The enduring appeal of Hello Kitty

The first Hello Kitty theme park outside Japan — 150 acres, in China, which cost over $300 million to construct — will open to the public on January 1 to a predicted one million visitors a year.

When Hello Kitty opened its first café in Australia last month, more than 1,000 people showed up. Back in 2000, seven people were injured in Singapore in a virulent outbreak of Hello Kitty fever as crowds jostled at fast-food outlet running a special promotional event.

Hello Kitty is little more than a graphic but for 40 years — the Japanese-based brand celebrated four decades in existence in November — this mouthless kitten-girl, who stands ‘just five apples high’ has somehow become a global trend.