Hello Kitty at 30

Why We Still Love Her So

"Although Kitty may seem to be a single and consistent image, she has changed with the times," says Yuko Yamaguchi, who became the third chief designer of the Hello Kitty franchise some 20 years ago. "Besides," she continues, "sticking stubbornly to a static image would bore me, and what's more, it would bore the consumers. I constantly try to give Kitty a fresh angle." For instance, Yamaguchi reflects, "the first Kitty I ever designed was at the keyboard of a grand piano, very gingerly playing a single note. That was because all the middle-class Japanese girls at that time played the piano, and a grand piano was something they all longed for."

Hello Kitty
© Sanrio

In the early '80s, when Teddy bears were all the rage in Japan, Kitty was seen clutching a bear as her special friend. In 1987, after Yamaguchi received a letter from a high-school girl asking for "the sort of Kitty a grown-up could have," Kitty hit the shops in then-trendy black-and-white attire, and sales for this line went through the roof. The overwhelmed staff at Sanrio started consciously aiming to expand the target age group—and the rest, as they say, is history.

Another major event in Kitty's biography came at the beginning of the '90s when her boyfriend Daniel arrived on the scene. "It would have been unthinkable during the '80s when actresses and other women celebrities worked tirelessly to keep their love lives out of the public eye," Yamaguchi explains. "But with the '90s came the realization, especially among women, that it's only natural for female figures to have a partner." She hastens to add: "Although having said that, I was nonetheless extremely anxious." Despite everyone's worries, not only was Daniel warmly received by Kitty's fans, he helped extend the franchise into products related to wedding, maternity, and other couples-oriented projects and events.

Yamaguchi observes, "They say that Kitty survives the test of time because I did not draw a mouth, that consumers can project their own feelings onto her." But it is more than clear that the tireless effort Yamaguchi and her staff at Sanrio put into keeping Kitty in tune with the times plays a huge part. Their sensitive fingers on the pulse of trends and their readiness to incorporate these trends have certainly been key to the success of their cool cat thus far. Later this year on November 1 when the forever-youthful Hello Kitty turns 30, all of her parents will have good reason to celebrate.

Yuko Yamaguchi
Chief designer of Hello Kitty

After studying product design at Joshibi University of Art and Design, Yamaguchi joined the design department at Sanrio. She was chosen as the third chief designer of Hello Kitty in 1980 and has held the post ever since.

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