Hello Kitty facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Hello Kitty
Sanrio character

First appearance	March 1975 (created 1974)
Created by	Yuko Shimizu
Voiced by	Megumi Hayashibara (1990–2023), others
Information
Species	Anthropomorphic cat
Gender	Female
Family	Mimmy (twin sister) George (father) Mary (mother) Anthony (grandfather) Margaret (grandmother) Charmmy Kitty (pet cat)
Nationality	British

Hello Kitty shop in Madrid

An in-flight meal with Hello Kitty

A train coach featuring Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty is a famous Japanese cartoon character. She is a cute cat created in 1974 by a Japanese company called Sanrio. Her full name is Kitty White.

Hello Kitty has a big head and usually wears a red bow between her ears. You might notice she doesn't have a mouth. Sanrio says she doesn't need one because she talks with her heart, not with a specific language. Hello Kitty is loved by people all around the world!

Hello Kitty became super popular with young girls in the 1980s. A famous Japanese singer, Kahara Tomomi, even said on TV how much she loved Hello Kitty. In the 1990s, more products were made for teenagers and young women. Later, in the 2000s, Hello Kitty even started to target boys and young men. For them, the character uses darker colors and a dark bow.

Hello Kitty is very successful. Her picture is on over 50,000 different products sold in many countries. Sanrio also has an amusement park called Puroland, which opened in 1990. Over 1.5 million people visit it every year! Hello Kitty has also been an animated character. For example, Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theatre was shown on United States television from 1987 to 1991.

Many famous stars, like Mariah Carey and Britney Spears, have been seen with Hello Kitty products. Hello Kitty is a great example of a Japanese Kawaii character. Kawaii means cute in English.

How Hello Kitty Was Created
About Hello Kitty's Character
Hello Kitty's Family and Friends
Hello Kitty in Media
Related pages
Images for kids
See also

How Hello Kitty Was Created

Yuko Shimizu was the first designer of Hello Kitty.

In 1962, Shintaro Tsuji started Sanrio. He began by selling rubber sandals with flowers on them. Tsuji noticed that adding cute designs made his products sell better. So, he hired artists to create cute characters for his items.

Hello Kitty was designed by Yuko Shimizu. She joined the group of early Sanrio characters in 1974. At first, Hello Kitty was just called "the white kitten with no name." Shimizu got the name Kitty from Lewis Carroll's book, Through the Looking-Glass. In the book, Alice plays with a cat she calls Kitty.

Sanrio's main idea is "social communication." Tsuji wanted the brand name to show this by including a greeting. He first thought of "Hi Kitty" before choosing "Hello Kitty." Sanrio decided to make Hello Kitty British because foreign countries, especially Britain, were very popular in Japan when she was created. Sanrio already had characters from the US, and they wanted Hello Kitty to be different.

In 1976, Setsuko Yonekubo briefly took over as the main designer for Hello Kitty. This happened after Shimizu left Sanrio. In 1980, Yuko Yamaguchi became the lead designer and has been in charge ever since. Yamaguchi says that fashion, movies, and TV inspire her new designs. New Hello Kitty collections with different themes are released regularly, following what's popular.

About Hello Kitty's Character

Hello Kitty is a gijinka, which means she is a human-like version of a Japanese Bobtail cat. Her official profile says her full name is Kitty White. She was born in the suburbs of London, England, on November 1st. She is described as being five apples tall and weighing three apples.

Hello Kitty is shown as a bright and kind-hearted girl. She is very close to her twin sister, Mimmy. She is good at baking cookies and loves her mom's homemade apple pie. She also enjoys playing the piano and collecting cute things. Her favorite school subjects are English, music, and art.

Hello Kitty has a big family with the last name White. Her twin sister, Mimmy, is described as "shy and very girly." Mimmy likes sewing and dreams of getting married. Hello Kitty wears a red bow on her left ear, while Mimmy wears a yellow one on her right. Their dad, George, is dependable and funny, but sometimes a bit forgetful. Their mom, Mary, is a great cook and loves doing housework. Grandpa Anthony likes to tell stories, and Grandma Margaret enjoys sewing.

Besides her family, Hello Kitty also has several animal friends. These include the mice Joey and Judy, the bears Tippy and Thomas, the raccoon Tracy, and the squirrel Rorry. Hello Kitty also has a boyfriend named Dear Daniel, a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty, and a pet hamster named Sugar. She even has a superhero alter-ego called Ichigoman.

Hello Kitty's Family and Friends

Mimmy White

Mimmy is Kitty White's twin sister. She wears a yellow ribbon on her right ear. Mimmy is known for being shy and very feminine.

Daniel Star

Daniel is Kitty's childhood friend. He was born on May 3rd. He is often called "Dear Daniel," just like "Hello Kitty." He has a sweet and emotional personality. His favorite foods are cheesecake and yogurt. Daniel is good at dancing and playing the piano. He hopes to become a photographer one day.

Mary White

Mary is the mother of Kitty and Mimmy. She is very generous and excellent at cooking, cleaning, and washing. Her birthday is September 14th.

George White

George is Kitty and Mimmy's father. He is a very reliable and funny man. His birthday is June 3rd.

Hello Kitty in Media

Animated Series

Hello Kitty has starred in several animated TV shows. The first was Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater, which had 13 episodes and started in 1987. Next, there was an OVA series called Hello Kitty and Friends. It had 30 parts released in Japan between 1989 and 1994.

Hello Kitty's Paradise came out in 1999 with 16 episodes. Hello Kitty's Stump Village was released in 2005. The Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends came out in 2008 and has 52 episodes. Sanrio also started streaming a new 2D animated series called Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures on YouTube in October 2020.

Comics

Hello Kitty has had two Japanese comic series. They were published in Ribon, a magazine for young girls. These were Hello Kitty Doki (from May 2007 to April 2008) and Hello Kitty Peace (released in June 2008).

In March 2016, Sanrio launched a webcomic about Hello Kitty as a superhero. She is a strawberry-themed hero called Ichigoman (ichigo means strawberry). The webcomic is created by Toshiki Inoue and Shakua Sinkai. New parts are released once a month. Ichigoman first appeared in 2011 in an art show by Yuko Yamaguchi.

Music

Hello Kitty has her own music album called Hello World. It features songs inspired by Hello Kitty. Artists like Keke Palmer, Cori Yarckin, and Ainjel Emme performed on it. The album was released under Hello Kitty's Lakeshore Records label.

Hello Kitty was also chosen by AH Software for a new Vocaloid character. This character is called Nekomura Iroha (猫村いろは, Nekomura Iroha). This was to celebrate Sanrio's 50th anniversary. Musician Yoshiki released the Hello Kitty theme song "Hello Hello" in November 2014. Yoshiki was the first celebrity to have his own Hello Kitty doll, called "Yoshikitty."

Video Games

Many Hello Kitty games have been released. The first game came out for the Famicom in 1992. However, most of these games were only released in Japan. Hello Kitty has also appeared in games with other Sanrio characters. For example, she was in the Keroppi game, Kero Kero Keroppi no Bōken Nikki: Nemureru Mori no Keroleen.

Special game consoles have also been released. These include the Hello Kitty Dreamcast, Hello Kitty Game Boy Pocket, and Hello Kitty Crystal Xbox. These were only available in Japan. Hello Kitty also appeared as a guest character in Sega's Sonic Dash in 2016. This was part of a partnership between Sega and Sanrio.

Hello Kitty and My Melody (another Sanrio character) appeared in Super Mario Maker. They were unlockable costumes. Hello Kitty is also a playable character in Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania through downloadable content.

Some Hello Kitty Video Games

Hello Kitty no Hanabatake (1992, Famicom): A platformer game.
Hello Kitty World (1992, Famicom): A Famicom version of Balloon Kid.
Hello Kitty's Big Fun Piano (1994, PC): A game that lets you play a piano.
Hello Kitty's Cube Frenzy (1998, Game Boy Color, PlayStation): A game with life simulation and mini-games.
DDR Hello Kitty (1999, Bemani Pocket): A handheld Hello Kitty game from the Dance Dance Revolution series.
The Hello Kitty Simple 1500 series (PlayStation): A series of low-priced games.
Hello Kitty: Happy Party Pals (2005, Game Boy Advance): An action/adventure game.
Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue (2005, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2): An action/adventure game.
Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams (2008, Nintendo DS): An adventure game where Hello Kitty moves to a big city.
Hello Kitty Daily (2008, Nintendo DS): A PDA app with a diary, calendar, and more.
Hello Kitty Online (2009, PC): An online game where players can create characters and battle monsters.
Hello Kitty Parachute Paradise (2009, iPhone/iPod Touch): An iPhone game using tilt controls.
Hello Kitty Seasons (2010, Wii): A game where you help Sanrio Town as Deputy Mayor.
Hello Kitty Kruisers (2014, iOS, Wii U, Nintendo Switch): A kart racing game with Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters.
Hello Kitty and Friends: Happiness Parade (2022, iOS and Android; 2023, Switch): A rhythm game.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure (2023, Apple Arcade): A cozy social simulation game on an island. This game won the Apple Arcade Game of the Year award in 2023.

Films

Three Hello Kitty anime films have been released in Japan. These include Hello Kitty: Cinderella (1989), Hello Kitty no Oyayubi Hime (1990), and Hello Kitty no Mahō no Mori no Ohime-sama (1991).

In 2015, Sanrio announced a full-length animated Hello Kitty movie for theaters. In 2019, it was shared that New Line Cinema would work with Sanrio on an English-language film. In 2021, Jennifer Coyle and Leo Matsuda were hired to direct the movie. Lindsey Beer was set to write the script.