“I wanted Hello Kitty to become more energetic,” she said. “And since she was the face of Sanrio, and was born as a symbol of ...

After Sanrio introduced her adorable face on a coin purse in Japan in 1975, Hello Kitty became a global merchandising superstar, appearing on kids notebooks, lunchboxes and clothing — and later ...

but some women see an empowering symbol in her mouthless face. “Shrewd” is how Mika Nishimura, a design professor at Tokyo’s Meisei University, describes the way Hello Kitty conquered the ...