Hey Kitty doesn’t look her age. And regardless of lately turning 50, she is exhibiting no indicators of slowing down.
In 2025, the Japanese character – value round US$4 billion (£3.1 billion) a yr to the corporate that owns her – is because of star in a live-action film. A brand new amusement park and resort are additionally deliberate.
Her fiftieth yr has been celebrated at occasions in Japan, Singapore, the US and the UK, the place she obtained a birthday message from King Charles at a state banquet in Buckingham Palace.
Fairly the celebration then, for a personality with two black-dotted eyes, no mouth and a yellow button nostril. Designed in 1974 by Yuko Shimizu (who is just not believed to have made a lot cash from her creation), Hey Kitty first appeared on a transparent, vinyl coin purse – and has since grown right into a merchandise empire consisting of over 50,000 completely different gadgets bought throughout 130 international locations.
Hey Kitty’s longevity is partly right down to her inherent simplicity. When it comes to design, she consists of some primary shapes, six brief marks for whiskers, and a purple bow. She is simple to recognise and low-cost to breed.
The character additionally epitomises “Kawaii”, the Japanese time period for cute. Based on Professor Joshua Dale, a pioneer within the discipline of “cuteness studies”, perceiving objects as cute triggers psychological instincts for care and safety.
Toys at an exhibition on ‘cute culture’ at Somerset Home, London.
EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL
With Hey Kitty, youngsters relate to the small, rounded character as being secure. Like others (see Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and lots of, many extra), she gives a way of innocence and luxury, which attracts followers from an early age – and proceed into maturity amongst these eager for nostalgia.
A part of this comes right down to individuals’s abiding enthusiasm for anthropomorphism – the notion of endowing animals and different non-humans with human-like traits. Some would argue that that is additionally a key factor of the infantilisation of society extra typically.
Hey Kitty additionally has an simply relatable storyline that resonates with shoppers. Based on her biography, Hey Kitty – full identify Kitty White – is a cheerful little lady (so formally not truly a cat) who lives within the suburbs of London together with her household. She is described as being “five apples tall” and “three apples” in weight. She apparently likes to bake cookies, and her different hobbies embody travelling, listening to music and making new buddies.
Company kitty
However away from the baking and friend-making, Hey Kitty has a really severe enterprise aspect to her character. Sanrio, the Japanese agency that owns her, has employed some astute methods to construct and maintain such a profitable model.
Collaborating with different companies has been an enormous a part of this. In 1996, Sanrio launched started its first collaboration with an electronics retail chain in Hong Kong. However issues actually developed three years later when the corporate joined up with McDonald’s to supply a Hey Kitty meal deal.
The promotion began a craze in Hong Kong with comparable success in Taiwan, Japan and Singapore – the place the launch in 2000 led to large queues and even fights. Clients reportedly threw away the hamburgers as they have been solely within the particular version marriage ceremony design toy set that includes Hey Kitty and her boyfriend Expensive Daniel.
This yr, a fiftieth anniversary assortment of McDonald’s toys in Singapore rapidly bought out and have been quickly being resold on-line.
Elsewhere, the industrial success of Hey Kitty has been linked to licensed collaborations with massive manufacturers together with Nike, Adidas, Crocs and the Italian style label Blumarine.
Hey Kitty bullet prepare in Japan.
Malcolm Fairman/Shutterstock
Hey Kitty merchandise have progressed from stationery and stickers to microwave ovens, toasters and vacuum cleaners. She has appeared on Fender Stratocaster electrical guitars and Swarovski jewelry.
There are additionally two formally licensed theme parks in Japan, Sanrio Puroland (in Tokyo) and Harmonyland (in Ōita), with one other as a result of open on China’s Hainan island in 2025.
And so as to add to the animated sequence and movies, comics, books and video video games, subsequent yr Hey Kitty will observe in Barbie’s footsteps and seem in a (partly) live-action film produced by Warner Bros. The co-director of the movie, Jennifer Coyle, says the discharge will “spread the message of love, friendship and inclusivity that Hello Kitty stands for”.
But regardless of all of those initiatives, Sanrio is diversifying away from the character. Hey Kitty now accounts for 60% of the corporate’s enterprise in North America (it was 99% in 2013) and simply 30% worldwide. Different characters are transferring on to Kitty’s patch.
Based on the Sanrio 2024 character recognition rating, Hey Kitty occupies fifth place, with Cinnamoroll (a canine with pink cheeks) sitting on the high.
Different youthful creations equivalent to Gudetama (an apathetic egg yolk) and Aggretsuko (an offended purple panda) mark a notable shift from Sanrio’s emphasis on cute characters in the direction of ones which replicate social considerations. Aggretsuko, for instance, faces gender discrimination, social nervousness and a poor work-life steadiness. Gudetama displays the struggles and aspirations of younger individuals in Japan.
However as new characters come and go, Hey Kitty’s acquainted expression will little doubt stay unchanged, because it has for 50 years. An inscrutable gaze wanting again on 5 a long time of unimaginable industrial success.
