Information AboutHello Kitty |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT HELLO KITTY | |
| disney channel shows | |
| fictional cats | |
| anime series | |
| toy brands | |
| sanrio characters | |
| british anime and manga characters | |
| 1974 introductions | |
|
is the most well-known of many Fictional Character s produced by the Japan ese company Sanrio . Hello Kitty was created in 1974 by the Sanrio Company of Japan in Tokyo, Japan. Registered in 1976, Hello Kitty is now a globally known Trademark . HISTORY Hello Kitty was originally to be named "Kitty White" (from one of the cats that Alice kept in the book '' Through The Looking-Glass '' by Lewis Carroll ), due to British culture being popular among Japanese girls at the time of her inception. However, this name was not adopted. When Hello Kitty's boyfriend "Dear Daniel" was created in 1999, designers took his name from the 1971 film '' Melody '', which starred Mark Lester as a character called Daniel and features songs by the Bee Gees . Hello Kitty's fictional world includes a whole array of friends and family members. Since 2004 she has even had a pet cat of her own called Charmmy Kitty and a pet Hamster called Sugar. Charmmy resembles Hello Kitty but has more cat-like features. Charmmy Kitty was given to Hello Kitty by her father, George White, and Sugar by Dear Daniel. HELLO KITTY'S RISING PROMINENCE Hello Kitty has been marketed in the United States from the beginning and has held the position of U.S. children's ambassador for UNICEF since 1983. The brand rose to greater prominence during the late 1990s when several celebrities such as Mariah Carey adopted Hello Kitty as a fashion statement. New products featuring the character can be found in virtually any American Department Store and Hello Kitty was once featured in an Advertising campaign of the retail chain Target . Many American celebrities have contributed to the character's popularity: was also seen wearing a Hello Kitty tie on Victoria Beckham 's show ' Coming To America '. Victoria commented on his fierce tie. Singer Lisa Loeb , who is marketing the pink Hello Kitty Guitar , has admitted to being a fan and has even dedicated a whole album in homage to Hello Kitty named '' Hello Lisa ''. "Scene queens" like Jeffree Star and Audrey Kitching can often be seen donning Hello Kitty apparel. She is also very popular with Scene Kids . AYUMI HAMASAKI X HELLO KITTY A merging of Hello Kitty and the famous Japanese female singer, Ayumi Hamasaki was first seen when the " Tour Of Secret " goods became available on Mu-mo on March 9th , 2007 . It is said they together "will make a new character". Ayumi is assumed to be depicted by the popular 'Ayu-pan' character ("Ayu-Pan" is short for "Ayumi Panda"), in which she has large eyes that are said to make her resemble a panda. All other information on the ''"Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty"'' project between Sanrio and Avex is currently unknown. It is also unknown if ''"Ayumi Hamasaki x Hello Kitty"'' will be released outside of Asia. Even more recently, Hello Kitty and Hamasaki have combined to produce products with two other major Japanese companies; ASH & DIAMONDS a famous jewelry and accessory designer, and Panasonic [http://www.ayumi-hamasaki.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4205 . The collaboration with ASH & DIAMONDS featured a cellular phone strap with Hello Kitty peeking from behind Hamasaki's A insignia, with a choice of either gold or silver for fans to choose from. The collaboration with Panasonic produced a decorated line of LUMIX brand cameras, with the same image of Hello Kitty and Hamasaki's insignia. It appears only to be available to members of TeamAyu; Hamasaki's fanclub. MERCHANDISE .]] Although originally aimed at the pre-adolescent Female market, the Hello Kitty logo now adorns products for all ages. Though a large proportion of the merchandise are stationery products, other goods range from foods and clothing to computers and cars and passenger jets {Link without Title} , and in Japan, its popularity has penetrated every aspect of Japanese daily life. In Japan, Hello Kitty is no longer viewed as merely for young girls, but is equally popular with teenagers and even adults who like the sweet, cute and girly image. This expanded market is reflected by the sale of Hello Kitty adult underwear and even wedding dresses. Hello Kitty items in the USA include luggage tags, posters, purses, cosmetics, stickers and jewelry. In addition, there are many stores selling only Hello Kitty merchandise. The very first product bearing Hello Kitty's image was a small clear vinyl coin purse which sold for 240 Yen (today, roughly US$ 2.27, or € 1.77). She is now a phenomenon adorning over 22,000 products and accounting for half of Sanrio's $1 billion yearly revenue. Electronic games Several electronic games have been produced where Kitty appears as the main character. These are some of them:
HELLO KITTY AS A CHARACTER Several Hello Kitty anime targeted towards young children have been produced. In the animated films made by Sanrio from 1977 to 1985, Hello Kitty has made cameo appearances in them (similar to Disney's Hidden Mickey techniques). The earliest Hello Kitty anime series known was the American-animated (co-produced with Japan) ''Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theatre'', which aired throughout 1987. This show, produced by Sanrio in cooperation with , and a Spanish -dubbed version also aired Saturday mornings on Univision . On USA television, the Japanese anime series ''Hello Kitty and Friends'' aired on CBS in 1991, and also ran on Toon Disney . On the show, Kitty is depicted as a little girl who lives with her mother, father, and twin sister Mimmy, who is identical to Kitty but has different colored clothes and wears her bow under the opposite ear. 13 episodes were produced, using animation produced as early as 1991. On Japan ese television, Hello Kitty (and pals) have starred in at least one Anime series of their own. ''Hello Kitty's Paradise'' ran for 16 episodes between 1993 and 1994. This version was released in English in 2000. This version, like "Hello Kitty and Friends", also aired on Toon Disney. Hello Kitty and friends also appeared in ''Hello Kitty's Animation Theatre'', which had Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters appearing in their versions of different fairy tales. Available in the U.S. from ADV Films (who also own the video/DVD rights to ''Hello Kitty and Friends'' & ''Hello Kitty's Paradise'') Since 2004 the little cat has been featured on a MasterCard Debit Card from Legend Credit Inc. The card was released to teach young girls how to shop and use a debit card. In 2006, it was announced Hello Kitty will be appearing in a new Japanese clay-animated series called ''Hello Kitty's Stump Village'' from Sanrio. At Anime Expo 2006, Geneon Entertainment announced that ''Hello Kitty's Stump Village'' was one of the series it licensed for U.S. release. Volume 1 was released in October, and Volume 2 was released in January. APPEARANCES WITH MOUTH Hello Kitty, as well as her family and friends, is generally depicted without a mouth, especially in merchandise. Her current designer says that she should have one because without, she lacks emotion. The official position of Sanrio is that she speaks from the heart, having no need of any particular language . Hello Kitty was depicted as having a mouth in a segment in the series Sanrio World Of Animation . However, it has been said that Hello Kitty does have a mouth, but it is not drawn, as the creators wanted Hello Kitty's emotions to be interpreted by the viewer. INSPIRATION Some claim that Hello Kitty was inspired by Miffy , or Nijntje in Dutch, created by the Dutch artist Dick Bruna in 1955. And some others claim that Hello Kitty was inspired by Musti , created by graphic artist Ray Goossens in 1945. Musti is a little Cat , living with his mother and father in a little house in a rural village, surrounded by a large garden with animals and trees. CULTURAL REFERENCES
PROFILE
MISCELLANEOUS
SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL LINKS AND REFERENCES
Articles
Promotional and marketing events |
|
|