THE JAPAN NEWS
 
By Shoji Ichihara / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
Hello Kitty has turned 40.
 
After entering the world on Nov. 1, 1974, the iconic character produced by Sanrio Co. has been loved by millions of people around the world, regardless of gender and age.
 
Kitty, whose real name supposedly is Kitty White, is a girl who is five apples tall, weighs three apples and has blood type A. She lives in the London suburbs with her parents and her twin sister Mimmy, according to Sanrio. Her favorite food is the apple pies her mother bakes, and she dreams of becoming a pianist or poet in the future.
 
To celebrate the occasion, “Arigato Everyone! Birthday Celebration” parades are being held at the Sanrio Puroland, an amusement park featuring Sanrio characters in Tama, Tokyo.
 
The 30-minute parades, supposed to be Kitty’s birthday party, feature 49 Sanrio characters and dancers, including Mimmy, her Dad and Mom, and boyfriend Daniel, as well as other representative Sanrio characters such as My Melody and Little Twin Stars (Kiki and Lala).
 
When I visited the amusement park, many children and their mothers were waiting for the opening of the show around the Chie no Ki stage on the first floor.
 
One mother, Nao Yoshida, a 36-year-old homemaker from Tama, explained why Kitty captivated people so much.
 
“[She looks] round and gentle, and above all, she’s so cute. She is exactly the type of character that mesmerizes girls’ heart,” she said.
 
When Yoshida asked her oldest daughter, Aika, 3, what she would like to become in the future, she immediately responded: “I’d like to be Kitty” because “I love [her] so much.” The way the girl earnestly tried to explain this was so adorable.
 
At the same time, the girl made some keen observations about the character, despite her young age.
 
“Kitty has no mouth drawn [on her face],” she said one day, according to her mother. “But she smiles,” the girl added after a while.
 
As for the secret of Kitty’s mouth, Yoshida has her own thoughts.
 
“I guess [the creators] intentionally put no mouth on the character so people can freely empathize [with Kitty] as they watch her,” she said. “In other words, her facial expressions may freely change to go along with the feelings of the person who is looking at her.”
 
Riding a gondola, Kitty moved through the air before landing on the stage. With the opening of the parade, Kitty started singing and dancing under the lights. Looking at the character, I also felt that the “expression” in Kitty’s face may have reflected my own feelings at that time.
 
The parade helped me rediscover the secrets of Kitty’s popularity. The 30-minute show was rather short, making me feel like watching the show once again to experience yet another me that would be different from the one that day.
 
Just the beginning
 
Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi believes Kitty is a character that will continue to grow.
 
“Regarding the 40th birthday, my sincere feelings are just that long,” Yamaguchi said in an interview. “Looking around both at home and abroad, many characters have been loved for much longer.”
 
“There are so many things we haven’t done yet, and we don’t know what to do first. But I’m certain she is a character that will continue to grow,” she added.
 
As the first step, the company plans to launch a Kitty-themed fashion brand for young men, to be called Hello Kitty Men, by the character’s 45th anniversary in 2019. The plan was announced in September.
 
“We’d like to start with such products as T-shirts, jerseys and hoodies, mainly targeting young men in their 20s,” she said.
 
She also is dreaming of developing Kitty into an entertainer.
 
“One of my future dreams is to have her perform in NHK’s Red & White Year-end Song Festival,” Yamaguchi said. “I also would like to produce a film featuring Kitty as a lead actress who can sing and dance.”
 
Various events mark 40th anniversary
 
*Hagu shite Gyu (Hug me tightly)
 
Have you already been to this event? Hello Kitty goes out to meet her fans at various places and hugs them as a token of gratitude to the fans who have supported her.
 
The event will last until late December. For more information, visit http://kitty40th.sanrio.co.jp/event
 
*Hello Kitty Rooms
 
Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo, has opened eight Hello Kitty Rooms, in which the interiors and decorations have been designed in line with Kitty’s world view. The hotel offers two types of Hello Kitty Rooms: Four Kitty Town rooms, where the character is drawn on the wall playing in an amusement park with her family and friends; and four Princess Kitty rooms, which are designed as private spaces where Kitty relaxes like a princess. Keio Plaza Hotel Tama in Tama, Tokyo, also offers four Kitty Town rooms. For more information, call Keio Plaza Hotel at (03) 5322-8000, or Keio Plaza Hotel Tama at (042) 374-0111.
 
*Running with Kitty
 
A running event titled “Hello Kitty Run” will be held at Tokyo Summerland in Akiruno, Tokyo, on Dec. 7. A similar event in Taiwan on Jan. 11 has proved to be a big success, attracting about 20,000 participants. Participants will receive original T-shirts and other goods featuring Kitty. Other Run events will be held in Osaka on Jan. 25 and in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, on March 1. Visit http://hellokittyrun.jp/ for more information.