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 Hello Kitty is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white
Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought
to the United States in 1976. The character is a staple of the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. At age 36 as of 2010, Sanrio has
groomed Hello Kitty into a global marketing phenomenon worth $5 billion a year.
Originally aimed at pre-adolescent females, Hello Kitty's market has broadened to include adult consumers. She can be found on a variety of
products ranging from school supplies to fashion accessories and high-end consumer products. Several Hello Kitty TV series, targeted towards
young children, have been produced. Hello Kitty is also the main character at the two Japanese Sanrio theme parks, Harmonyland and the indoor
Sanrio Puroland.
To learn more about Hello Kitty today, explore our website. Check out the stores, read some customer reviews and learn about our programs. You can also visit our investor relations and PR sites to review our last annual report and read recent announcements about partnerships and product launches.
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