Hello, Kitty

She's come a long way, baby!

Hello Kitty — Sanrio's international pop icon of cuteness — is 31, fabulous and worth a billion bucks. Women of all ages adore her, and other starlet cartoon characters want to be her. That's how purrfectly irresistible this feline is.

Since Hello Kitty's humble debut on Nov.1, 1974, Sanrio Co. Ltd., (her Japan-based parent company specializing in character-branded merchandise) has not been the same. Hello Kitty has generated more than 50 percent of the company's multi-billion dollar profits , and continues its steady success by keeping up with the latest trends marketed for ladies who grew up with the lovable creation.

"We look at what's going on in our customer's life cycle and we design products that make sense for that," explains Bill Hensley, Sanrio's U.S. marketing manager. "So, when she's 5 years old, she can go off to elementary school carrying that Hello Kitty lunch case, and when she's 25, she can go off to work carrying that Hello Kitty phone case."

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SANRIO

Hello Kitty Deluxe Diamond Wrist Watch in pink; $1,200.

Phyllis You, a gift-shop sales associate at the International District's Uwajimaya, confirms the local demand for the globally embraced Sanrio merchandise. "The Hello Kitty products remain popular because it appeals to various ages, both the old and the young," says You.

The fruitful marketing phenomenon started with a September 1974 drawing of a cat by a novice Japanese designer named Yuko Shimizu. The illustration found its way onto a small, 240-yen (less than $1 at that time) clear vinyl coin purse bearing the word "Hello!" in red letters above the cat's head. Thirty-one years later, Hello Kitty has good-naturedly clawed her way to the top. Her distinctive logo can be found on almost every item you can think of: candy and gum, cosmetics, beaded purses and wallets, wristwatches, t-shirts, bedding, overnight bags, boom boxes, mobile phones, personal CD players, karaoke machines, bowling balls, electric guitars, sandwich makers, popcorn poppers, pop-up toasters, dog apparel and accessories. In other words, pretty much all things handy, snazzy and fun.

"Sanrio has modernized traditional items and made it pretty," says Tian Zhang, also an Uwajimaya gift gift-shop sales associate. "There's a Hello Kitty item for everybody," ." she adds. And if Hello Kitty doesn't appeal to you, Uwajimaya carries merchandise featuring many of Sanrio's other lesser-known but nonetheless adorable characters, which include Badtz-Maru, Chococat, Cinnamoroll, Little Twin Stars, My Melody, Pochacco, Spottie Dottie, Tuxedo Sam and many more.

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SANRIO

Hello Kitty pop-up toaster; $36.99.

Hello Kitty's international cult-like status has translated into a huge celebrity following in the United States. Gwen Stefani and Big Boi were reportedly among the first to scoop up Sanrio's special-edition Nokia mobile phone, and Sarah Jessica Parker is a big fan of the trendy tops. Cameron Diaz has donned the funky portrait necklace designed by Tarina Tarantino, Madonna has shined her lips with the lip gloss, and even Oprah Winfrey was quite impressed with the sandwich maker that imprints Hello Kitty's fancy face on toasted bread. "No cuter sandwich press has ever existed in the history of humankind. That's just a fact," declares Oprah's magazine's "O."

Hello Kitty has also been featured in In Style Magazine, Vogue, CosmoGirl, Us Weekly, In Touch Magazine, Star Magazine, YM and other key fashion publications. The products are now sold in 60 countries, offering more than 50,000 assorted items worldwide. At least 100 to 300 additional new goods are developed each month.

Not all about the bottom line, this fanciful feline thoughtfully spent her big three-oh as a UNICEF ambassador, her third time so honored. Her friendly face is a big help with the organization's mission to improve the lives of children around the globe through immunization, education, health care, nutrition and other basic needs.

Fabulously lucrative and quintessentially hip, at 31, Hello Kitty is still the cat's meow. Look for her at Uwajimaya; the Sanrio boutiques in Bellevue Square, Alderwood Mall and The Commons at Federal Way (formerly SeaTac Mall); Character Corner in Southcenter Mall; Magic Mouse Toys; Fancy Town; Candy Tyme; Claire's Accessories; Trendy Wendy; Morning Glory; Target and at few unexpected places, like the Seattle Sunglass Co. in downtown Seattle.

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