If Mickey Mouse is a westerner who has captured the world，Hello Kitty is the world’s sweetheart from Asia. With its two innocent black eyes and the cute ribbon on its ear, this white-faced kitten has captivated(迷住）the hearts of women of all ages since 1974. Hello Kitty is found on more than 50 thousand items，including toys，school supplies, make-up and even neckties. To celebrate the character’s 38' birthday, an exhibition called “Inside Kitty" is underway at the Seongnam Arts Center in Yatab-dong. “Kitty was not popular at all at first，even in Japan. Only since 1985, 11 years after it was born，have people started to pay attention to it,” Yuko Yamaguchi, one of the designers of the character，told the press. “Hello Kitty was only for kids then. But in 1987, I got a letter from a high school student who said that her friends teased her because she had a Hello Kitty product. She asked the company to make something that did not look strange for her to carry around. Since then we’ve tried to come up with things that all ages can enjoy,” Yamaguchi said. Hello Kitty became popular after being displayed in Anna Sui boutiques(精品店）in the United States. Young women from all over the world have been in love with the character ever since. The boutique of MAC，a make-up brand，packed，on the day the brand was released，its first products made in collaboration with Hello Kitty. “The character has to communicate with people. It should change over time，and always stay fashionable,” Yamaguchi said. “Inside Kitty" starts by viewing the past of the character. Kitty fans will be delighted to see Hello Kitty items from throughout the past 38 years on display.
| ||||||||||