50 Years of Sanrio & Hello Kitty

A few days ago I ran into this infographic and thought it was worth sharing, specially because of the demographics. In several occasions I’ve heard people say that Sanrio products are for children, without realizing that the biggest market for this brand is adults. 

About two years ago a friend of mine bought a bunch of Hello Kitty stuff as a Christmas gift for her boyfriend’s little girl. To our surprise, the little girl was not interested at all in the gifts.

Reality is the people buying Sanrio merchandise are those of us who grew up with the brand. It’s mom’s in their 30’s and 40’s buying things for their daughter, and those of us in our 20’s buying clothes from Forever 21’s Hello Kitty line, buying toasters for our homes, and the occasional plush. 

If you are not familiar with the history of this brand and the world’s favorite cat, I recommend you check it out — a brand created with 1 million yen using the image of a simple white cat that has become a multi million brand that 50 years later still keeps all hooked.