At age 40, Hello Kitty has enjoyed a career that any Hollywood movie star would envy.
Lady Gaga and Katy Perry count themselves among her admirers. She’s endorsed everything from motor oil to diamond necklaces. Baseball fans have cheered her at Dodgers games (also San Francisco Giants games — but don’t judge).
Despite all the hoopla, Hello Kitty may be entering her fifth decade in a midlife malaise.
Hello Kitty for years reigned as Japan’s top-grossing character, according to research firm Character Databank. She now weighs in third, behind No. 2 Mickey Mouse and No. 1 Anpanman, an anime superhero whose head is a jam-filled bun.
“I don’t think this can go on forever,” said Tom Looser, an associate professor of East Asian studies at New York University. “The fact there is nostalgia among fans indicates you are already seeing some of the limits, that she is dated.”
Sanrio doesn’t break out sales trends for its cornerstone personality, which is featured on 50,000 or so products. The only hint the company would give: Hello Kitty accounts for about half of sales at Sanrio stores, said Janet Hsu, president and chief operating officer of Sanrio’s North American arm, based in Torrance.
But the Tokyo company’s concern about Hello Kitty’s future is reflected in recent financial presentations.
Sanrio, which is traded publicly in Japan, has assured investors that it doesn’t plan to bet on just one character to maintain its business of creating and licensing cuteness.
Sanrio noted in a May earnings statement that “we have strengthened licensing for corporate promotion as well as developing characters beyond the previous product licensing range centered on Hello Kitty.”
Hello Kitty and other characters sell $8 billion (Dh29.3 billion) worth of merchandise a year for Sanrio and the companies that license the images for their products, Hsu said. That total makes Sanrio the world’s sixth-largest licensing firm, according to trade magazine License Global.
Sanrio executives said they took the long view with their star attraction. Instead of pouring money into advertising, it relies on word-of-mouth publicity and giving merchandise to big-wattage stars.
The company worked with Lady Gaga on a 2009 photo shoot in which she wore an eye-popping gown made entirely of Hello Kitty plush toys. Britney Spears and Mariah Carey have sported Hello Kitty accessories in public. Singer Avril Lavigne even named a song after her.
“If Lady Gaga wants a pair of Hello Kitty shoes, we will make sure she gets them,” said David Marchi, Sanrio’s senior director of brand management and marketing. “But we won’t cut a cheque for her to wear them.”
