Why I like Hello Kitty

For many years now I have liked Hello Kitty. I have enjoyed her oval head, slightly rounded ears, round eyes, whiskers and no mouth since I was a child. I have been known to spend large amounts of money to acquire Hello Kitty merchandise and I have been known to be critical of some of the tackier franchises of her. But why? Why am I so passionate about this small, white, Japanese cat with no mouth?

The night I arrived at home in New Zealand to surprise my mother for her 60^th birthday the family friends who picked my sister and I up from the airport to deliver us asked me why I like her so much. My first response was ‘why does everyone ask me this?’. I then replied with ‘I like what she stands for.’

So what is it about the cat that has no mouth that gives me such an affinity with her?

The first thing is that Sanrio say that she has no mouth because she speaks from her heart. I love that concept. Saying what you mean is essential in life. I can’t lie very well. In fact I am honest as the day is long and often that is seen as me not having tact. In the past that has gotten me into biggest trouble and I’ve learned from that (I like to think). However, I will never compromise on the things that are close to my heart, though, nowadays I enact that in much more tactful way.

The next thing that attracts me to Hello Kitty is that she is just so incredibly innocent. She’s clean. She’s cute. She’s just had her 30^th anniversary and she hasn’t aged a second! She is kind to everyone. She doesn’t appear to have been tainted by some of the seedier elements of society at all. I think that’s why a lot of people like her actually. She stands for youth and innocence and I wonder if society isn’t trying to get a little of that back just a little. I like the innocence that she has. She seems as though she wouldn’t hurt a flea.

Another thing about her that I have loved all along is that she is a symbol of and de facto ambassador for the gentle side of Japan. There are some elements of Japan that are a tad stubborn and frustrating; occasionally on the world stage the Japanese government appears as though it is looking for a fight. Hello Kitty gives me hope that through her spread across the globe people will come to trust Hello Kitty, Japan and that Japan will come to trust the world.

When I was a child she was also that ubiquitous symbol of a country I was fast learning to love (ie Japan).

So there you go, there are a few of the reasons why I like Hello Kitty. There are more, but they are hard to articulate. Basically what it comes down to is that I just love what she represents and will for quite some time. And if you don't like that, that's your beef, I ain't changin', though I have been less inclined to display her merchandise in obvious places in recent times... except that hoodie. ;-)

They even have Easter Bunny Kitty! (Too tacky was not purchased!)