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Hello Kitty
From Virtual Japan
Hello Kitty (ハローキティ) is the most popular and best known of Japanese company Sanrio’s creations. The character, created in 1974 by Sanrio, is a simply drawn cat character. The trademark was filed and granted in 1976 and has since become one of the biggest international successes outside of Japan.
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Inspiration
Hello Kitty is said to have been inspired by Miffy, a Dutch creation by Dick Bruna in 1955. Others have claimed it to be inspired by Musti, a cat who lived with her mother and father in a small village, created by Ray Goossens in 1945. Both inspiration sources are likely involved however due to the closeness of the creator to both sources.
Hello Kitty Universe
The world of Hello Kitty is set largely in the Sanrio universe where multiple other characters have been created including Keropi, a frog like character, and Bobby Jack Monkey, a character who disappeared for the better part of the 1990s and 2000s before reappearing in 2007. Additional characters in Hello Kitty’s world include her father George White, her friend Dear Daniel, her pet cat Charmmy Kitty, and her pet hamster Sugar.
Appearances and Celebrities
Hello Kitty has been an international symbol since 1983 when she was made into a children’s ambassador for UNICEF. In addition, Hello Kitty has appeared in advertising campaigns around the world including for companies like Target in the United States.
A number of celebrities have taken to Hello Kitty as well, using her as a fashion statement of sorts. Mariah Carey has been using the cartoon cat as a part of her style since 1993 and others have either carried Hello Kitty products or stated their interest including the likes of Britney Spears, Cameron Diaz, Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore, Heidi Klum, Carmen Electra, Paris Hilton, Lisa Loeb with a pink Hello Kitty Guitar, and many more.
Hello Kitty on Television
Hello Kitty has appeared many times since her initial appearance in the 1970s including in many of Sanrio’s assorted films made between 1977 and 1985. Her first animated series of her own was Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theatre, which was produced and animated in America for release by DiC Entertainment. The show parodied fairy tales and famous films and was aired in the United States on the Family Channel.
A different Hello Kitty show, Hello Kitty and Friends, which was produced in Japan, aired on CBS in 1991 during Saturday morning cartoon programs. The show features the lead character as a child living with her family – 13 episodes of the show were produced and aired.
Another Japanese program, Hello Kitty’s Paradise ran for 16 episodes between 1993 and 1994 and was eventually released in America in 2000 and reaired on Toon Disney some years later. A new series produced in Japan in 200 under the name of Hello Kitty’s Stump Village. The series was later licensed by Geneon Entertainment and released in America in 2006 and 2007. The most recent Hello Kitty animation was produced in January of 2008 and featured Hello Kitty in [Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends]] in full 3D.