My girlfriend's sister gave birth last year to a beautiful baby girl and named her Katherine in honor of a late aunt. The baby's nickname, however, also in honor of that relative, is Kitty. From day one, even before she was born, the cartoon character Hello Kitty became her moniker, Hello Kitty stickers appearing on envelopes and letters that Samantha would send, on stationary, and on the webpage where she hosts her photos. The nickname stuck, and then it caught on, and now even Danielle and I find ourselves purchasing Hello Kitty chocolates and other brand name items for the baby. I won't be surprised if Katherine grows up and absolutely rebels against all of this, but for now it's adorable and she can't talk yet so she can't protest. Anyway, this hub is dedicated to her :)

Hello Kitty, like many other great things, began as a cartoon character created by the Japanese company Sanrio in 1974. After coming to the U.S. in the early 1980's, Hello Kitty became a household among families with young children (particularly pre-adolescent girls, for whom the Hello Kitty brand was originally marketed) but it also later exploded in popularity among celebrities. Stars like Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton have all sported Hello Kitty fashion gear at one point or another and rockers Courtney Love and Dave Navarro have been seen playing concerts with a Hello Kitty guitar. Presently, one would be hard pressed to find a department store that didn't carry Hello Kitty merchandise, and most major cities, like New York City's Times Square, for example, even have a Sanrio store dedicated entirely to Hello Kitty and her friends. What started as a clear vinyl coin purse featuring the mouthless Hello Kitty character and selling for 240 yen (the equivalent of about $2.27) has expanded into an empire of over 22,000 products. The cute little cat has either appeared or been referenced in episodes of "The Simpsons", "Futurama" and even "Grey's Anatomy", where one of the characters, Izzie, shows up in Hello Kitty underwear. Hello Kitty's likeness has been parodied on a number of shows as well. Sassy Cat from "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy" and Itty Bitty Kitty of "Brandy & Mr. Whiskers" are presumably based on the infamous Hello Kitty, and the character Plushie Angelpuss from the Neopets website is said to be based on her as well.

Hello Kitty has spawned many other characters since her inception. Chococat, the penguin Badtz-Maru, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, Keroppi the frog, Pochacco and the Little Twin Stars are just a few of the characters that combine together to complete the Hello Kitty empire.