But, what’s Hello Kitty’s origin story? Let’s cut a long story short. Created by Sanrio employee Yuko Shimizu in 1974, Hello Kitty did not – as many imagine – begin life as a cartoon.

It’s 50 years since the creation of one of the world’s most recognisable characters, Hello Kitty. In 1974, a 24-year-old Japanese illustrator called Yuko Shimizu put pen to paper to draw the ...

Total sales for open-world adventure game Hello Kitty Island Adventure have surpassed 500,000 units just 30 days after its ...

A gold coin pendant with the image of Hello Kitty holding the number 50 is selling for about 120,000 yen ($800), while a Casio watch costs 18,700 yen ($120). But first, more on the origin story.