Hello Kitty Designer Steps Down

Yuko Yamaguchi, the designer behind Hello Kitty, is stepping down after 46 years. During this time, she oversaw the character achieve world wide recognition. She took over design duties in 1980, just five years after Hello Kitty was launched. Yamaguchi, now 70 years old, “has grown Hello Kitty into a character loved by everyone.” Another designer in the Sanrio Company has been working with Yamaguchi, and will be ready to take over later this year.

The Hello Kitty character has appeared on clothes, accessories, video games and has even been a Macy’s Thanksgiving parade balloon. There are Hello Kitty cafes and a theme park. According to Sanrio, she was born in London, and has a twin sister Mimmy, and a boyfriend named Dear Daniel. All this and she doesn’t even talk. Sanrio says she speaks from the heart.