Fifty years ago in March 2025, the Japanese company Sanrio introduced Hello Kitty to the world. Designed by Yuko Shimizu, the familiar anthropomorphised cat character has transcended cult status and ...

But a spokesman for Sanrio Tokyo, the company behind Hello Kitty, today told the website Kotaku that saying Hello Kitty is not a cat might be taking it a bit far.

Don’t be deceived by her name or pointy ears. Hello Kitty is NOT a cat, according to the company that owns the cartoon, Sanrio.

The global rise of Hello Kitty, who turns 50 this year, tracks that of Japanese culture. What, then, does the next half-century of kawaii have in store?