Hello Kitty, the cute, enigmatic character that adorns everything from handbags to rice cookers, turns 50 on Friday -- and is ...

TOKYO--Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday ... stems from a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which is Japanese for “cute” but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence. Sanrio recruited Shimizu ...

So as a child seeing everything cute and pink - it was just really nice." She says her love has in fact evolved over time, just like Hello Kitty has. "Initially, it was because it was something cute.

Yuko and her fellow illustrators had a simple brief centred around the word 'kawaii', meaning cute. (Photo: A replica of the first ever Hello Kitty product. Credit: Getty Images) Her design – a ...

Indeed, the adult market has become a huge part of Hello Kitty’s strategy. Originally conceived by illustrator Yuko Shimizu in 1974 at Sanrio, a Japanese company that specialised in adding cute ...