The Many Faces of Hello Kitty

Did you know that Hello Kitty turned fifty last year? While it may seem that Kitty and her Sanrio pals are ever-present characters in Japan’s kawaii (“cute”) cultural landscape, their creation is tightly linked to Japan’s post-war boom that is most often associated with economic powerhouses like Toyota and Sony. This virtual program will begin by introducing participants to Tsuji Shintaro, the mind and heart behind Sanrio, chronicling Hello Kitty’s 1970s and 1980s rise to popularity in both Japan and abroad and end with looking at the myriad ways in which Hello Kitty has served as a lightning rod for topics concerning East Asian relations, feminism and gender, and racism including a look at Christine Yano’s research from Pink Globalization (2013) as a way to understand the implications of Japanese ‘cute’ as it has gone global.

• • Starts:
  • November 14, 2026
• • Ends:
  • November 14, 2026
• • Time Detail:
  • 9am-1pm (ET)
• • Learning Format:
  • Online
• • Type of Course:
  • Workshops
• • Offered to:
  • All States
• • Registration and Info:

  • Participants who attend the entire session will receive a complimentary copy of Time magazine’s 50th anniversary special edition, “Hello Kitty: The Power of Cuteness”

    After you register, we will send you a confirmation email along with information on accessing the Zoom meeting.