Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday and celebrates with her global fan club.

Fans of the iconic cartoon brand around the world are commemorating the golden anniversary with special pop-ups, limited edition editables and exhibits as diverse and engaging as the character himself.

In Mexico City, runners celebrated with a 5km and 10km run or a 3km walk; While doing so, they wore the character’s iconic red bows and ears, and even carried the little girl’s plush toys.

“And to think that it was a 24-year-old illustrator who was given a very, very high-level briefing just to make it likable,” said Sunny Bonnell, CEO of branding agency MOTTO. “It speaks volumes to how easy it is to consciously build or design something like this kind of ‘magic in a bottle’ into your brand.”

Bonnell says Hello Kitty has captured something incredibly rare today: the ability to reach all audiences.

Designed by Yuko Shimizu in 1974, Hello Kitty was originally a simple design that sold for less than a dollar in a coin purse.

Today, you can find Hello Kitty’s sweet face and red bow on everything from Nike sneakers to luxury Balenciaga bags that retail for $3,300.

“People are looking for signals and brands that will bring them back to that sense of peace, that feeling of love or nostalgia. I think she represents that, and so I think it transcends gender, age, belief systems and cultures,” Bonnell said. in question.

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Sanrio, the company that created Hello Kitty, reported worldwide sales of more than $434 million in 2023. Although the company has many other characters, the most famous is Hello Kitty.

Beyond anniversary partnerships with shoe companies like Adidas, fashion retailer Forever 21 and luxury crystal maker Baccarat, Sanrio is also sending its beloved character on a cross-country road trip in the “Hello Kitty Cafe Truck.”

“There are a lot of brands trying to get their hands up higher and get people’s attention,” Bonnell said. “How do you stand out? How do you become one of a kind in your category? That’s what Hello Kitty is.”

Mika Nishimura, a design professor at Tokyo Meisei University, said the character may be viewed differently in Japan than here.

“American feminists said she didn’t say anything and agreed with everyone. But in Japan, we also see that she looks happy if you’re happy, sad if you’re feeling sad,” Nishimura told The Associated Press. he said. “It’s a totally genius product strategy. Kitty gets all these collaborative deals because she’s so adaptable.”

Creator Shimizu told the BBC that “the main theme of Hello Kitty is friendship.”

“When I first created her, I created a family that included Kitty. But as the character grew, Hello Kitty began to appear in other media,” Shimizu said, adding, “Sanrio put a lot of effort into building the brand into what it is today.”

But don’t call him a cat. Sanrio says she is a little girl because she stands on two legs.

His past? Her name is Kitty White, she is “five apples tall” and she was “born” in suburban London with her twin sister Mimmy.

However, he has a pet cat named Charmy; The owner of this cat has owned it for millions of people around the world for 50 years.