrio Company of Japan in Tokyo, Japan. Registered in 1976, Hello Kitty is now a globally known trademark.

History

Hello Kitty was originally to be named "Kitty White" (from one of the cats that Alice kept in the book Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll), due to British culture being popular with in Japanese girls at the time of her inception. However, this name was not adopted. The name "Hello Kitty" originated from a mistranslation of the name of Japan's famous maneki neko ("welcoming cat"), the primary inspiration for the character.

When Hello Kitty's boyfriend "Dear Daniel" was created in 1999, designers took his name from the 1971 film Melody, which starred Mark Lester as a character called Daniel and features songs by the Bee Gees.

Hello Kitty's fictional world includes a whole array of friends and family members. Since 2004 she has even had a pet cat of her own called Charmmy Kitty and a pet hamster called Sugar. Charmmy resembles Hello Kitty but has more cat-like features. Charmmy Kitty was given to Hello Kitty by her father, George White, and Sugar by Dear Daniel.

Hello Kitty's rising prominence

Hello Kitty has been marketed in the United States from the beginning and has held the position of U.S. children's ambassador for UNICEF since 1983. She really came to her own during the late 1990s when several celebrities such as Mariah Carey adopted her as a fashion statement. Now products featuring the character can be found in virtually any American department store. Hello Kitty was once featured in an advertising campaign of the retail chain Target. Many American celebrities have contributed to the character's popularity:Ricky Martin, Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz, Heidi Klum, Steven Tyler, Christina Aguilera, Carmen Electra, Mandy Moore, Raven-Symoné, Varla Jean Merman, as well as Paris and Nicky Hilton have all been spotted with Hello Kitty goods. Singer Lisa Loeb, who is marketing the pink Hello Kitty guitar, has admitted to being a fan and has even dedicated a whole album in homage to Hello Kitty, called Hello Lisa.

Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty

'A merging of Hello Kitty and the famous Japanese female singer, Ayumi Hamasaki was first seen when the "Tour of Secret" goods became available on mu-mo on March 9th, 2007. It is said they together "will make a new character". Ayumi is assumed to be depicted by her popular 'Ayu-pan'. ("Ayu-Pan" is short for "Ayumi Panda".) In which she has large eyes that are said to make her resemble a panda. All other information on the "Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty" project between Sanrio and Avex is currently unknown. It is also unknown if "Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty" will be released outside of Asia.

Even more recently, Hello Kitty and Hamasaki have combined to produce products with two other major Japanese companies; ASH & DIAMONDS , a famous jewelry and accessory designer, and Panasonic. The collaboration with ASH & DIAMONDS featured a cellular phone strap with Hello Kitty peeking from behind Hamasaki's A insignia, with a choice of either gold or silver for fans to choose from. The collaboration with Panasonic produced a decorated line of LUMIX brand cameras, with the same image of Hello Kitty and Hamasaki's insignia. It appears only to be available to members of TeamAyu; Hamasaki's fanclub.

Merchandise

Although originally aimed at the pre-adolescent female market, the Hello Kitty logo now adorns almost every product that one can imagine could have its logo on it. Though a large proportion of the merchandise are stationery products, other goods range from foods and clothing to computers and cars and passenger jets , and in Japan, its popularity has penetrated every aspect of Japanese daily life. In Japan, Hello Kitty is no longer viewed as merely for young girls, but is equally popular with teenagers and even adults who like the sweet, cute and girly image. This expanded market is reflected by the sale of Hello Kitty adult underwear and even wedding dresses. Hello Kitty items in the USA include luggage tags, posters, purses, cosmetics, stickers and jewelry. In addition, there are many stores selling only Hello Kitty merchandise.

The very first product bearing Hello Kitty's image was a small clear vinyl coin purse which sold for 240 yen (today, roughly US$2.27, or €1.77). She is now a phenomenon adorning over 22,000 products and accounting for half of Sanrio's $1 billion yearly revenue.

Electronic games

Several electronic games have been produced where Kitty appears as the main character. These are some of them:

• HeHello Kitty: Happy Party Pals (Nintendo Game Boy Advance, THQ / Webfoot Technologies)
  
• Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue (Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, PC)
  
• Hello Kitty World (Famicom)
  
• Hello Kitty no Ohanabatake, a Hello Kitty's kaly flower shop! (Famicom)
  
• Hello Kitty's Cube Frenzy (Nintendo Game Boy Color, PlayStation)
  
• Hello Kitty Sweet Adventure (Nintendo Game Boy Color)
  
• Hello Kitty Beads Factory (Nintendo Game Boy Color)
  
• Hello Kitty: Bubblegum Girlfriends (PC)
  
• Hello Kitty: Cutie World (PC)
  
• Hello Kitty Dream Carnival (PC)
  
• Hello Kitty Football Cup (PC)
  
• Hello Kitty Happy Party Pals Game Boy Color llo Kitty as a character

Hello Kitty is also used in books to teach children manners

Appearance Several Hello Kitty anime targeted towards young children have been produced.

In the animated films made by Sanrio from 1977 to 1985, Hello Kitty has made cameo appearances in them (similar to Disney's hidden Mickey techniques).

The earliest Hello Kitty anime series known was the American-animated (co-produced with Japan) Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theatre, which aired throughout 1987. This show, produced by Sanrio in cooperation with DiC, parodies various famous fairy tales and blockbuster movies from the period. It was broadcast in the United States on The Family Channel, and a Spanish-dubbed version also aired Saturday mornings on Univision.

On USA television, the Japanese anime series Hello Kitty and Friends aired on CBS in 1991, and also ran on Toon Disney. On the show, Kitty is depicted as a little girl who lives with her mother, father, and twin sister Mimmy, who is identical to Kitty but has different colored clothes and wears her bow under the opposite ear. 13 episodes were produced, using animation produced as early as 1991.

On Japanese television, Hello Kitty (and pals) have starred in at least one anime series of their own. Hello Kitty's Paradise ran for 16 episodes between 1993 and 1994. This version was released in English in 2000. This version, like "Hello Kitty and Friends", also aired on Toon Disney.

Hello Kitty and friends also appeared in Hello Kitty's Animation Theatre, which had Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters appearing in their versions of different fairy tales. Available in the U.S. from ADV Films (who also own the video/DVD rights to Hello Kitty and Friends & Hello Kitty's Paradise)

Since 2004 the little cat has been featured on a MasterCard debit card from Legend Credit Inc. The card was released to teach young girls how to shop and use a debit card.

In 2006, it was announced Hello Kitty will be appearing in a new Japanese clay-animated series called Hello Kitty's Stump Village from Sanrio. At Anime Expo 2006, Geneon Entertainment announced that Hello Kitty's Stump Village was one of the series they've licensed for U.S. release. Volume 1 was released in October, and Volume 2 was released in January.

Hello Kitty, as well as her family and friends, is mostly depicted mouth less, especially in merchandise, which makes her similar to how Johnny Bravo occasionally appeared on screen. There are many debates on why Hello Kitty doesn't have a mouth. Her current designer says that she should have one because without, she lacks emotion. However, in response to this statement many fans said that her costumes depict her emotion, so she has no need of one. The official Sanrio stated that she speaks from the heart, having no need of any particular language. Hello Kitty was depicted as having a mouth in a segment in the series Sanrio World of Animation, where fans could see a smile on her face. However, it has been said that Hello Kitty does have a mouth, but it is not drawn, as the creators wanted Hello Kitty's emotions to be interpreted by the viewer.

Inspiration

Some claim that Hello Kitty was inspired by Musti (character), created by graphic artist Ray Goossens in 1945. Musti is a little cat, living with his mother and father in a little house in a rural village, surrounded by a large garden with animals and trees.

Cultural references

•  A merging of Sanrio characters with the Cthulhu Mythos results in the webcomic Hello Cthulhu
  
• The character Maromi in Paranoia Agent is a pastiche of Hello Kitty.
  
• On the episode "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo" of the TV series The Simpsons, the family travels to Japan and passes by the Hello Kitty merchandise factory. The yowling noises from within suggest that they were made from real cats.
  
• Hello Kitty made a guest appearance on an episode of Robot Chicken as a martial arts master.
  
• In The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, there is a Hello Kitty parody named Sassy Cat.
  
• In the Futurama episode, Crimes of the Hot, a "Curious Pussycat" factory is seen in the background of a scene set in Kyoto. The logo is reminiscent of the Hello Kitty logo.
  
• The band Goons of Doom created a song entitled "Hello Kitty", presumably relating to the character.
  
• The Online Webcomic The Order of the Stick parodies Hello Kitty by creating a, presumably parallel, character in the world in which the comic takes place. This character is known as "Hello Goblin", and is seen on an umbrella that is carried by the Monster in the Dark.
  
• On the episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft" of South Park, Butters states that he does not play World of
• Warcraft but rather the fictional game Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
  
• The After Dark screensaver "Hall of Fame", which features several famous After Dark characters portrayed as anime characters, shows an image of Bad Dog that looks like Hello Kitty.
  
• On the episode "No Man's Land" of Grey's Anatomy Izzie is wearing Hello Kitty panties. Meredith greets her with the words "Hello Kitty".
  
• In the Too $hort song "Burn Rubber," Too $hort talks about pimping hoes, "Take your ass straight out, of Sin City. Wearin' all pink like Hello Kitty. Bringin back all C-notes and no fifties."
  
• Dave Navarro performed a reunion concert with The Red Hot Chili Peppers as a homage to Hello Kitty, and played a Hello Kitty guitar given to him by Hello Kitty herself.
  
• In the TV show Danny Phantom, the episode What You Want includes a film called 'Sayonara Pussycat', featuring a cat similar to Hello Kitty. Sayonara is Japanese for goodbye.
  
• A shop of Warhammer 40,000 cover art parodies Hello Kitty's cheerful image, with the pronouncement "IN THE
• GRIM FUTURE OF HELLO KITTY THERE IS ONLY WAR".
  
• Gaia Online features a plushie of a white cat called the Kiki Kitty Plushie, as well as a black version called Coco. The description reads that it is a plushie version of a fictional cartoon character, a parody of Hello Kitty. However, the item has evolved into a mascot in its own right, and is one of the most famous items in the game, and even appears on real life merchandise.
  
• In the game Destroy All Humans! 2, if you scan a mind of a teenage Japanese female, the will sometimes mention a parody of Hello Kitty, 'Hiya Pussy'.
  
• In Jon Stewart's book America: The Book, a page about Japan labels the Prime Minister and national flower with a Hello Kitty face.
  
• In the Neopets website, the Plushie Angelpuss is based on Hello Kitty.
  I
• n the episode Itty Bitty Kitty of Brandy & Mr. Whiskers, Brandy's cat doll named "Itty Bitty Kitty" is a parody of Hello Kitty.
  

Profile

• Name: Hello Kitty
  
• Birthday: November 1, 1974
  
• Blood type: A+++
  
• Place of birth: Suburban Cambridge
  
• Parents: George and Mary Bell ©
  
• Siblings: Mimmy (twin sister)
  
• Friends: Cathy (a rabbit), Fifi (a sheep), Tracy (a raccoon), Joey (a mouse)
  
• Height: That of five shiny apples
  
• Weight: That of three shiny apples
  
• Good at: Baking cookies, making pancakes for friends, Origami, bows, shopping for friends, shopping with friends, buying things, playing tennis
  
• Favorite food: Apple pie made by Mama (A.K.A. Mum or Mary)
  
• Hobbies: Traveling, music, reading, eating yummy cookies her sister Mimmy bakes, making new friends, and going on adventures
  
• Favorite word: "Friendship", "best", "kawaii" ('Cute' in Japanese)
  
• Collects: Small cute things like sweets, stars, goldfish etc.
  
• Best school subjects: English, music, visual arts, reading
  
• Description: A bright and kind-hearted kitten. Very close to her twin sister Mimmy.
  Significant Other: Dear Daniel.