Hello Kitty, the millionaire icon of cuteness, turns 50

Hard to say how the birthday girl took it. She has never been seen to smile in five decades. Although no one has seen her sulk either. And she wasn’t going to make an exception yesterday, April 9. After all, the absence of a mouth is one of the keys to Hello Kitty’s success. It means that everyone can interpret the character’s feelings however they want. Or so Sanrio, the Japanese company that owns the brand, says.

So, sure, she had every reason to be enthusiastic, especially after hearing the overwhelming figures listed by Silvia Figini, the company’s operational director, at the conference honoring her at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the biggest in the industry. Because she is an “icon of popular culture and cuteness.” And because two of Hello Kitty’s favorite things, according to her official biography, were there: friends and cakes. And nobody wanted to ruin the party by mentioning the controversies that also surround her.

Perhaps the most often repeated word at the conference was “cute,” followed by “success.” Between them they summarize the trajectory of the feline created by the cartoonist Yuko Shimizu and stamped on a purse for the first time on November 1, 1974. Since then, the business has made around $7.9 billion annually and Kitty’s reach has been unstoppable. She appears on everything from t-shirts and watches, to personalized toasters, motor oil, and airplanes, and plenty of celebrities want to show off their love for her, from young influencers and Korean K-pop idols to divas like Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, and Steven Tyler.

Figini celebrated Hello Kitty’s ability to “remain stable” in the market, maintaining that brand awareness has increased by 90% in one year and that there has been “exponential growth” for four years. She also told the audience that her popularity is also increasing among adults and men. Those attending the talk were mostly young women, but with some gray-haired men scattered among them, and the fifty or so seats put out for the event were all taken. It is estimated that the character currently appears on about 50,000 products. It is impossible, however, to calculate the audience. The following figures on social media presented yesterday showed numbers in the millions. That’s normal. After all, Hello Kitty’s favorite thing is to “make friends.” Over the years, her gang has grown to include the red panda Aggretsuko, the penguin Badtz-Maru, and the mischievous rabbit Kuromi.

She also loves qualities like “respect, empathy, connection, and kindness.” At no time, however, did Figini utter the term “cat.” God forbid anyone calls her that! Sanrio has already scolded anthropologist Christine Yano, from the University of Hawaii. Hello Kitty is also a U.N. representative in some campaigns and an ambassador for UNICEF. The company argues that Kitty is a girl “who lives in the suburbs of London, with her parents and her twin sister, Mimmy”, who is five apples tall and dreams of being a poet. The main argument for not considering her a feline is that it has never been seen on all fours and that “she walks and sits like a two-legged creature.” To which an article in The New Yorker, in 2014, answered that, of course, Mickey Mouse is not a mouse either, since he wears pants and has a pet dog, nor can Winnie the Pooh be a bear because of how fluently he speaks English.

There was also no room yesterday for other debates sparked by Hello Kitty. 10 years ago, Time magazine contained the main dilemma in the headline Return to the sexist past or icon of empowerment? For some, the character has improved the lives of millions of girls. As an alternative to Barbie’s American dominance, she made young Asian girls feel more included. She has spread Japanese kawaii (cute) culture, focused on kindness and happiness. In short, she has popularized the freedom to want to be cute and “feminine,” as the concept was historically understood, if one feels like it. And if that is not the case, then why did the combative punk band Pussy Riot adopt her as a symbol?

However, the patriarchy has always wanted women to be pretty and quiet, according to its opponents. Feminism has fought too hard to have a voice for Hello Kitty to drag it into silence. An editorial in The Japan Times in 2004 even criticized UNICEF’s use of her as a slogan to raise money for educational programs for girls: “Someone should explain how a mouthless cat can be the spokesperson for something, and how an image that embodies female submission can help break down gender stereotypes.”

The magnitude of the phenomenon, together with the issues it raises, offers a third position, in the middle ground: that Hello Kitty is just a pleasure, a hobby, without the need for further philosophizing. But there are already essays about the character, she is quoted in series like The Simpsons and The Office, she has series, movies, video games, albums and even a piece of university research considers whether she has in some way molded Taiwanese society.

The ardor with which dozens of fans looked for a recreation of the cat with which to have their photo taken at the end of the event and try her cupcakes attests to what Hello Kitty means. Although, a walk through the Bologna fair is enough to verify the power of certain children’s and youth icons.

Spiderman, Peppa Pig, and Geronimo Stilton are no longer just the stars of their plots, but also of contemporary culture. Decades ago, right here in Bologna, Harry Potter took off on his broom to stardom. The chairs at the Hello Kitty event had drawings of Pokémon. And, at this event, two other anniversaries are competing for the spotlight. 2024 is the 35th anniversary of the multicolored elephant Elmer and the 80th anniversary of the Moomins. The 50th birthday girl also had another unexpected rival in a gigantic version of the dog Bluey (another, more recent, children’s hero) who walked right in front of the cake tasting in honor of the cat. He even stole some followers. And he showed, of course, that he had not listened to Hello Kitty’s master class on friendship and kindness.

Although, for Figini, Hello Kitty is also a master in economics: “We were pioneers in starting collaborations in all categories.” Among the most recent, Primark, Bershka, Casio, and her renewed agreement with Adidas. It makes for another overwhelming list. Although, nothing was said about the $6.6 million fine that the European Commission imposed on Sanrio in 2019 for violating competition rules in its licensing policy. The company accepted the sanction without complaint.

Meanwhile, the party continues. The exhibitions in Asia and London will be followed by events in Cologne, Helsinki, and Rome and appearances at Paris and Milan fashion weeks. Wherever they need her, Hello Kitty goes. And she doesn’t even open her mouth to complain about the schedule. That’s what her motto is: “You can never have too many friends.” Such loyalty. How cute.

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