With her adorable appearance and ageless charm, Hello Kitty has won the hearts of millions and is one of the most recognizable characters around the world.
Her face can be found on products for children and adults, from paper plates to designer collaborations, opens a new window. Whether you’re a Hello Kitty devotee or new to the fandom, discover some of the enchanting reasons why people adore this cute character.
Hello Kitty was first printed on a vinyl coin purse. Sanrio started as a brand selling sandals and when the founder realized that items featuring cartoon characters sold faster than his other items, he hired cartoonist Yuko Shimizu who created the original Hello Kitty.
Hello Kitty intentionally doesn’t have a mouth. Hello Kitty was designed without a mouth so that her facial expressions would be more ambiguous and can echo what the viewer is feeling. If you’ve got a smile on your face then so does Kitty!
Hello Kitty isn’t a cat, she’s really a British girl. While Hello Kitty is portrayed as a girl with cat ears, she is actually a human girl and has her own pet cat named Charmmy Kitty.
Hello Kitty has a family! Hello Kitty’s family includes her parents George and Mary, her grandparents Anthony and Margaret, her sister Mimmy and Kitty’s boyfriend Dear Daniel.
Every year there is an online contest to choose the most popular Sanrio character, opens a new window. People can vote for their favorite character daily until the contest closes. In 2023, the top three most popular characters were Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin and Kuromi.
Colorado used to have a Sanrio store in Colorado Mills Mall. Since they closed in 2012, only two states in the United States still have Sanrio stores, opens a new window, California and Hawaii.
You can purchase special treats at Hello Kitty-themed cafes. There are three Hello Kitty Cafes, opens a new window in the United States and four Pompompurin Cafes in Japan.
There are Hello Kitty Café trucks, opens a new window that travel around the country. You can follow the travels of the two trucks to find a stop near you. They will be coming to Denver on August 26, 2023.
Hello Kitty has her own theme park. Sanrio PuroLand, opens a new window is an indoor theme park where fans of all ages can watch shows, try new foods and meet different Sanrio characters.
Hello Kitty characters aren't just for kids, they also have characters designed for more adult audiences.
- Aggretsuko, opens a new window is a red panda office worker who channels her frustrations at work into Death Metal karaoke singing.
- Gudetama, opens a new window is a lazy, egg character with an apathetic attitude and no motivation.
- Hagurumanstyle, opens a new window is a group of teeth, usually pictured in office or adult life scenarios and were designed to remind people to unclench their teeth.
Looking for more cuteness? Check out these Hello Kitty titles available from the library.
Hello Kitty is one of the most recognizable and well-known cartoon characters from Japan, with fans of all ages.
Add a comment to: Cuteness Overload: Exploring the Hello Kitty Fandom