Hello Kitty designer bows out after 40 years in charge

TOKYO – The flamboyant designer behind Hello Kitty – the cute Japanese character that has become a global mega brand – is stepping down after more than four decades in charge of her look.

Ms Yuko Yamaguchi has been responsible since 1980 for the design of Kitty, who is officially not a cat but a little girl from London, overseeing her rise to the epitome of Japan’s “kawaii” – cute – soft power.

But now Ms Yamaguchi, who often wore Kitty-style dresses in public and piled her hair in buns – has passed the baton to the next generation, Sanrio, the company behind the character, said on its website on Feb 10.

The company said new designer Aya – a pseudonym – was due to start by the end of 2026.

Ms Yamaguchi “listened to the voices of fans, actively collaborated with artists and designers from Japan and abroad and has grown Hello Kitty into a character loved by everyone”, Sanrio said, as it thanked her for her work.

Hello Kitty started life as an illustration on a vinyl coin purse.

It has since appeared on tens of thousands of products – everything from handbags to rice cookers – and has secured lucrative tie-ups with Adidas, Balenciaga and other top brands.

The phenomenon shows no sign of slowing, with a Warner Bros. movie in the pipeline and a new Hello Kitty theme park due to open in 2027 on China’s tropical Hainan island.

Unlike other

Japanese cultural exports such as Pokemon

or Dragon Ball, there is minimal narrative around the character, whose full name is Kitty White.

She has a twin sister Mimmy, a boyfriend called Dear Daniel and a pet cat of her own, Sanrio says. She loves her mother’s apple pie and dreams of becoming a pianist or poet. AFP