What makes Hello Kitty & Friends appealing to an intergenerational audience?
Do you wonder why on social media you see so many people on the hunt to add to their massive Hello Kitty & Friends collections? Ever since Sanrio featured Hello Kitty on a coin purse created in 1975, she has taken over the world (literally) with her adorable demeanor. From her humble beginning as a simple design on a coin purse to collaborating with popular names from Bruno Mars, NBA Golden State Warriors Basketball Team, and Balenciaga – Hello Kitty & Friends have stolen hearts of thousands of fans across generations.
View this post on Instagram
Attention gained by Hello Kitty & Friends today stemmed from mainstream Japanese kawaii culture that became popular in the United States starting in the early 2000s. Kawaii culture is defined as popularity of items and fashion seen as “’lovely’, ‘loveable’, ‘cute’, or ‘adorable.’” Since Hello Kitty & Friends were such a staple in the early 2000s culture, it’s resurgence of Y2K trends in the United States has caused Hello Kitty & Friends to resurface.
The newfound attention towards Hello Kitty is appealing across multiple generations. It is appealing to both Millennials (those born between 1981-1996 ) and Gen Z (those born from the late 90’s to 2010). Hello Kitty & Friends have a special place in both generation’s hearts.
People born from the 1980s to early 2000s have grown up with Hello Kitty & Friends and heavily associate her with their childhood and sense of nostalgia. Meanwhile, people born after the early 2000s have become acquainted with Hello Kitty through the resurfacing of Y2K trends, which is now becoming part of a new generations childhood. Many products featuring Hello Kitty & Friends are not only adults,such as clothing, skincare, and tupperware – but also have products for younger generations such as a play sweet treat food truck for kids aged three and up, as well as a cooking game app called Hello Kitty Lunchbox.
Hello Kitty’s universal appeal is not only across generations but also across various countries around the world. Their rise in popularity is shown through the annual Sanrio Character Rankings; every year, various global populations from Italy to Hong Kong vote for their favorite Sanrio Character. These rankings started in 1986, showcasing the popularity of Hello Kitty and other characters around the world.
In 2023, an estimated 44,487,850 people voted in the annual Sanrio Character Ranking. Representatives from Sanrio have stated they perceive Hello Kitty as “ a symbol of friendship, which they hope she will foster between people across the world” According to Hello Kitty & Friends resurgence Sanrio has successfully completed their mission to foster a sense of friendship and compassion not only across the world, but across generations as well.
