'CEO of supercute' Hello Kitty turns 50

Hello Kitty, the cute, enigmatic character that adorns everything from handbags to rice cookers, turns 50 tomorrow - and is still making millions for her Japanese creators.

The simple design of the character is not a cat, but a little girl from London according to Sanrio, the company behind Kitty.

Hello Kitty started life as an illustration on a vinyl coin purse.

A Warner Bros movie is in the pipeline and a new theme park is due to open next year in Hainan, China. Sanrio's share soared, pushing its market cap over one trillion yen (HK$50.82 billion), since young CEO Tomokuni Tsuji took over from his grandfather in 2020.

The character, whose full name is Kitty White, has a twin sister named Mimmy, a boyfriend named Dear Daniel, and a pet cat of her own.

She loves her mother's apple pie and dreams of becoming a pianist or poet.

Hello Kitty's TikTok account bio reads "CEO of supercute." Sanrio's Kitty now accounts for 30 percent of profits, down from 75 percent a decade ago.