Hello Kitiys looking pretty at 50 cmd worth more than ever

Sanriois most famous character has helped boost the firms shares tenfold, and with Kitty's eyes set next on conquering Hollywood, don,t bet against her.

- Gearoid Reidy

Hello Kitty is famously the height of just five apples. But these days, the more striking statistic is that she's worth more than 1 trillion yen (S$8.7 billion).

Stock in Japan's Sanrio Co hit that milestone for the first time recently, just weeks before the company's feline star turned 50. Kitty White was born on Nov 1, 1974, when she first appeared on a vinyl coin purse that quickly helped her became a national sensation in Japan.

Half a century later, she's not just big business in Sanrio's home country: Hello Kitty is the second highest-grossing media franchise in the world, according to Title Max, earning more than the likes of Harry Potter or Star Wars.

Sanrio was one of the pioneers of content licensing, placing Kitty on everything from Pez dispensers to computer mice, and tying up with brands from Nike to Gucci. You can find her everywhere: throwing out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game earlier in 2024 as part of a special Kitty-themed night, no doubt to piggyback off the achievements of superstar Shohei 0htani; or appearing on official Japanese government videos explaining the country's net-zero carbon-reduction goals.

Designed by Ms Yuko Shimizu, a then 24-year-old illustrator who left Sanrio just two years later, Kitty was instantly a tremendous success. But her broader appeal is more recent. After a decline in the brand in the late 1980s, Sanrio shifted its strategy to appeal to a wider age group, including adults - helping her become the international face of kawaii, the Japanese concept of cuteness that has since become a global trend.