Yuko Shimizu, who created Hello Kitty, was a designer for Sanrio when she developed the character in 1974. She designed Hello Kitty as a simple, cute character for a coin purse, not realizing it would become a global icon. Hello Kitty’s mouthless, friendly face with a red bow was initially inspired by the kawaii (cute) culture emerging in Japan at the time. This aesthetic quickly became popular, and Hello Kitty expanded from a character on small goods to a massive brand representing Japanese pop culture worldwide.
Though Shimizu created Hello Kitty, she only worked on the character for a short time. She left in 1976 to get married and now works as a freelance Other Sanrio artists and designers continued to evolve and develop Hello Kitty’s image, story, and brand over the years.