Hello Kitty (ハローキティ, Harō Kiti?), full name Kitty White (キティ・ホワイト, Kiti Howaito?), is the best-known of many simply drawn fictional characters produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. Hello Kitty is a friendly white kitty with the head larger than her body, small button eyes and nose, but no mouth. She is said to be five apples tall and the weight of three apples.

In 1974, Sanrio Co. Ltd. of Tokyo, introduced a Hello Kitty franchise. The first Hello Kitty item was a vinyl coin purse sold in Tokyo, according to Sanrio Inc.'s U.S. marketing director Bill Hensley. In 1976, the franchise was introduced into the U.S. The Hello Kitty line has developed under licensing arrangements worth more than $1 billion a year in sales. Examples of products depicting the character include dolls, stickers and greeting cards to clothes, accessories, school supplies, dishes and home appliances. Sanrio Puroland is the official theme park of Sanrio featuring Hello Kitty and her friends.

Source: Wikipedia