The iconic Japanese character hello kitty will turn 50 on Friday and to celebrate on National Museum of Tokyo inaugurated this Wednesday a exposure which reflects the evolution during the last five decades of the universe that surrounds this cat with human appearance.
The origin of the world-famous hello kitty dates back to 1974, when the Japanese Yuko Shimizu included it in the design of a vinyl purse for the company Sanrio‘Le Petit Purse’, inspired by the cat from the book ‘Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There’, by Lewis Carroll.
The small purse was the first in a long line of products from ‘merchandising‘ of hello kitty ranging from more conventional varieties, such as stuffed animals, key chains, stickers or mugs, to the most original ones, such as hair dryers, televisions or spices, displayed in the National Museum from Tokyo.
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The exposurecalled ‘When I change, it changes Kitty‘, compiles the greatest variety of articles hello kitty never exhibited and aims to show how the character has adapted to the cultural changes that have taken place in the last 50 years.
Despite not having a very developed backstoryits success is global and it is because it has been part of people’s lives, especially their childhoods.
Precisely that aspect is what several artists they wanted to recreate for the exposure commemorative in the Japanese capital.
With paintings that show young people listening to music with cat-shaped helmets or tasting cakes that simulate their faces, among other scenes, with the idea of convey that kitty “He does what his fans do.”
Products of collaborations
- The exhibition also features products from collaborations of the famous character with multiple and varied brands, including Nike, New Era, Beams or McDonald’s, and the varieties of hello kitty for different prefectures Japan.
- According to its creators, hello kitty “he weighs three apples and is five apples tall”, he was born and lives in the suburbs of London, with his twin sister Mimmy, his parents and his pet Charmmy Kittyand is considered the first product of the popular Japanese ‘kawaii’ trend, which means ‘cute’ in the native language.
- Shimizu originally created the character seated, looking to the right and with a dark blue overalls and a red bow on her head that characterizes her, but until reaching her third and current official designer, the Japanese Yuko Yamaguchihis figure has adopted multiple poses and clothing.
hello kitty He is the most famous person in the company Sanriowhich also developed the well-known Choir Chan, My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, Keroppi or Pompompurin, although its original name is Kitty White.
It has no mouth because it aims to convey that “kindness and compassion must not only be spoken, but also shown with attitudes,” according to Sanrio.
Other details
Also ha sleepless other relevant personal details about the cat, such as the size of her head is proportional to that of the rest of her body or that her blood group is A.
She differs from her twin sister in the color of the bow that they both wear on their heads – that of hello kitty It’s red and Mimmy’s is yellow – and their parents are called George and Mary.
Although it is known throughout the world, its presence in Japan It is highly notable and ranges from accessories such as bags and backpacks visible on the streets of Tokyo to the “shinkansen” (Japanese bullet trains) decorated with its design or the Tokyo theme park. Sanrio Puroland, focused on this and other characters of the firm.
In this same year of its anniversary, the airline Taiwanese EVA Airways also began to “dress” with hello kitty the planes on its Taipei-Chicago (United States) route.
The exposure ‘When I change, it changes Kitty‘ can be seen in Tokyo from this Friday, November 1, the day he turns 50, until February 24, 2025, and then it will move to Okinawa (southern Japan), until May 11.
