Hello Kitty and her many accomplishments

Ever wonder how Hello Kitty came to be, and why is she so loved? Hello Kitty is one of Sanrio's many characters. Sanrio was started by Shintaro Tsuji as the Yamanashi Silk Company in 1960. The company produced a line of character merchandise and it wasn't until 1973 that the company was officially established under the name "Sanrio." The word Sanrio comes from "san" (meaning three in Japanese) and "río" (meaning river in Spanish"). He named the company Sanrio to unify the three rivers of the world. Why? I haven't come across this answer yet. Besides selling their famed character goods, Sanrio also takes part in movie production and publishing. Airing on TV Tokyo in Japan, and CBS in the United States in 1991, "The Adventure of Hello Kitty & Friends" is the first ever made Hello Kitty TV series animation in 3D. They also participate in the fast food industry, running a franchise of KFC in Saitama. They own the rights to the Peanuts characters in Japan and in 2002, they began a joint business with the Walt Disney Company for their greeting cards. Recently, Sanrio went Digital launching Sanrio Digital to expand its brand through the Internet, Online Games and Mobile Services such as Big City Dreams on Nintendo DS.

Hello Kitty was created in 1974, a white cat known for her button eyes, a red ribbon on her left ear, and no mouth. In the very beginning, Hello Kitty, did not have a name and was always pictured sitting down. Her creator decided to forgo a particular expression for Hello Kitty because she wanted Hello Kitty to reflect whatever emotion people were feeling as they looked at her. That's the reason why Hello Kitty does not have a mouth! By 1975, Hello Kitty was named and the Sanrio Company released its first Hello Kitty merchandise, a coin purse picturing Hello Kitty's family. Hello Kitty began to evolve over the years, seen in different poses, atmospheres, and clothing. In 1979, the Hello Kitty world uprooted and in the next year, this kitty sold more than a million watches attracting the young population. Further down the road, Hello Kitty didn't just evolve animatedly, but "Americanly". UNICEF awarded Hello Kitty the exclusive title of UNICEF Special Friend of Children and by receiving that award, Sanrio made hello kitty with a more US design. Trying to expand their audience even further, the black and white series attracted the rest of the grown-up populationby 1987. That same year, a more traditional Kitty design appeared on traditional Japan clothing, in school uniform, beach uniform, and wedding gowns.

None the less, as the years gone by, Sanrio never ceased to surprise the world with many different types of Hello Kitty merchandise and characters. Not only was Hello Kitty seen on accessories, but politically. Since 2004 Hello Kitty has been featured on a MasterCard debit card from Legend Credit Inc. The card was released to teach young girls how to shop and use a debit card. And the most interesting yet, May of 2008 named Hello Kitty the ambassador of Japanese tourism in China and Hong Kong. Hello Kitty has been around my entire life, and yet I can't seem to pinpoint the very reason why i love her so much.