Hello Kitty designer bows out after 40 years in charge

Yuko Yamaguchi, designer of Hello Kitty for 40 years, steps down as new talent takes the reins of the iconic character.

The flamboyant designer behind Hello Kitty — the cute Japanese character that became a global mega brand — is stepping down after more than four decades in charge of her look.

Yuko Yamaguchi has been responsible since 1980 for the design of Kitty, who is officially not a cat but a little girl from London, overseeing her rise to the epitome of Japan's "kawaii" — cute — soft power.

But now Ms. Yamaguchi, who often wore Kitty-style dresses in public and piled her hair in buns — has "passed the baton to the next generation", Sanrio, the company behind the character, said on its website Tuesday (February 10, 2026).

The company said new designer "Aya" — a pseudonym — was due to start by the end of 2026.

Ms. Yamaguchi "listened to the voices of fans, actively collaborated with artists and designers from Japan and abroad and has grown Hello Kitty into a character loved by everyone", Sanrio said, as it thanked her for her work.

Hello Kitty started life as an illustration on a vinyl coin purse.