She celebrates her 50th birthday this Friday and remains as “kawai” as ever! Created in 1974 by designer Yuko Shimizu for the Japanese company Sanrio, which still uses the license, Hello Kitty has become the global icon of “Cool Japan”. With some 3,000 licenses in 130 countries, it is a real profit machine, occupying, just behind Pokémon, second place on the podium of the most profitable franchises in history with a cumulative turnover estimated at nearly 85 billion dollars!
A “cuddly toy” pioneer of kawaii
“Hello Kitty is a somewhat timeless character and even Sanrio cannot really explain such success,” says Philippe Madar, co-founder of the clothing and jewelry range Le Bijou Parisien, who is signing a capsule collection with the famous Hello Kitty, “He’s a cuddly character who makes you want to cuddle him. »
Imagined in 1974, Hello Kitty, which does not yet have a name, appears for the first time on a wallet with the words “ Hello “. Success is immediate. The character was later named “Hello Kitty” in honor of Alice’s cat, a reference to Yuko Shimizu’s favorite book, Alice Through the Looking Glass.
A “bipedal creature” who “speaks from the heart”
Contrary to what one might believe, Hello Kitty is not a feline, but… a little girl according to the story imagined by Sanrio. She is characterized by her kindness, her passion for apple pie, music and cute things. In short, “a virgin product” left to everyone’s imagination, summarizes Christine R. Yano. And if she doesn’t have a mouth, it’s because she “speaks from the heart” justifies Sanrio.
“Hello Kitty conveys positive values. For example, we proposed to Sanrio a Hello Kitty who would jostle a subway sign, our symbol, to shatter it. It was refused because Hello Kitty does not break,” explains Philippe Madar.
“Hello Kitty’s original message remains relevant today: kindness and friendship have a wonderful and lasting appeal. Her iconography is so sweet and spans the decades,” analyzes Amanda Bell, artistic and training director at Pixi Beauty, which markets a line of cosmetics bearing the image of Hello Kitty.
Idol of stars and brands
The marketing strategy behind this little “kawai” cat has all the makings of a war machine. After conquering children, Sanrio attacked adults, organizing collaborations with brands as heterogeneous as they were carefully chosen, ranging from Balenciaga to Adidas via Swarovski.
Each decade that passes is an opportunity to organize a nice publicity stunt. In 2014, to celebrate its 40th anniversary, a Hello Kitty figurine flew aboard the Hodoyoshi-3 satellite for a space trip around the Earth.
The Japanese mascot also benefits from the support of many celebrities such as Paris Hilton, who does not hide her passion for the kitty, Katy Perry, who is joining forces for a capsule collection or even Lady Gaga, who pays homage to her in a dress entirely covered in fluff.
“We had the chance to delve into the Sanrio archives to draw inspiration from the complete Hello Kitty universe. We made sure to create a more mature collaboration, pairing iconic Pixi products like the Glow Tonic and the Hydrating Milky Mist with a vintage version of Hello Kitty that matched perfectly. It’s both playful and fun, and the Hello Kitty collection attracts collectors as well as teenagers and adults,” explains Amanda Bell.
Hello Kitty conquers social networks
In 2020, Tsuji Shintaro (92 years old at the time of handover) handed over to his grandson, Tsuji Tomokuni (31 years old). Sanrio sees its price multiplied by seven, to exceed the equivalent of 6 billion euros in market capitalization, according to AFP. Since he took over, he has literally propelled Hello Kitty everywhere!
We can no longer count the capsule collections bearing his image: Balzac, Undiz, Crocs, Puma, Bijou Parisien, etc. “The European licensing manager is very vigilant in associating Hello Kitty with quality products,” specifies Philippe Madar. On the occasion of this jubilee, the Paris Mint has created a prestigious collection of gold and silver coins in its image.
On TikTok, the hashtag #hellokitty has more than 34 billion views, amid a flirtatious trend. Hello Kitty is coming to the GCDS catwalk for fall-winter 2024/2025 at Milan Fashion Week or even in a pop-up store dedicated this summer to Galeries Lafayette.
London is also dedicating an immersive exhibition to him until April 14. The kawaii figure is also present on the online gaming platform Roblox and in the metaverse with the Puroland theme park. Hello Kitty : super style ! a 3D animation series, was launched in France on M6 in September. While a Warner Bros film is being prepared in the United States, a new theme park will be dedicated to it next year in Hainan, China. Who would have imagined that a three-apple-tall kitty would become a pop culture giant?
