Her TV appearances required ... the lasting power of Hello Kitty. Forget the understated wabi-sabi aesthetic historically associated with Japan. A chameleon-like cat-girl who reflects unabashed ...

Hello Kitty is not a cat. She’s a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She’s never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature.

Born in Adelaide, Ms Kyriakopoulos says she first met Hello Kitty as a young girl, in her mother’s birth country, the Philippines. She says she was instantly spellbound. "I was nine years old ...

According to the company, Hello Kitty’s real name is Kitty White and she was born in England. She isn’t a cat. Instead she’s an eight-year-old girl and she has her own pet cat of her own ...