Shandong Culture

Iconic cartoon characters from your childhood

By Zhang Xingjian (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2017-05-31

Iconic cartoon characters from your childhood

Hello Kitty [Photo/Mtime]

16. Hello Kitty

First appearance: 1974

Age: 43

Species: Japanese bobtail

Personal qualities: anthropomorphic, lovely, childlike

Social influence: As a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, Hello Kity has risen to become a global marketing phenomenon worth $5 billion a year by 2014.