Since its 1974 debut in Japan, cute cartoon cat Hello Kitty has comforted millions, and made billions for Tokyo-based Sanrio Company Hongkonger Connie Tse is loaded up with Hello Kitty-themed items: ...

or have sex using a Hello Kitty condom.) Sanrio, the company which owns the character, makes almost $4bn in sales annually. Kitty’s popularity is emblematic of the global craze for cute things.

Hello Kitty fans, grab a sticker and mark your cute calendars ... bento box created by chef Ernesto Uchimura filled with a pink-cheese-topped burger, fries and spicy tuna salad, served with ...

Just ask Cici Cortes, 5, about Hello Kitty -- a Japanese bobtail cat who loves baking cookies and was a UNICEF ambassador. "She has bows in her hair, she wears cute clothes, and she has cute ...