The yearly Hello Kitty Island Adventure Friendship Festival returns next week, and this time My Melody and Kuromi are the ...

Unlike Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, Hello Kitty didn’t start as a cartoon. A young Sanrio illustrator named Yuko Shimizu drew her in 1974 as a decoration for stationery, tote bags, cups and other ...

Hello Kitty has been such a hit that other firms are trying to replicate her success. Chinese companies are investing in new cartoons; Sanrio, too, frequently puts out more characters.