Female celebrities can't get enough of Hello Kitty

By Kelly Carter
USA Today

Count Mandy Moore among the fans of Hello Kitty, the little white cat icon that has been around for nearly three decades. Gannett library photo • Dec. 4, 2001

Popular with girls since the 1970s, Hello Kitty products are suddenly a hit in Hollywood.

"It's a very reminiscent 'Oh!' feeling when I see or buy Hello Kitty things," says Loeb, 34. "It reminds me of my childhood."

Carey is known to click around in her high heels carrying her $59 Hello Kitty boom box. On a recent "MTV Cribs" episode, the songbird also showed off her Hello Kitty hair dryer ($29).

A $15 Hello Kitty sequin bag is popular with Banks, Mandy Moore and members of Destiny's Child. Christina Aguilera, who wore Hello Kitty jewelry on the cover of Teen People, was recently spotted at Hello Kitty's Beverly Center store in Los Angeles, snapping up everything from luggage to wastebaskets. On "The Tonight Show," she professed her love of Hello Kitty gum to Jay Leno.

Include Gwen Stefani (cell-phone case), Jessica Alba (stationery), Parker (T-shirts), Selma Blair (hat, scarf and mittens), Drew Barrymore (watches and stationery) and Brandy (luggage) among Hello Kitty fans.

Why is the brand — with its cute white-cat-with-a-bow mascot — such a hit with celebs?

"Most of us work very hard, and we're very, very busy, so anything that can add a spark of excitement and creativity and fun to mundane things in life is important to us," Loeb says.

Loeb can't even count how many Hello Kitty items she owns. For starters, there's her rice cooker, purses, T-shirts, pens, paper, cell-phone holders, boom box, waffle maker, watch, leopard-skin leg warmers and pajamas. "I have a Hello Kitty coffee maker and I get to see Hello Kitty's face with little angel wings on it when I'm making coffee in the morning."

Hello Kitty, the flagship character of Sanrio for about 27 years, evidently is enjoying a wide-ranging rebirth. Fortune magazine last year reported that "serious women are bringing Hello Kitty products into the boardroom," with executives toting Hello Kitty pens and cell phones with Hello Kitty pink glitter faceplates. One marketing consultant has called the trend "a small but very public act of rebellion."

Bill Hensley, Western Hemisphere marketing director for Tokyo-based Sanrio Inc., offers a simpler explanation. "Kitty appeals because she's really cute, and we create functional stuff with a fun design," he says.