Hello Kitty has been popular in Japan for over 30 years, but it's mostly been women and little girls who fuel the trend. Well, not anymore. Hello Kitty is now launching
a line of Hello Kitty apparel and accessories for men.
"Young men these days grew up with character goods," said a spokesman. "That generation feels no embarrassment about wearing Hello Kitty."
The for-men products will go on sale in Japan next month, and will be sold soon in the US and other Asian nations.
The shape of Hello Kitty was slightly changed for a more rugged, cool look to appeal to men in their teens and early 20s, Sanrio said.
For example, a picture of the cat on a 4,095 yen ($36, £18) black T-shirt has the words, "hello kitty", instead of the usual dots for the eyes and nose
The move comes as sales of Hello Kitty-related merchandise have been slipping.
To boost sales, Sanrio has also recently launched a slightly raunchy range where Hello Kitty cheekily displays her knickers.
Hello Kitty for men? Well, we suppose anything is possible, but until we see an American male proudly displaying a Hello Kitty t-shirt as he walks down the street, we are remaining somewhat skeptical. And as for Hello Kitty showing her knickers, all we can say is at least she's wearing underwear.
