She was born as a Japanese cartoon character in 1974. Today, she is the icon of a multimillion industry around the globe. Hello Kitty has, indeed, grown up.
What used to be an unassuming and simple cartoon character more than three decades ago is now a global phenomenon. She is now, among other things, a theme park, a TV series, and a restaurant. We remember her as the image emblazoned on many a schoolchildren’s school supplies, as well as the mark of thousands of teenagers’ knick-knacks. In fact, Hello Kitty has been synonymous with juvenile bling-bling.
‘Ms. Kitty has come a long way from her Japanese homeland. Christian Dior, Cynthia Rowley, Betsey Johnson and Kimora Lee Simmons have all hopped on the Hello Kitty pop icon bandwagon over the years, whisking the kitten around the world in high style.’
Hello Kitty has also grown into a chic style icon. ‘Betsey Johnson designed a flashy, three-tiered pink dress’ in honor of her 30th birthday. ‘Cynthia Rowley created a simple yet classic Hello Kitty design for an Airstream trailer.’
In 2004, Kimora Lee Simmons started a collaboration with her. According to Simmons, “I thought how can we make this bigger and better than just some little notepad?” ‘Simmons, designer for Baby Phat and Simmons Jewelry Co., crafted a line of high-end jewelry featuring Hello Kitty’s face plated in diamonds and platinum, selling the top-dollar designs at tony stores such as Neiman Marcus. To those unfamiliar with the lure of the brand, the success of the jewelry has been surprising, but not for the model-mom-mogul.’
Among those who got enamored with the chic Ms. are Paris Hilton, Kelly Ripa, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Tyra Banks, and even Iman.
She has a ‘multi-week extravaganza’ for a birthday party in Los Angeles, a far distance from her homeland Japan. ‘The wave of celebrations — including a sushi workshop, karaoke night and a Halloween party over the last few days — suggests that Sanrio’s little kitty has come a long way from her early years as a schoolgirl obsession.’
Lady Gaga in Hello Kitty
