Hello Kitty: More Than Cute, Rooted in Japan's Post-War Punk

The wordkawaiikawaii is thought to havefirst been usedin the Heian period, from 794 to 1185 CE, to mean "faces flushed from embarrassment."kawaiiCutness did not become common until later. In the late 1960s, social upheaval happened globally. Japanese people protested and spoke out against nuclear weapons and the Vietnam conflict. In 1968, Japanese college students took their protests to campuses and refused classes. They read manga instead of textbooks.kawaii is against nuclear weaponsJapanese college students took their protests to campuses in 1968 and refused to attend classes. Instead of reading textbooks, they read mangaof traditional Japanese culture and the expectation that everyone has a predestined role in the social construct.Young people also considered world events.They rebelled against the strictness of traditional Japanese culture and the expectation that everyone has a set social role.kawaii

These protests continued into the 1970s. Female students embraced youth innocence and tried to avoid adulthood. They used rounded, horizontal handwriting to show individuality. Teachers called this childish and hard to read; many schools banned it.

Others noticed the controversy.kawaiikawaii began to trend. People used it to attract young buyers. Manga and magazines used the cute handwriting style to appeal to readers. Sanrio made cute stationery girls used for practice. Eventually, everyone, all genders and ages, accepted this concept.

Shintaro Tsuji founded the Yamanashi Silk Company and hired cartoonist Yuko Shimizu to design cute characters for his merchandise.Shintaro Tsuji founded the Yamanashi Silk Company.in 1960 and focused on creating products people could give as gifts.Two years later, he saw that sandals with cute characters sold better than his other products. He focused his company on this. Tsuji renamed his business Sanrio in 1973. He hired artists to design cute characters for his products. Yuko Shimizu was one artist; she made Kitty White, or Hello Kitty, a white cat-like character with a red bow and blue dress.

She first appeared on a plastic purse in 1974, followed by various stationery items.a variety of stationary itemsincluding notebooks, pens, and mechanical pencils. Consumers loved Hello Kitty right away. Sanrio aimed for young female buyers, but everyone from all groups bought Hello Kitty products. She became Sanrio's most popular character and quickly reached buyers outside Japan.

Consumption ofkawaiiexpanded during the 1970s and 1980s. Companies made more cute products, and people bought them. Idol Seiko Matsuda also helped the trend as she became famous for her innocence and purity.kawaii helped the trendMany women copied Matsuda's cute style. Others went further by wearing childish clothing in pastel colors, using baby talk, and collecting cute toys and stationery.childish clothing in pastel colorsadopting baby talk, and collecting cute toys and stationary products. Marketing ofkawaiiproducts evolved past stationery and cute characters. Soon, they appeared on towels.appearing on towelsThe 'Kawaii' trend, which developed during Japan's hyperconsumerism, spread to adults and men buying toiletries, lunch boxes, and plush items.

Hello Kitty and other characters made Sanrio a leader in the trend. After that, Sanrio expanded to the US.Sanrio expanded to the US.The mid-1970s saw Sanrio license Hello Kitty to McDonald's for Happy Meals and credit card companies for printing on cards. Americans adored the character; UNICEF selected her as a US child ambassador. Sanrio kept making cute characters consumers liked. By 1990, the company turned its huge brand into the theme park Puroland. Political turmoil and industrial growth after WWII in the 1960s fueled intense consumerism.

The Japanese economy faced a crisis.The Japanese economy went through a crisis.The crisis in the 1990s hit companies making kawaii products, anime, and idol industries.The crisis in the 1990s affected kawaii products.Banks declared bankruptcy affecting kawaii products, anime, and idol industries.Banks declared bankruptcy.After the Japanese yen's value dropped sharply, Sanrio limited the kawaii merchandise it offered.Sanrio limited the kawaii merchandise it made available.During the mid-1990s, people started embracing kawaii again despite the tough times. Families went to the newly opened Sanrio theme park.

People began to embrace kawaii during the mid-1990s.People embraced kawaii again despite the tough times.Families sought comfort through nostalgia for simpler times. They went to the Sanrio theme park and bought items featuring the floppy character Tarepanda.Consumers bought items featuring the droopy, floppy character Tarepanda at the Sanrio theme park.Puroland featured items with a droopy, floppy character named Tarepanda, and consumers bought them all.

Other companies noticed the consumer trend and brought back kawaii.Other companies brought back kawaii.Other companies brought back kawaii in their products and marketing.Other companies brought back kawaii in their products and marketing.Tamagotchi and Pokemon let consumers interact with kawaii characters.Tamagotchi and Pokemon let consumers interact with kawaii characters.Tamagotchi and Pokemon allowed consumers to interact with kawaii characters and combined media like manga, games, and anime.Companies saw embracing kawaii as a way to attract consumers outside Japan, using cuteness to brand the whole country.Companies used kawaii to brand the entire country outside of Japan.

Hello Kitty gained followers outside Japan during the 1980s.Hello Kitty's worldwide influence grew.Her influence grew once the internet became mainstream.As kawaii characters entered manga and anime more, pop groups gained popularity, and people globally joined the trend.Kawaii characters infiltrated manga and anime more. Pop groups grew in popularity; people worldwide could join the trend.

The internet made anime easier to see. Sites like Crunchyroll and Hulu removed the need for DVDs.Moe-kei influenced shows featuring cute schoolgirls.Moe-kei influenced shows featuring cute schoolgirls; maids became nearly synonymous with kawaii for viewers from other cultures.Maids became nearly synonymous with kawaii.Maids became synonymous with kawaii. Pokemon expanded its popularity globally. Consumers in many countries could buy kawaii products through online retailers, and physical stores gained wider access to suppliers with kawaii merchandise.Pokemon expanded its popularity globally; consumers bought kawaii products online, and physical stores got more kawaii merchandise.Online retailers let people buy kawaii products, and physical stores gained wider access to suppliers with kawaii merchandise.Physical stores gained wider access to suppliers with kawaii merchandise.The internet's rise also let kawaii fans meet others with similar interests.The internet's rise allowed kawaii fans to meet others with similar interests.Kawaii fans found communities of people who loved kawaii.Communities of people who loved kawaii grew.Hello Kitty grew.

Astute observers see something strange about Hello Kitty's cute look: she has no mouth. Hello Kitty's missing mouth lets buyers relate better to the character. This unclear expression lets people form their own feelings.People create their own expression.They can smile, frown, or show any other feeling consumers need to project.

Lacking a mouth also lets Hello Kitty...appeal to people.Hello Kitty appeals to people from all cultures, regardless of her expression or what she says. Sanrio stated, "She speaks from the heart. She is Sanrio's ambassador to the world and has no set language."

Japan traditionally values the country over the individual. The Japanese language didn't include terms...to describe an individual until the Meiji era, 1868 to 1912. The country followed rules and tradition. People thought refusing to fit in or follow rules meant everyone would suffer. Ideas have changed, yet many Japanese people still struggle between their individuality and what society expects.Before the Meiji era, from 1868 to 1912, Japan operated under strict rules and tradition. People believed refusing to conform meant everyone would suffer. Ideas have shifted since then, but many Japanese individuals still struggle between their own identity and what society expects from them in work, school, or town. EmbracingkawaiiChanging handwriting and fashion started as a way for Japanese people to show their visual.Not only did speaking in baby talk or wearing childlike clothes make people stand out, many buyers felt buying items with characters showed their personality and communicated it without talking. Owning character items let buyers connect with others who liked the same character. Women who adopted kawaii style became known as...

burikko.kawaii"It's possible to never grow up in Japan," said Tokyo Fashion Diaries founder Misha Janette.. "You'll see old lady lolitas here. Women dress up young because it makes them feel freer and happier. Femininity in Japan differs greatly from the West; men can like kawaii stuff too, so it's not just a gender thing."Other cultures view adult women in pigtails and schoolgirl uniforms as oppression. Japanese people, however, see this style as innocent and fun.

Tokyo Fashion Diaries founder, "It's possible to never grow up in Japan."Misha Janette said"You'll see old lady lolitas here. Women dress up young because it makes them feel free and happy. Japan treats femininity very differently from the West; men can like this."kawaiiCartoon characters, many cute, appear on public signs like warning and street signs, flyers, phone books, and vending machines.

Companies adopted character mascots because they thought it would help consumersconnect with their brand, more people embracedkawaii. Even practical businesses like airlines, hotels, and banks used cute mascots to seem friendlier and easier to approach. Domo-kun, a creation of Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, becamesuch a popular mascotfor the channel. The mascot gained international fame. Now, there arethousands of Japanese mascotsfor companies, cities, schools, and prisons. Many use them so often they become a trend among themselves.

Cartoon characters, many cute, appear on public signs like warnings and street signs, flyers, phone books, and vending machines.Corporations use 'kawaii' characters as mascots to disarm consumers and seem friendly.The Japanese government saw the global power of kawaii, even when it appeared on a commercial aircraft.Corporations use kawaii characters as mascots to disarm consumers and seem friendly.Corporations use cute characters like Hello Kitty to show friendliness and bring back simple, innocent times.

Since Japan started using the culture of kawaii,Corporations use kawaii characters as mascots to disarm consumers and seem friendly.the culture used to brand itself after WWII.The brand itself came after WWII.the entire country adopted kawaii, taking it with it.Corporations use kawaii characters as mascots to disarm consumers and seem friendly.kawaii

Hello Kitty's biography states she is a young female.Hello Kitty lives in London.she lives in London with her twin sister and parents. She attends school, loves hair ribbons and baking, and is "astall as five apples", and as heavy as three."Sanrio claims Hello Kitty is not a cat.Hello Kitty is not a cat..

"She is a little girl," said Hello Kitty exhibition curator Christine R. Yano. "She never appears on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She has her own pet cat, Charmmy Kitty."

Hello Kitty comes from England becauseForeigners became popular.foreigners were popular at the time of her conception. Japanese people rarely traveled out of the country, striking curiosity about outside cultures. This foreign element appealed to women especially as it was exotic and inspired nostalgia. "They loved the idea of Britain," Yano said. "It represented the quintessential idealized childhood, almost like a white picket fence."

When Sanrio founder Tsuji saw cuteness couldHe earns his company's profits., he focused on creating products featuring original cute characters. Consumers liked Sanrio's products so much,Other companies noticed.They also picked up on the trend.kawaii.trend.

After theturbulent 1960sMany consumers saw this.took comfort in cute products.because they reminded people of the safety and innocence they felt during their childhood. World events made this a global phenomenon, appealing to consumers worldwide, unlike past Japanese trends. This let Sanrio export Hello Kitty and her cute counterparts everywhere. Cute attracted people of all ages, not just young girls.