At 50, Hello Kitty is as 'kawaii' — and lucrative — as ever
Voice of America
Hello Kitty waves as she appears to attend the opening ceremony of the exhibition "As I change, so does she," marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo, Oct. 30, 2024. A visitor looks at giant Hello Kitty display at the exhibition "As I change, so does she," marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo, Oct. 30, 2024. Visitors react to gigantic Hello Kitty slippers at the exhibition "As I change, so does she," marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo, Oct. 30, 2024. A visitor looks at Hello Kitty display at the exhibition "As I change, so does she," marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo, Oct. 30, 2024. Tourists from Britain pose with Hello Kitty decoration at the Tokyo National Museum where the exhibition "As I change, so does she" is held, marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty in Tokyo, Oct. 30, 2024. A visitor wears boots featuring Hello Kitty at the National Museum during the exhibition "As I change, so does she," marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo, Oct. 30, 2024.
Hello Kitty turned 50 on Friday. Befitting a pop icon at midlife, the bubble-headed, bow-wearing character's fictional birthday has brought museum exhibits, a theme park spectacle and a national tour. And that's just in Japan, her literal birthplace but not the one listed in her official biography.
FILE - Tuvalu, shown in this undated photo, is among Pacific atoll islands threatened with rising sea levels, according to a World Bank study released on Nov. 14, 2024. (Rising Nations Initiative via AP)
FILE - A pumpjack operates at dawn in a pasture, Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kan.
Divers from National Geographic Pristine Seas measure the world’s largest coral colony in the Solomon Islands.
Samantha Harvey poses with the trophy and her book "Orbital" after winning the Booker Prize award 2024, in London, Nov. 12, 2024.
Ninawa Inu Pereira Nunes, President of the Federation of the Huni Kuin indigenous people in Brazil's state of Acre, gives an interview during the United Nations climate change conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan November 13, 2024.
FILE - This colorized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney epithelial cells (blue).
FILE - Lou Donaldson performs with Pat Bianchi on the organ at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, R.I., on Aug. 2, 2015. Donaldson died Nov. 9, 2024, at age 98.
Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan president, and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, pose for a group photo at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Nov. 12, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
A drone view shows the ancient geoglyph of 'El Gigante de Tarapaca' placed on 'Unita' hill close to 'Huara' town area, in Atacama desert, Iquique, Chile, Oct. 28, 2024. A man walks on ‘Cerro Dragon' nature sanctuary dune while practicing sandboard with Iquique city in the background, at Atacama desert, Iquique, Chile, Oct. 29, 2024.
A 249-centimeter TCL QM-8 Q-Class Mini-LED QLED 4K HDR Smart TV is displayed at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular event, in New York, Oct. 30, 2024. A 249-centimeter Samsung television, left, sits by others of various sizes on display at a Best Buy store in Dallas, Oct. 25, 2024.
Cassandra Garduno cuts Mexican marigold flowers known as cempasuchil she grew in her floating garden in the Xochimilco borough of Mexico City, Oct. 29, 2024. FILE - Amateur soccer players and families travel in a traditional canoe in the Xochimilco borough of Mexico City, on Oct. 20, 2024.