Hello Kitty is a globally recognised brand in Japan.
The designer behind Hello Kitty is stepping down after 46 years, during which time she oversaw the feline character achieving world recognition.
Yuko Yamaguchi took over design duties for the character – who isn’t actually a cat, but a little girl from London – in 1980, five years after she first launched.
Hello Kitty was immediately popular in Japan, but over Yamaguchi’s four-decade tenure, it has become one of the most lucrative franchises in the world.
Sanrio, the firm behind Hello Kitty, said Yamaguchi had “passed the baton to the next generation” as it thanked her for her work.
Hello Kitty launched as the Japanese ‘kawaii’ culture – a hyperfeminine, girlish aesthetic – gained popularity across the world.
Yamaguchi herself often wore Kitty-style dresses in public and piled her hair in buns.
The designer, now aged 70, “has grown Hello Kitty into a character loved by everyone,” Sanrio said on its website.
A medium close-up of Yuko Yamaguchi wearing a red and black tartan dress holding a Hello Kitty doll who is wearing a sparkly red and black outfit.
The company said one of its other designers, known only by the pseudonym “Aya”, had already been working alongside Yamaguchi and will take over by the end of 2026.
Yamaguchi will stay with Sanrio to provide advice and support.
The Hello Kitty character first appeared on a coin purse in 1980 and has become a global marketing phenomenon.
She has appeared on clothes, accessories, video games, and even an Airbus plane. She has partnered with brands such as Unicef, Nintendo and Balenciaga, and has also appeared in float form at the Macy’s thanksgiving parade.
There are Hello Kitty cafes around the world and a theme park in Japan. Another park is due to open in China.
Unlike other Japanese exports such as Pokemon, there is little backstory to the character of Hello Kitty.
