Sanrio, the company that created Hello Kitty, originally started as the Yamanashi Silk Center Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan. According to Sanrio, the company started as a silk manufacturing company in 1960 and did not get the name “Sanrio” until 1969, when the company changed its goal to making greeting cards and took on the name “Sanrio Greeting Co., Ltd.”. The company did not even start making characters until 1973. The first character was Coro-chan. Then, in 1974, Hello Kitty first debuted, along with characters Patty and Jimmy. Hello Kitty’s first appearance was on a vinyl coin purse, which was shown to the public around 1975. The vinyl coin purse contained Hello Kitty sitting between a bottle of milk and a goldfish bowl. The purse became a craze, immediately selling out and driving substantial sales for Sanrio. This small coin purse led to the creation of one of the most popular cartoon characters ever and led to the Hello Kitty craze of the 21st century.

Now, Sanrio has quickly become more popular and more expensive than ever before. Hello Kitty is everywhere imaginable. But why? Her kawaii culture design, as well as her Westernization, has resulted in teenagers going wild at the sight of her, especially in the U.S. Companies are now using Hello Kitty to target worldwide trends such as a rise in Hello Kitty skincare, which has become one of the biggest obsessions among teenage girls. Other collabs include Hello Kitty x Stanley cups, Hello Kitty-themed Dubai chocolate bars, and many other recent trends. Stores are now full of Hello Kitty merchandise. Elizabeth Colón, a staff reporter for Bronx High School of Science newspaper, The Science Survey, says that “These aesthetics — involving pastel colors and cute characters — have influenced a youthful wave of fashion, makeup, and overall presentation.” The creator of Hello Kitty has said that “‘The common thread running through all our various businesses is the idea of giving ‘from the heart’ and ‘of the heart.’” These words both show why and how Hello Kitty has grown so much, and why she will most likely keep growing.