History as told by the people who were there
In 1974, a 24-year-old Japanese illustrator called Yuko Shimizu put pen to paper to draw the famous cartoon.Here’s everything you need to know about Hello Kitty.Listen to 'I designed Hello Kitty' on BBC SoundsIn 1974, Yuko Shimizu started working for a company called Sanrio, which specialised in rubber sandals decorated with strawberry prints.
Eager to create another best-selling product, the company started hiring lots of young illustrators to come up with a new winning design.Her design – a white cat with a red bow in its hair – only took a couple of days to complete.“I had a young, female assistant and I showed her both the front and side profiles, and asked which she thought was cute,” Yuko told Witness History.Initially, the design was released on small purses, along with six other cute characters.
However, the Hello Kitty design far outsold the others, quickly becoming Sanrio’s fastest selling product.The inspiration for Hello Kitty came from Yuko’s childhood. I was thrilled and the memory stayed with me, so, I decided to create a character from the little kitten.However, more recently, Sanrio have provided a detailed backstory for Hello Kitty.She isn’t a cat. Instead she’s an eight-year-old girl and she has her own pet cat of her own called Charmmy Kitty.Yuko left Sanrio just two years after creating Hello Kitty, at the age of 27, to have a family.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hello Kitty inspired restaurant opens in city centreThe grand opening includes entertainment activities and plenty of food
Read more »
King Charles hosts lavish banquet for Japanese royalty - and jokes about PokémonHe also made reference to Hello Kitty.
Read more »
King Charles hosts banquet for Japanese royalty - and jokes about PokémonHe also made reference to Hello Kitty.
Read more »
The Curious History of Your Home - The hidden history behind your morning coffeeDiscover the extraordinary history of ordinary items all around you.
Read more »
Lady Kitty Spencer pictured with daughter in rare photo on girls' day out with Lady Eliza SpencerLady Kitty Spencer announced she had welcomed her first child with Michael Lewis back in March
Read more »
Chelsea receive transfer kitty windfall thanks to Eden Hazard amid Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph...talkSPORT spoke exclusively to former Blues winger Eden Hazard who revealed his surprise candidate for the Chelsea managers job, who happens to be a former teammate.
Read more »