Hello Kitty (ハローキティ, Harō Kiti
?) is the best-known of many
fictional characters produced by the
Japanese company
Sanrio. Hello Kitty is a very simply drawn character who was created in 1974 by the Sanrio Company in
Tokyo, Japan. Registered in 1976, Hello Kitty is now a globally known
trademark.
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. Hello Kitty is also friends with other famous Sanrio characters such as Kero Kero Keroppi, who has recently made its way back onto Sanrio shelves in late 2007. 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 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. The brand rose to greater prominence during the late 1990s when several celebrities such as
Mariah Carey adopted Hello Kitty as a fashion statement. New products featuring the character can be found in virtually any American
department store and 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[
citation needed],
Britney Spears,
Mariah Carey,
Cameron Diaz,
Heidi Klum,
Steven Tyler,
Christina Aguilera,
Carmen Electra,
Mandy Moore,
Raven-Symoné,
Miley Cyrus,
Varla Jean Merman, as well as
Paris and
Nicky Hilton have all been spotted with Hello Kitty and Bobby Jack goods. Celebrity blogger
Perez Hilton was also spotted with a Hello Kitty handbag while doing a video blog with
Ross Mathews[1].
Perez Hilton was also seen wearing a Hello Kitty tie on
Victoria Beckham's show '
Coming to America'. Victoria commented on his 'fierce' tie. 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 named
Hello Lisa. 'Scene queens' like
Jeffree Star,
Audrey Kitching, and
Heather Joy can often be seen donning Hello Kitty apparel.
