PURRaffection

You have probably seen Hello Kitty merchandise on sale, and may even be a fan, but do you know where the brand originates?  As the name implies, the brand is based around a cat character, the original Kitty is part of a Japanese cartoon, produced by the Sanrio Company and designed by Yuko Shimizu.  The brand has become extremely popular since the cartoon was first introduced in 1975, and around the cartoon, a plethora of merchandise has arisen, some of which are considered collectors’ items.

The main character is purported to be a female bobtail cat, from Eastern Asia, she is depicted as white, and normally has a bow in her hair, frequently her bow is red, and she sports a red dress.  There is much dispute amongst Hello Kitty fans as to her exact origin – within the cartoon, not the origins of her creation.  It is commonly believed that she was born in the suburbs of London, England, on the 1st of November 1974.  However, the original creative team behind the brand put her place of birth as Sanrio, Japan, and the birth date is correct.  

When the cartoon was first broadcast, it was very well received, so much so, in fact, that it was not long after, that her first item of merchandise was put on sale.  In 1975, the Sanrio Company produced kitsch style, vinyl purses, with the cartoon character appearing upon them, the following year, 1976, and following much success, the items were exported to the US market, where, again, they were very well received.  From this early merchandise, has spawned a plethora of subsequent  Hello Kitty commodities, indeed, it is even possible to have credit cards with her picture emblazoned upon them. The original manufacturers of this brand of merchandise, are still in the business today, and ship their goods worldwide; you can find items from as far afield as Tokyo and Timbuktu.

So popular is the brand, among many different types of people (although she is a particular favourite of little girls the world over), that the trademark makes anything from between £1 billion to £4 billion ever year! It is fair to say, that as a brand mark, it has a cult following, this is evident in the masses of paraphernalia that can be bought with this humble bobtail cat featured the star in show, items including: bags, purses, make-up, cards, clothing, toys, alarm clocks, computer accessories, and much, much, more.

A defining characteristic of the cartoon character is that she is normally depicted without a mouth!  This is an extremely clever marketing tactic, used by the manufacturer as a psychological device to ensure that people become attached to her as a brand, according to them, the absence of a mouth makes it easier for people to project their feelings upon the character and to, therefore, develop a sense of empathy!