Happy Birthday, Hello Kitty!

It’s 1 November today, and it’s Hello Kitty’s birthday! As a huge Hello Kitty fan, I should be ashamed of not having created some kawaii artwork dedicated to this special day. I’ve been quite busy this week, unfortunately, with work commitments. But I did manage to make something special for her: How about a tile collage of all my artwork featuring our kawaii feline character? Over the five or so years I began painting, Hello Kitty appears now and again in all shapes, sizes and forms: mixed media, abstract, watercolor, acrylic, collage, art journaling, traditional Japanese crafts, digital art, and recently, even ceramic figures! So why not celebrate this special day altogether?

Hello Kitty or Kitty-chan, as she is known in Japan, is a fictitious character created by designer Yuko Shimizu in the mid-1970s. Hello Kitty, together with her twin sister Mimmy, was supposedly born in the suburbs of London, England on 1 November 1974 which would make her 49 years old.  Nevertheless, she will forever be kawaii, innocent and “young at heart.  A timeless idol and perpetually the ambassador of cuteness, she certainly brings out the inner child in many of us whatever age we are.  For that reason, I love not only collecting Hello Kitty items but also creating art featuring her.  None of my work are intended for sale, however, as it is merely a hobby I enjoy. And now, look how adorable she looks!

So happy birthday, Kitty-chan!  And let’s not forget her twin sister Mimmy too.  The latter prefers to avoid the limelight and occasionally makes a cameo appearance now and again. But Happy Birthday to both anyway!  Next year and the years following, I shall endeavour and make the effort to create something special dedicated to my favorite character on this special moment. 

Please do enjoy reading about some of my Hello Kitty artwork by clicking back on the Homepage and simply search “Hello Kitty”!