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, (full name )〔 is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, created by Yuko Shimizu and currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi. She is depicted as an anthropomorphic white Japanese Bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance (on a purse) was introduced in Japan in 1975, and brought to the United States in 1976. The character is a staple of the ''kawaii'' segment of Japanese popular culture. By 2010, Sanrio had groomed Hello Kitty into a global marketing phenomenon worth $5 billion a year. By 2014, when Hello Kitty was 40 years old, she was worth about $7 billion a year, all without advertising except on Sanrio's, related show producers', and ticket sales' webpages and at show venues and nearby locations.〔Detroit Free Press, ''HELLO KITTY STILL BOWLING ’EM OVER'', by Jenee Osterheldt, page D1, July 14, 2014〕 Originally aimed at pre-adolescent females, Hello Kitty's market has broadened to include adult consumers. She can be found on a variety of products ranging from school supplies to fashion accessories and high-end consumer products. Including various diamond necklaces. Several Hello Kitty TV series, targeted towards young children, have been produced. Hello Kitty is also the main character at the two Japanese Sanrio theme parks, Harmonyland and the indoor Sanrio Puroland. ==Character== Initially known only as "the white kitten with no name" (名前のない白い子猫), the official character profiles for Hello Kitty now lists her full name as , born in the suburbs of London, England, on November 1. Her height is described as five apples and her weight as three apples. Her head accounts for approximately half of her total body mass. She is portrayed as a bright and kind-hearted girl, very close to her twin sister Mimmy. She is good at baking cookies and loves Mama's homemade apple pie. She likes to collect cute things and her favorite subjects in school are English, music, and art.〔 The character is a ''gijinka'', an anthropomorphism or personification of a cat. In August 2014 an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii was told by Sanrio that Kitty White was not simply a cat (i.e. "depicted on all fours"), describing her as a little English girl called Kitty White, from outside London.〔http://laist.com/2014/08/27/sanrios_shocking_reveal_hello_kitty.php〕 Following reports that interpreted this to mean she was human, a Sanrio PR representative said that the organization had "never said she was a human", explaining anthropomorphization by comparing the character to Mickey Mouse: "No one would mistake the Disney character for a human–but at the same time he's not quite a mouse. Just like Hello Kitty isn't a human, she's not quite a cat either."〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/08/28/hello-kitty-isnt-a-cat-we-called-sanrio-to-find-out/ )〕 Sanrio stated further, "Hello Kitty was done in the motif of a cat. It's going too far to say that Hello Kitty is not a cat."〔 Hello Kitty is portrayed with a large family with the surname ''White''. Her twin sister Mimmy is described as "shy and very girly," interested in sewing and dreaming of marriage. While Hello Kitty wears a red bow on her left ear, Mimmy wears a yellow one on the right. Their father George is described as dependable, humorous but also absent-minded. Their mother Mary is portrayed as a good cook who loves doing housework. Grandpa Anthony likes to tell stories and Grandma Margaret likes sewing.〔 Dear Daniel is Hello Kitty's childhood friend. His character profile describes him as born in London on May 3 with the name Daniel Starr. He traveled with his parents and was away from Hello Kitty for a long time. He is portrayed as fashionable and sensitive, good at dancing and playing the piano, with an interest in photography, and dreams of being a celebrity.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.sanrio.co.jp/english/characters/detail/daniel/index.html )〕 Charmmy Kitty is Hello Kitty's pet, a white Persian. She is described as docile, obedient and fond of shiny things. Her necklace holds the key to Hello Kitty's jewelry box.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.sanrio.co.jp/english/characters/detail/charmmy/index.html )〕 Hello Kitty also has a pet hamster named Sugar, who was a gift from Dear Daniel. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hello Kitty」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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