Hello Kitty turns 50 with new exhibition in Tokyo

Hello Kitty, one of the most loved Sanrio characters, is marking her 50th anniversary with a bang. A new exhibition marking the milestone opened in Tokyo's National Museum called 'As I change, so does she' on Nov. 1. The bubble-headed mouthless cat is going as strong as ever, popping up on everything from keychains and purses to McDonald’s Happy Meals. She cut the ribbon to open a new exhibition in Tokyo, looking back at five decades of her memorabilia. She (and it is a she, according to her creator Sanrio Co.) represents every prefecture in Japan, splashed on various regional products, snowflake-covered for northernmost Hokkaido, while a tropical Hello Kitty jumping out of a mango hails from the southern islands of Okinawa. Michiko Shimizu, a professor at Kansai University of International Studies, calls herself a "Kitt-ler," meaning a big fan of Hello Kitty. She bought a small purse for herself in 1975, which turned out to be the first merchandise of the character. "We counted the Hello Kitty items in my research room, including the goto-chi (localized) Kittys (in 2006). When we reached around a thousand, we had to stop," she says. "In general, I buy things that have Kitty-chan. My eraser is Kitty-chan, my pencil is Kitty-chan. I'm often asked (how many items I own) but it is countless." Hello Kitty’s success lies in that strategy of relatively unrestricted use in return for a licensing fee, being flexible and open to collaborations and third-party use. Sanrio operates amusement parks and stores, and makes films, video games and publications, all with references to Hello Kitty galore. The Tokyo-based company’s concept is: “minna nakayoku,” which means, “everyone gets along,” a fitting description for the way it runs its business. The way Sanrio puts it: “Spreading the circle of happiness.” "Kitty-chan's strength is that she is a mere design, I think. Of course, there is a rough profile, but that is something created later and it is not that significant. That simple design—with a round face, and a button-like nose, a big bow and no mouth—makes it possible for her to be anything. She is accepted by various generations and countries," says Shimizu. This article was provided by The Associated Press.