Hello Kitty turned 50 on Friday. Befitting a pop icon at midlife, the bubble-headed, bow-wearing character’s fictional ...

For fifty years, her facial features have largely remained unchanged. But as Sanrio illustrator Yuko Yamaguchi, who oversaw ...

Hello Kitty is now 50. Befitting a pop icon at midlife, the bubble-­headed, bow-wearing character’s fictional birthday has ...

Unlike Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, Hello Kitty didn’t start as a cartoon ... Part of the confusion stems from a misunderstanding ...

Unlike Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, Hello Kitty didn’t start ... Part of the confusion stems from a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which is Japanese for “cute” but also connotes a lovable ...

But first, more on the origin story. Unlike Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, Hello Kitty didn’t start as a cartoon. A young Sanrio illustrator named Yuko Shimizu drew her in 1974 as a decoration for ...