麻豆影视

Lifestyle

    • At 50, Hello Kitty is as 'kawaii' and lucrative as ever

    A Hello Kitty figure welcomes visitors at Sanrio Puroland during her 50th birth anniversary celebrations in Tama, a western suburb of Tokyo, Japan, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) A Hello Kitty figure welcomes visitors at Sanrio Puroland during her 50th birth anniversary celebrations in Tama, a western suburb of Tokyo, Japan, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
    Share
    TOKYO -

    Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday. Befitting a pop icon at midlife, the bubble-headed, bow-wearing character's fictional birthday has brought museum exhibits, a theme park spectacle and a national tour. And that's just in Japan, her literal birthplace but not the one listed in her official biography.

    Confused? Welcome to the party. If there's one thing about Hello Kitty, it's that she's proven adaptable and as much a study in contrasts during her long career. She 鈥 and Kitty is a she, according to the company that owns her 鈥 may have been conceived as a vessel for the feelings of others, but some women see an empowering symbol in her mouthless face.

    鈥淪hrewd鈥 is how Mika Nishimura, a design professor at Tokyo鈥檚 Meisei University, describes the way Hello Kitty conquered the worlds of commerce, fashion and entertainment. As a tabula rasa open to interpretation, the non-threatening creation was the perfect vehicle for making money, she said.

    鈥淎merican feminists have said she doesn't say anything and acquiesces to everyone. But in Japan, we also see how she may appear happy if you're happy, and sad if you're feeling sad," Nishimura told The Associated Press. "It's a product strategy that's sheer genius. By being so adaptable, Kitty gets all those collaborative deals.鈥

    The character's semicentennial is evidence of that. Sanrio, the Japanese entertainment company that holds the rights to Hello Kitty鈥檚 name and image, kicked off the festivities a year ago with an animation account on TikTok, Roblox games and an avatar for the social networking app Zepeto.

    There have been anniversary editions of merchandise ranging from pet collars, cosmetics and McDonald's Happy Meals to Crocs and a Baccarat crystal figurine. A gold coin pendant with the image of Hello Kitty holding the number 50 is selling for about 120,000 yen (US$800), while a Casio watch costs 18,700 yen (US$120).

    But first, more on the origin story.

    Unlike Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, Hello Kitty didn鈥檛 start as a cartoon. A young Sanrio illustrator named Yuko Shimizu drew her in 1974 as a decoration for stationery, tote bags, cups and other small accessories. The design made its debut on a coin purse the next year and became an instant hit in Japan.

    As Hello Kitty's commercial success expanded beyond Asia, so did her personal profile. By the late 1970s, Sanrio revealed the character's name as Kitty White, her height as five apples tall and her birthplace as suburban London, where the company said she lived with her parents and twin sister Mimmy.

    鈥淭he main theme of Hello Kitty is friendship. When I first created it, I made a family of which Kitty was a part. But then Hello Kitty started to appear in other settings as the character grew,鈥 Shimizu told the BBC in June. 鈥淪anrio put a lot of effort into building the brand into what it is today.鈥

    At some point, Sanrio designated Kitty's birthday as Nov. 1, the same as Shimizu's. Her background was embellished with hobbies that included playing piano, reading and baking. Her TV appearances required co-stars, including a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty that made its debut 20 years ago.

    But Hello Kitty's 40th birthday brought an update that astonished fans. Sanrio clarified to a Los Angeles museum curator that Kitty, despite her feline features, was a little girl. A company spokesperson repeated the distinction this year, renewing debate online about the requirements for being considered human.

    鈥淪he is supposed to be Kitty White and English. But this is part of the enigma: Who is Hello Kitty? We can't figure it out. We don't even know if she is a cat," art historian Joyce S. Cheng, a University of Oregon associate professor, said. "There is an unresolved indeterminacy about her that is so amazing.鈥

    Part of the confusion stems from a misunderstanding of 鈥渒awaii,鈥 which is Japanese for 鈥渃ute鈥 but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence. Sanrio recruited Shimizu and other illustrators to create 鈥渒awaii鈥 characters at a time when cute, girlish styles were popular in Japan. But the word is used often in Japanese society, and not only to describe babies and puppies.

    An elderly man, something as innocuous as an umbrella, a subcompact car or a kitchen utensil, or even a horror movie monster can get labeled 鈥渒awaii.鈥 By Western standards, the idea may seem embarrassingly frivolous. But it鈥檚 taken seriously in Japan, where the concept is linked with the most honorable instincts.

    The complexity of 鈥渒awaii鈥 may help explain Hello Kitty's enduring appeal across generations and cultures, why Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne released a song titled 鈥淗ello Kitty鈥 a decade ago, and why Britain's King Charles wished Hello Kitty a happy 50th birthday when he hosted Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at Buckingham Palace in June.

    Although Hello Kitty may seem to embody the self-sacrificing woman stereotype, it鈥檚 revealing that three women have served as the character's chief designers at Sanrio. Yuko Yamaguchi, who has held the role since 1980, is credited with keeping the character both modern and timeless, giving Kitty black outfits or false eyelashes as trends dictated but never removing the bow from her left ear.

    鈥淗ello Kitty, this cultural object, has something to tell us about the history of women in East Asia, and how East Asian women modernized themselves and became professional citizens in a modern society,鈥 the University of Oregon's Cheng said.

    Sanrio has come up with hundreds of creatures, all adorable and cuddly, but none with the lasting power of Hello Kitty. Forget the understated wabi-sabi aesthetic historically associated with Japan. A chameleon-like cat-girl who reflects unabashed kitsch is the cultural ambassador of a consumer-crazed, happy-go-lucky nation.

    鈥淚t鈥檚 the anti-wabi sabi, wanting to be as flashy and as bling-bling as possible, like Lady Gaga. In your face, but that鈥檚 actually part of the genius, too. It鈥檚 powerful,鈥 Cheng said.

    Leslie Bow, a professor of English and Asian American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that while many Asian and Asian American women see Hello Kitty as a symbol of defiance, the protective, caretaking instinct aroused by 鈥渒awaii鈥 isn't without power.

    鈥淲e take care of our siblings, our babies, our pets, because we are in control. We control their actions. And so that is also the dark side of cute,鈥 Bow said.

    Sanrio has taken advantage of the character's adaptability by allowing relatively unrestricted use of her image in return for a licensing fee.

    Just about anything goes for the wee whiskered one, from a growing global empire of Sanrio-sanctioned Hello Kitty cafes to an 鈥渁ugmented reality鈥 cellphone app that shows Kitty dancing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, London's Big Ben and other tourist landmarks.

    On the unsanctioned side, Hello Kitty even has shown up on guns and vibrators.

    During a presentation earlier this year in Seoul, Hello Kitty designer Yamaguchi said one of her unfulfilled goals was finding a way 鈥渢o develop a Hello Kitty for men to fall in love with as well.鈥 But she's still working on it.

    鈥淚 am certain the day will come when men are no longer embarrassed to carry around Hello Kitty," entertainment news site Content Asia quoted Yamaguchi as saying.

    Leff reported from London. Berenice Bautista in Mexico City contributed reporting.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.

    An appeal has been denied to extend the sentence of an Ontario trucker who killed a woman in his Edmonton hotel room in 2011.

    A landlord from B.C.鈥檚 Lower Mainland who evicted a longtime tenant only to rent out the same unit months later for more money has been ordered to compensate him $16,480.

    More than 44 years after human remains were found in a rural area of Markham, Ont., police are revealing that the deceased was an inmate who had escaped prison just a month before his body was found.

    Manitoba RCMP are looking for more information after the remains of an infant were identified.

    Canada

    • Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is slamming the province's plan to unilaterally remove bike lanes along some of the city's major streets, calling it 'arbitrary' while warning that it could ultimately make congestion worse.

    • An appeal has been denied to extend the sentence of an Ontario trucker who killed a woman in his Edmonton hotel room in 2011.

    • Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.

    • New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone's all-expenses-paid trip to Dubai for a climate conference last December violated the city's Code of Conduct for Council Members and the Community Charter, the city's ethics commissioner has ruled.

    • Manitoba RCMP are looking for more information after the remains of an infant were identified.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • A Windsor teen鈥檚 social media post showing off a distinctive Windsor pizza topping has gone viral, drawing millions of views worldwide and sparking new curiosity about Windsor-style pizza.

    • Thieves steal 2 Warhol prints, damage others in Dutch gallery heist

      Thieves blew open the door of an art gallery in the southern Netherlands and stole two works from a famous series of screen prints by American pop artist Andy Warhol and left two more badly damaged in the street as they fled the scene of the botched heist, the gallery owner said Friday.

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    A Windsor teen鈥檚 social media post showing off a distinctive Windsor pizza topping has gone viral, drawing millions of views worldwide and sparking new curiosity about Windsor-style pizza.

    Auston Matthews has come face to face with his look-alike. On Thursday, the Maple Leafs star met seven-year-old Grayson Joseph, who went viral for dressing up as an Auston Matthews hockey card.

    A Halifax junk remover shares some of his company鈥檚 strangest discoveries.

    When Leah arrived at work directing traffic around a construction site, she never expected to see a van painted in all sorts of bright colours, and covered in eclectic decorations, including a stuffed moose attached to its roof.

    After 14 years of repairing and selling bicycles out of the garage of her home, a Guelph, Ont. woman鈥檚 efforts have ended 鈥 for now, at least.

    Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.

    Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.

    New Brunswicker Jillea Godin鈥檚 elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as requests from celebrities for their own pieces.

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    • New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone's all-expenses-paid trip to Dubai for a climate conference last December violated the city's Code of Conduct for Council Members and the Community Charter, the city's ethics commissioner has ruled.

    • The City of Vancouver says the remaining seven residents of an encampment at a Downtown Eastside park have a week to pack up their belongings and leave, or they must remove their tents each day as the area returns to regular daytime use.

    • A B.C. Supreme Court judge has granted an order to establish a buffer zone around one of the province's largest Sikh temples this Saturday in advance of expected confrontations between protesters and Indian consular officials.

    • Police arrested two people in downtown Toronto Friday afternoon in connection with a stolen vehicle investigation that resulted in a chase, which was captured on video.

    • Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.

    • Drake has released a new music video for his track 'No Face,' and Scarborough residents will likely know exactly where it was filmed.

    • A CN train derailed near Beiseker, Alta., on Friday morning.

    • The Calgary Real Estate Board says October home sales were mostly flat compared with last year's levels, but remained around one-quarter higher than long-term trends for the month.

    • The iconic Prairie rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive announced a spring 2025 cross-country tour Friday that includes two Calgary concerts, April 11 and 12, at the Grey Eagle Casino.

    • EXCLUSIVE

      EXCLUSIVE

      Internal documents show the National Capital Commission struggled to maintain the ice on the Rideau Canal Skateway last winter and took what it called a 'manageable risk' to lower their standards for what qualifies as thick enough ice in order to squeeze a few more skating days into the season.

    • The Crown has dropped charges against a woman who was filmed pulling another woman's hijab down during a protest at Ottawa City Hall.

    • Ottawa paramedics say a child suffered non-life threatening injuries after being struck by a driver on Viewmount Drive Friday afternoon.

    • Public transit users in Montreal were faced with service disruptions on two fronts on Friday as part of the REM and the green line on the Metro were shut down.

    • More than 150 cars have been stolen so far this year from the Fairview Pointe-Claire parking lot, making it by far the most popular location for thieves on the Island of Montreal.

    • The office of the registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada was served with a legal notice on Friday by a Quebec civil rights group challenging the high court's steadfast refusal to translate its historic decisions into French.

    • An appeal has been denied to extend the sentence of an Ontario trucker who killed a woman in his Edmonton hotel room in 2011.

    • Police have issued a warrant for a man in connection with a stabbing in Wetaskiwin earlier this week.

    • Alberta has a new team of sheriffs the province says will help address rural crime.

    • Nova Scotia's premier is apologizing after a court criticized his government for what it calls a flawed, discriminatory and unfair process that led to two women being rejected for coverage of out-of-province treatments.

    • A 19-person cabinet has been announced in New Brunswick, the day before Saturday鈥檚 swearing-in for the premier and ministers.

    • A measles outbreak has been declared in New Brunswick鈥檚 Zone 3, which includes Fredericton and the upper Saint John River Valley.

    • Manitoba RCMP are looking for more information after the remains of an infant were identified.

    • Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is not making any commitments on possible new municipal taxes in Winnipeg.

    • A 25-year-old man has been charged with multiple offences after he allegedly shot another man with a shotgun during a dispute at a North End home last month.

    • Swift Current RCMP are looking for two men after a 'serious assault' in the city early Tuesday morning.

    • Those who heat their homes with electricity in Saskatchewan will continue to see a 60 per cent reduction on their federal carbon tax charge, according to SaskPower.

    • The Regina Police Service (RPS) is asking the public for tips after a home in the North Central neighbourhood was shot at early Thursday morning.

    • Erick Buhr, the man accused of killing his grandmother, Viola Erb, is now representing himself at his second degree murder trial.

    • Waterloo Regional Police are putting out a stern reminder about fireworks safety after a concerning display in Breslau.

    • A Guelph man is facing assault charges after a stabbing in downtown Guelph.

    • SaskPower has been ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for violating workplace safety rules, but the victim won't receive any of the money.

    • A newly elected Saskatchewan Party government got back to work on Thursday, with returning and new government members meeting for the first time.

    • A 50-year-old Dundurn, Sask. man has been arrested and charged with child pornography offences following an online investigation that began in September.

    • With the surging number of homeless encampments in Ontario cities, Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre has joined other big city mayors in asking the province to back them up when they try and prohibit encampments.

    • Two males, including one young offender, were arrested Thursday evening after a shooting at a grocery store on Notre Dame Avenue in Sudbury.

    • Police in northern Ontario say a razor blade was found in a child's candy on Halloween night.

    • The London Fire Department said a blaze that destroyed a south London townhouse Friday may have been caused by a dog left home alone.

    • Since August 2023, detectives from the Niagara Regional Police Service have been investigating an allegation of sexual assault by a man against a 15-year-old girl.

    • Nine people have been certified as candidates to fill the vacant seat on Kincardine council, following the untimely passing of Doug Kennedy.

    • An Ontario woman is facing serious charges after police allege she pretended to be a registered nurse at several Simcoe County facilities, despite being unqualified.

    • One man has been charged following a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 400 that caused traffic backups for hours on Thursday.

    • Michael L鈥橢nfant, accused of violent sexual assaults, was granted bail on Friday with conditions, including to not have contact with females.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Windsor police have charged a 25-year-old man with first-degree murder in the death of a 69-year-old man in south-central Windsor.

    • A Michigan man is set to stand trial next year in connection to the first-degree murder of a Windsor woman.

    • Windsor police are on scene of an active investigation in the 1200 block of Central Avenue.

    • Police on southern Vancouver Island are issuing a warning about the dangers of deer rutting season after a dog was gored to death by a buck earlier this week.

    • A B.C. Supreme Court judge has granted an order to establish a buffer zone around one of the province's largest Sikh temples this Saturday in advance of expected confrontations between protesters and Indian consular officials.

    • Concerns are growing about British Columbia鈥檚 local economy as the possibility of another province-wide labour disruption at ports looms.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • The University of Lethbridge Pronghorn Athletics Annual Safe Ride Home campaign is making a return this year, but with a new name.

    • A three goal outburst in the first period of Wednesday night鈥檚 game against the Swift Current Broncos was all the Hurricanes need on their way to 3-1 win at home against the Swift Current Broncos.

    • A 27-year-old security guard has been charged after an incident where a bar patron sustained life-threatening injuries.

    • A 40-year-old suspect has been charged with sexual assault following an incident Wednesday in Sault Ste. Marie.

    • Juanita Migwans 鈥 or 'Winnie,' as her family calls her 鈥 of M'Chigeeng First Nation has been missing for almost a month.

    • The City of Greater Sudbury has been chosen to host the Ontario 55+ Summer Games next year.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆影视. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视