In Spanish, Sanrio means “sacred river.”  While Sanrio as we know it today is certainly not a river, it has become sacred in the hearts of children and former children around the globe.  The company was started in 1960, by Mr. Shantaro Tsuji and under the name Yamanashi Silk Company, he created a line of character merchandise meant for gift-giving occasions.  Hello Kitty joined the line-up in 1974, and the world of school-time gadgetry, children’s fashion, and stationery would never be the same again. 

Though Sanrio found huge success in Japan, it was less of a splash in the U.S.  Sanrio and Hello Kitty came to the States in 1976, with a specialty boutique in San Jose, California that featured colorful school supplies with her smiling face everywhere.  As time went on, and more and more kids and teens were tuning into cable channels, getting access to a world they hadn’t known before, and Hello Kitty’s popularity skyrocketed.  Before parents knew it, their daughters’ backpacks were stuffed with pencils, pens, sparkly erasers and stickers, all from Sanrio.

Hello Kitty wouldn’t be relegated to school gear for long.  Soon, she started showing up on handbags, clothes, dolls, and even cosmetics and now cell phone covers.  Hello Kitty was almost beyond fashion statement; it was a lifestyle statement that kids through teens could make without making parents too squeamish.  After all, it was the universal language of cute we were talking. 

Sanrio products, aside from the pricier items like the clothes, bags, what-not, were easy to share, and that was something Sanrio wanted to promote.  The tiny products were perfect for sharing with a pal, whether it was a little gift for your friend or just something you felt like giving.  As Sanrio’s popularity rose, so did the number of other characters in the Hello Kitty universe.  Pochacco, Keroppi, Badtz Maru and others started getting slots on store shelves, becoming favorites for legions of kids. 

Though Sanrio’s popularity has seen a few ups and downs in terms of sales, nothing’s really come close to bucking this cute trend.  Japan remains Hello Kitty’s biggest supporters.  Just 30 minutes outside of Tokyo in Tama City is Sanrio Puroland, a theme park dedicated to everyone’s favorite white kitten and her friends.  Throughout the years Hello Kitty has been the UNICEF ambassador to both the United States and Japan, and has remained the star and corporate symbol of Sanrio, spreading their message of goodwill and mass merchandising.  Oh, if only she wasn’t so cute!