Hello Kitty sinks claws into fans

Hello Kitty, the cat with the super-size head and blank gaze, has gone from stuffed animals to cellphone cases, bracelets to boom boxes, watches to waffle-makers.

Imported from Japan since 1976, this icon of cuteness has become a billion-dollar "lifestyle brand" even adults embrace.

Of course, the under-8 set has long been drawn to Hello Kitty's innocent incarnations. At a toy store in Avon, Conn., one recent afternoon, 7-year-old Abigail Reed charged right over to the shop's sizable Hello Kitty section.

"There's just too many things I like, and it's really hard to choose when there's a lot of stuff," said Abigail, perusing stacks of Hello Kitty notebooks, bins of Hello Kitty pens and shelves of plump stuffed Hello Kitties.

Abigail has accumulated a roomful of Hello Kitty items. She bestowed the name "Angel" on her first Hello Kitty stuffed doll. After browsing for a while, she convinced her grandmother, Janis Crosby of Tolland, Conn., to buy her a pink diary with a lock and a hand-held fan.

Sanrio Inc., Hello Kitty's Tokyo-based corporate owner, views kids as key components to the company's success. But it doesn't stop there. "We develop lifestyle products," said marketing director Bill Hensley. "As the customer grows, we grow with her."

Sara Scott, owner of The Perfect Toy in Avon, has sold Hello Kitty baubles and trinkets to many adult women. "A lot of adults also come and get stuff because they had Hello Kitty when they were a child," she said. "It's a great line for us, and it's just so darn cute."

The moon-faced cat has even won fans among celebrities. According to a recent article in USA Today, Christina Aguilera, who wore Hello Kitty jewelry on the cover of Teen People, was spotted snapping up Hello Kitty luggage at a Sanrio boutique in Los Angeles. Mariah Carey, Brandy, Sarah Jessica Parker and Tyra Banks also are among Hello Kitty's famous followers.

Said Hensley, "We cater to those who appreciate cute."

And cute is, indeed, what is served up.

You can plan a complete Hello Kitty wedding, according to the book "Hello Kitty Hello Everything!" by Marie Y. Moss, with limited-edition china and silver spoons, crystal wine glasses, place cards, favors and bride-and-groom dolls.

The rich can go for the 1998 (white) or 1999 (black) Daihatsu hatchbacks liberally imprinted with the Kitty face. But the millennium-edition 34-diamond watches are not available anymore, except as a collectible. Only 21 were made, at $30,000 each.

But for the average adult addict, bliss is still attainable. The Sanrio Web site — www.hellokitty.com — offers more practical, if still fanciful, items. A pink 13-inch color TV is $175; a pop-up toaster that imprints the toast with HK's face is $38.95; a coffeemaker is $36.95 and a waffle iron, which offers a choice of four Kitty-related shapes, is $56.95.

In other words, saying Hello Kitty means never having to say goodbye.