Hello Kitty throw blankets, Hello Kitty cake pop makers, and Hello Kitty greeting cards are just some of the many random things you can buy on the Official Hello Kitty store. Not to mention the prices that are strangely high.

Why is there so much merchandise and why is it so popular?

Hello Kitty was invented in 1974 by Yuko Shimizu. Shimizu animated a show about Hello Kitty and her friendships with the Sanrio characters. Later, merchandise was released. 

Much like Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake, their popularity took off with children loving the animated series. They marketed the items towards pre-teenage girls, but once it started to blow up in the 1990s they started advertising to teenagers and adults. 

Hello Kitty became popular in the United States and was adopted into pop culture. She was seen as a fashion statement. With more products coming out such as shirts and sweaters. The brand itself became a trend and people loved the cute character. What is there not to love? She’s portrayed as a sweet girl and the design itself is simple but very identifiable. 

After the early 2000s you can see that she is off and on trend in the United States. It spreads over a variety of generations—Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z have all had at least one Hello Kitty phase. 

The impact of Hello Kitty on my generation, Gen Z, is different in comparison to the others. Now it’s more of an aesthetic—if you wear a Hello Kitty shirt you will be deemed into a sudden category of people. I definitely think this has always been a thing with different cliques or social groups within past generations but I believe that mine has taken them to another level. 

The aesthetic that goes hand in hand with Hello kitty is a more soft pink Kawaii girls or some might say “Sanrio core” coming from Japanese popular culture. 

The brand Hello kitty is worth almost $80 billion. It’s bringing in so much money because of how much they have. They don’t just have a couple shirts and plushies; they have collectable items and everyday use stuff. 

When people are buying utensils, they have the choice of getting a plain one or a Hello Kitty one. They should get the Hello Kitty one.