Hello Kitty Isn't Sanrio's Best-Selling Character and Like it or Not, That's a Very Good Thing

Few brand mascots are as globally recognizable as Hello Kitty. Since her debut in 1974, the mouthless feline has become synonymous with Japanese "kawaii" culture, adorning everything from pencil cases to luxury cars. For decades, Hello Kitty stood unchallenged as the crown jewel in Sanrio’s empire of cute. But in recent years, she’s no longer the reigning queen. The results of Sanrio’s annual character popularity polls tell a surprising story: Hello Kitty has been overtaken time and again by newer characters, including the lazy egg Gudetama, the rage-fueled red panda Aggretsuko, and the delightfully mischievous Kuromi.