Vlad Bunoan

Article (news)

Hello Kitty

Agence France-Presse

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770964893728582463807_1237610191748208_4128966765267296140_n.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Facebook/Sanrio</div>TOKYO — The flamboyant designer behind Hello Kitty — the cute Japanese character that became a global mega brand — is stepping down after more than four decades in charge of her look.Yuko Yamaguchi has been responsible since 1980 for the design of Kitty, who is officially not a cat but a little girl from London, overseeing her rise to the epitome of Japan&#x27;s &quot;kawaii&quot; — cute — soft power.But now Yamaguchi, who often wore Kitty-style dresses in public and piled her hair in buns — has &quot;passed the baton to the next generation,” Sanrio, the company behind the character, said on its website Tuesday.The company said new designer &quot;Aya&quot; — a pseudonym — was due to start by the end of 2026.Yamaguchi &quot;listened to the voices of fans, actively collaborated with artists and designers from Japan and abroad and has grown Hello Kitty into a character loved by everyone&quot;, Sanrio said, as it thanked her for her work.Hello Kitty started life as an illustration on a vinyl coin purse.It has since appeared on tens of thousands of products - -everything from handbags to rice cookers — and has secured lucrative tie-ups with Adidas, Balenciaga and other top brands.The phenomenon shows no sign of slowing, with a Warner Bros movie in the pipeline and a new Hello Kitty theme park due to open next year on China&#x27;s tropical Hainan island.Unlike other Japanese cultural exports such as Pokemon or Dragon Ball, there is minimal narrative around the character, whose full name is Kitty White.She has a twin sister Mimmy, a boyfriend called Dear Daniel, and a pet cat of her own, Sanrio says. She loves her mother&#x27;s apple pie and dreams of becoming a pianist or poet.

The flamboyant designer behind Hello Kitty — the cute Japanese character that became a global mega brand — is stepping down after more than four decades in charge of her look.

The flamboyant designer behind Hello Kitty — the cute Japanese character that became a global mega brand — is stepping down after more than four decades in charge of her look.

Hello Kitty designer bows out after 40 years in charge

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Hello Kitty designer bows out after 40 years in charge

Agence France-Presse

Published February 13, 2026 02:46 PM PHT

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Sanrio

Hello Kitty

kawaii

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