Kitty Sanrio

Kitty Sanrio

The Wonderful World of Kitty White

The company wanted the artist to design a cute animal character to appeal to young girls, there plan was to sell vinyl purses with the image inscribed upon them, and to make lots of money – they succeeded, the vinyl purses are still in production, 36 years later, and the company has an annual turnover averaging two billion pounds!  Indeed, so popular is the brand, that it has become a global phenomenon, selling in more than 60 different countries worldwide.

There are many interesting facts about Kitty White.  She was born on the 1st of November 1974, in the suburbs of London – there is some argument surrounding her place of birth, as many people assume it to be Japan, but she is actually British.  There is much speculation about the reasons why the Japanese designers wished Kitty to be English, the most common explanation is that they loved the work of the famous British author Beatrix Potter, and her many animal friends, Peter Rabbit in particular.  Additionally, during the 1970s, all things British were much adored, and perhaps, and rather cynically, Sanrio believed that a cartoon, which epitomised British values, would be extremely popular – if that was the case for her British nationality, they were right!
Sanrio have created a whole world specifically for Kitty White.  She has a mother called Mary White, and a father called George White, a twin sister Mimmy White, grandparents, Anthony and Margret, and many, many, friends, including: Cathy, Tippy, Joey, Joey's girlfriend, Jodie, Tracey, Tiny Chum, Rory, Moley and Bear.  The White family lives in a cutesy little cottage, with a red roof, to match the bow above Kitty's left ear.  She even has some fun hobbies, according to the Sanrio website, she enjoys, music, eating, travelling, reading, cookies, but best of all, making friends.  She is in the third grade at school, where she meets up with all her friends.  Although there is much surrounding Hello Kitty, all her friends (Sanrio have created more than 300 friends for Kitty in total), her social life, etc, it is really only Kitty herself that is a global success – her friend Cathy is quite popular, though.

You have probably seen a fair number of products featuring Kitty White, but have you ever looked close enough to notice that she is rarely depicted with a mouth!  There are various reasons bandied around as to why, but when Hello Kitty was used as an ambassador for UNICEF, they said she made the perfect role-model, because she speaks with her heart – the universal language of love, and has no need for speech.

About the Author

If you are interested in purchasing Hello Kitty merchandise, then why not visit www.hellokitty4u.com, where you can peruse a fantastic collection of memorabilia.

Hello Kitty Sanrio Puroland