TOKYO –

Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday. Befitting a pop icon in his 40s, the dome-headed, bow-wearing character’s fictional birthday spawned museum exhibits, a theme park show and a national tour. And that’s just in Japan, his literal birthplace but not the one listed in his official biography.

Confused? Welcome to the party. If there’s one thing about Hello Kitty, it’s that she’s proven adaptable and just as much a student of contrasts over her long career. She – and Kitty is a she, depending on the company that owns her – may have been designed as a vehicle for the feelings of others, but some women see a symbol of empowerment in her mouthless face.

“Clever” is how Mika Nishimura, a design professor at Meisei University in Tokyo, describes how Hello Kitty has taken over the worlds of commerce, fashion and entertainment. As a clean slate open to interpretation, the non-threatening creation was the ideal vehicle for making money, she said.

“American feminists said she said nothing and accepted everyone. But in Japan, we also see how it can look happy if you’re happy, and sad if you’re feeling sad,” Nishimura told the Associated Press. “It’s a product strategy that is pure genius. By being so adaptable, Kitty gets all these collaboration deals.

The character’s half-centenary is proof of this. Sanrio, the Japanese entertainment company that owns the rights to Hello Kitty’s name and likeness, kicked off the festivities a year ago with an anime account on TikTok, Roblox games and an avatar for the Zepeto social network application.

There have been anniversary editions of products ranging from pet collars, cosmetics and McDonald’s Happy Meals to Crocs and a Baccarat crystal figurine. A Hello Kitty gold coin pendant with the number 50 sells for about 120,000 yen ($800), while a Casio watch costs 18,700 yen ($120).

But first, let’s talk more about the origin story.

Unlike Mickey Mouse and Snoopy, Hello Kitty didn’t start out as a cartoon. Yuko Shimizu, a young Sanrio illustrator, drew it in 1974 to decorate stationery, tote bags, mugs and other small accessories. The design debuted on a purse the following year and became an instant hit in Japan.

As Hello Kitty’s commercial success has expanded beyond Asia, so has her personal profile. In the late 1970s, Sanrio revealed that the character was named Kitty White, that she was five apples tall, and that her birthplace was in suburban London, where the company said she lived with her parents and his twin sister Mimmy.

“The main theme of Hello Kitty is friendship. When I first created it, I started a family that Kitty was a part of. But then Hello Kitty started showing up in other contexts as the character grew up,” Shimizu told the BBC in June. “Sanrio has put a lot of effort into making the brand what it is today.”

At one point, Sanrio designated Kitty’s birthday as November 1, the same as Shimizu’s. Her background was enhanced by hobbies that included playing the piano, reading and baking. Her television appearances required co-stars, including a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty who debuted 20 years ago.

But Hello Kitty’s 40th anniversary brought an update that stunned fans. Sanrio told a Los Angeles museum curator that Kitty, despite her feline features, was a little girl. A company spokesperson reiterated the distinction this year, reigniting online debate over what it takes to be considered human.

“She’s supposed to be Kitty White and English. But that’s part of the puzzle: who is Hello Kitty? We can’t understand it. We don’t even know if it’s a cat,” said art historian Joyce S. Cheng, an associate professor at the University of Oregon. “There is an unresolved indeterminacy about it that is so amazing.”

Part of the confusion comes from a misunderstanding of the word “kawaii,” which means “cute” in Japanese, but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence. Sanrio recruited Shimizu and other illustrators to create “kawaii” characters at a time when cute, feminine styles were popular in Japan. But the word is often used in Japanese society, and not just to describe babies and puppies.

An elderly man, something as innocuous as an umbrella, a subcompact car, or a kitchen utensil, or even a horror movie monster, can be described as “kawaii.” By Western standards, the idea may seem embarrassing and frivolous. But it is taken seriously in Japan, where the concept is linked to the most honorable instincts.

The complexity of “kawaii” may help explain Hello Kitty’s enduring appeal across generations and cultures, why Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne released a song called “Hello Kitty” ten years ago years, and why Britain’s King Charles wished Hello Kitty a happy 50th birthday when he welcomed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan to Buckingham Palace in June.

While Hello Kitty may seem to embody the stereotype of the self-sacrificing woman, it’s telling that three women served as the character’s lead creators at Sanrio. Yuko Yamaguchi, who has held the role since 1980, is credited with keeping the character both modern and timeless, giving Kitty black outfits or false eyelashes depending on the trends, but never removing the bow from her left ear.

“Hello Kitty, this cultural object, has something to tell us about the history of women in East Asia and how East Asian women modernized and became professional citizens in a modern society,” said Cheng of the University of Oregon.

Sanrio has created hundreds of creatures, all adorable and cuddly, but none with the lasting power of Hello Kitty. Forget the understated wabi-sabi aesthetic historically associated with Japan. A chameleon-like cat girl who reflects unapologetic kitsch is the cultural ambassador of a carefree, consumer-crazed nation.

“It’s the anti-wabi sabi, who wants to be as flashy and as bling-bling as possible, like Lady Gaga. In your face, but that’s also part of the genius. It’s powerful,” Cheng said.

Leslie Bow, a professor of English and Asian-American studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that although many Asian and Asian-American women see Hello Kitty as a symbol of defiance, the protective instinct and caring sparked by “kawaii” is not the case. without power.

“We take care of our brothers and sisters, our babies, our pets, because we are in control. We control their actions. And so it’s also the dark side of cute,” Bow said.

Sanrio took advantage of the character’s adaptability by allowing relatively unlimited use of his likeness in exchange for a licensing fee.

Just about anything goes for little mustaches, from a growing global empire of Sanrio-sanctioned Hello Kitty cafes to an “augmented reality” cell phone app that shows Kitty dancing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in London and other tourist monuments. .

On the unauthorized side, Hello Kitty has even appeared on guns and vibrators.

During a presentation earlier this year in Seoul, Hello Kitty creator Yamaguchi said one of her unfulfilled goals was to find a way to “develop a Hello Kitty that men could also fall in love with.” . But she’s still working on it.

“I am sure the day will come when men will no longer be embarrassed to carry Hello Kitty,” Yamaguchi said, according to entertainment news site Content Asia.

Leff reported from London. Bérénice Bautista in Mexico contributed reporting.