“Our philosophy of ‘small gift, big smile’ continues to be the foundation of Sanrio as we celebrate 50 years of friendship and fun,” said Janet Hsu, president of Sandrio Global Consumer Products.
Sanrio was founded by Shintaro Tsuji, who even though he is more than 80 years old, is still deeply involved in a company that is dedicated to spreading cheer. It has been reported that the Sanrio CEO receives daily e-mail communications from his top managers and makes regular visits to Sanrio’s Tokyo theme park, Puroland.
The positive outlook of Sanrio’s many cute characters, such as Hello Kitty, My Melody, Chococat and Cinnamoroll, makes them ever more popular, perhaps as an antidote to a world filled with misery. Hello Kitty herself has been embraced by children everywhere as she doesn’t need to speak to be understood – her legions of fans feel the happiness that comes from her heart. The brand has also evolved to remain relevant. Plush toys and wrist watches are still part of the merchandise on display at a Sanrio store, but now there’s also a wide array of digital lifestyle accessories, from mobile phone covers to webcams.
And recently it’s been acknowledged that Hello Kitty sometimes must be a serious, studious cat to be successful in life. Wearing thick-rimmed black spectacles, a pocket protector and a checkered bow on her head, Nerd Kitty reflects Hello Kitty’s inner geek-chic side. Discussing Sanrio in the Kingdom, Roberto Lanzi, EMEA president, Sanrio advised, “Our actual partners in the area are based in Dubai, Qatar and Lebanon. Until now, none of them had the power to really cater to Saudi Arabia, which is such a big country compared to the ones I mentioned. We have recently finalized some important deals in the area and I am sure we will see huge developments in Saudi Arabia within 2011.”
Discover how Hello Kitty has changed over the years by checking out her fashion and merchandise collections through the museum at www.hellokitty.ne.jp/English.
