Hello Kitty is the most well-known of many fictional characters produced by the Japanese company Sanrio.

Hello Kitty was created in 1974 by the Sanrio Company of Japan in Tokyo, Japan. Registered in 1976, Hello Kitty is now a globally known trademark.

Although originally aimed at the pre-adolescent female market, the Hello Kitty logo now adorns almost every product that one can imagine could have its logo on it. Though a large proportion of the merchandise are stationery products, other goods range from foods and clothing to computers and cars and passenger jets and in Japan, its popularity has penetrated every aspect of Japanese daily life. In Japan, Hello Kitty is no longer viewed as merely for young girls, but is equally popular with teenagers and even adults who like the sweet, cute and girly image. This expanded market is reflected by the sale of Hello Kitty adult underwear and even wedding dresses. Hello Kitty items in the USA include luggage tags, posters, purses, cosmetics, stickers and jewelry.

Hello Kitty was originally to be named "Kitty White" (from one of the cats that Alice kept in the book Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll), due to British culture being popular with in Japanese girls at the time of her inception. The name "Hello Kitty" originated from a mistranslation of the name of Japan's famous maneki neko ("welcoming cat"), the primary inspiration for the character.

Hello Kitty has been marketed in the United States from the beginning and has held the position of U.S. children's ambassador for UNICEF since 1983. She really came to her own during the late 1990s when several celebrities such as Mariah Carey adopted her as a fashion statement. Now products featuring the character can be found in virtually any American department store. Hello Kitty was once featured in an advertising campaign of the retail chain Target. Many American celebrities have contributed to the character's popularity:Ricky Martin, Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz, Heidi Klum, Steven Tyler, Christina Aguilera, Carmen Electra, Mandy Moore, Raven-Symoné, Varla Jean Merman, as well as Paris and Nicky Hilton have all been spotted with Hello Kitty goods.