Tag Archives: Yuko Shimizu

a Hello Kitty movie – does she speak?

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Hello Kitty movie

Well that’s exciting. OK, maybe “exciting” is a bit extreme. But it sure is interesting. Hello Kitty doesn’t have a mouth, so we wondered,
a Hello Kitty movie – does she speak?

The movie deal

Sanrio Corporation of Tokyo have owned Hello Kitty since 1974. By 2010, she was worth $6 billion a year. By 2014, her worth increased to $8 billion. She’s on over 50,000 different products in over 130 countries. But there’s never been a Hello Kitty movie released worldwide.

Warner Brothers and New Line producer Beau Flynn said it took five years to make a deal with the Sanrio Corporation. Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji, CEO said “I am extremely pleased that Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters will be making their Hollywood debut. Hello Kitty has been a symbol of friendship and we hope this film will only serve to grow that circle of friendship around the world.” The creator of Hello Kitty, Yuko Shimizu adds that “she speaks from the heart.” The friendship angle is the explanation for why Hello Kitty has no mouth. Having no mouth means she can’t speak, which created a brilliant marketing tool for making Hello Kitty universal and allowing people to project their own feelings onto her.


Hello Kitty is a permenant 3rd-grade student who lives outside London. November 1, 2014 was the 40th anniversary of Hello Kiity and her twin sister Mimmy.
In 2018 Sanrio announced that November 1 is Hello Kitty and Mimmy’s birthday. Coincidentally, November 1 is also the birthday of creator Y?ko Shimizu.

 

Richard Brener, President and Chief Creative Officer, and Carolyn Blackwood, President and Chief Content Officer of New Line Cinema, said in a joint statement:
“We are thrilled to partner with Sanrio and FlynnPictureCo. on developing a film based on this treasured icon. It’s a rare privilege to have the opportunity to explore the possibilities of such timeless IP. Hello Kitty and her friends have been part of our shared culture for decades, and we look forward to exploring where her newest adventure will take her.”

The debate on whether Hello Kitty is a cat or not is apparently still undecided for some people, despite her cat ears and whiskers. Christine Yano, the curator of a 2014 Hello Kitty exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, said Sanrio vehemently insisted “She’s a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She is never depicted on all fours.”

 

Felix the Cat was never seen on all fours either.

Hello Kitty store Taiwan Hello Kitty originated

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Hello Kitty in Taiwan

At the Hello Kitty store Taiwan (airport), Hello Kitty is big business. In fact, the popularity of Hello Kitty has become worldwide. Although Hello Kitty originated in London for the Japanese company Sanrio in 1974.

Hello Kitty store Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport

front of Hello Kitty store at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2016

Hello Kitty is a gijinka, an anthropomorphism or personification of an animal –

white Japanese Bobtail ca

in this case a white Japanese Bobtail cat,

 

 

 

 

with a red bow.

Hello Kitty Travell sign Hello Kitty originated

Hello Kitty with red bow
photo by shari smith dunaif © 2016

 

In 1962, Shintaro Tsuji, founder of Sanrio, began selling rubber sandals with flowers painted on them. He noted that by adding cute designs on the sandals, they sold even better, so he hired illustraters to design Kawaii (a Japanese marketing approach that permeates cuteness into Japanese consumer culture). Sanrio wanted to add to it’s early characters of a dog, a bear and a strawberry (???) for Sanrio’s new product: coin purses. The result was Hello Kitty, designed in 1974 by Yuko Shimizu.

Hello Kitty designer Yuko Shimizu

Yuko Shimizu, original designer of Hello Kitty.

Hello Kitty purses and coin purses, Taiwan Hello Kitty store photo by shari smith dunaif @2016

Hello Kitty’s first appearance on a product, was in Japan on the vinyl coin purse:  she was pictured sitting between a bottle of milk and a goldfish bowl.

She first appeared in the United States in 1976.