Date: 2004 November 01 15:15
Posted by Joe
Sanrio fans don't need reminding, but some other more causal otaku would need know that today, November 1st is Hello Kitty's 30th Birthday! Kitty and her twin sister Mimmy White were born on 1974 November 1st to her happy parents George and Mary White. The jolly Kitty lives with her parents and sister just outside of London.
Hello Kitty is hugely popular all over the world and ADV have published a very good article about it, interviewing some of the ADV crew behind the latest DVD release. They also interview the voice of Hello Kitty - Monica Rial, who we interviewed in August.
Full Story
Press release as follows:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HELLO KITTY® CELEBRATES HER 30th BIRTHDAY
HOUSTON, November 1, 2004— With fans celebrating worldwide, the adorably cute Hello Kitty® turns 30 today. The friendly feline has done a lot in her 30 years, and she has aged quite well!
As part of the global celebration of her momentous birthday, ADV Films is pleased to announce the release of Hello Kitty® & Friends: Holiday Fun, a deluxe two-disc set collection features ten of your favorite episodes from Hello Kitty® & Friends, plus two bonus mini-episodes and three all-new special episodes found no place else! Be sure to pick up your copy when the collection hits the streets November 2.
In September of 1974, a young artist named Yuko Shimizu presented a drawing of a cat to her boss, Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji. On November 1st of that year, Hello Kitty® was introduced to the world. Preferring catnaps to catnip, this was a kitty that had many of Shimizu's own personality traits like baking cookies and playing the piano. In 1983, Hello Kitty became the US children's ambassador for UNICEF, a position she still holds today. Now, thirty years after her first appearance, Hello Kitty has stretched across the globe and has become one of the most recognized images in countless countries around the world.
Born on November 1st, Kitty White (nicknamed 'Hello Kitty') lives just outside London with her Mama and Papa, George and Mary White. Kitty has a twin sister named Mimmy, and they are in the third grade. Their mama put a red bow over Kitty's left ear and a yellow bow over Mimmy's right ear when she brought them home from the hospital so she could tell them apart. Kitty and Mimmy's grandparents (Anthony and Margaret White) live nearby, so they get to visit them a lot.
Even though Kitty is small - about the height of five shiny apples, and weighing the same as three shiny apples - she has a very big heart. Kitty and Mimmy have many friends such as Kathy the rabbit, Fifi the lamb, Jody the dog, Joey the mouse, Tracy the raccoon, Lorry the squirrel and Moley the mole. In fact, Hello Kitty always says "You can never have too many friends!"
Happy Birthday, Hello Kitty®!
About ADV Films:
In the 12 years since its inception, ADV Films has become the #1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation ("anime") for the North American market and has also developed a leadership position in the UK. With best-selling titles such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Robotech, Full Metal Panic!, Hello Kitty and Azumanga Daioh, ADV Films' extensive catalog is fueling the popularity of anime around the globe. ADV Films' library also includes popular live-action science fiction programs such as The Jim Henson Company's Farscape, the nationally syndicated Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda and the Saturn Award-nominated Mutant X.
Parent company, A.D. Vision, Inc., encompasses a multitude of complementary media divisions, spanning publishing, television, licensing and merchandising and continues to expand into new areas. Its Anime Network™ is America's first and only television network dedicated to bringing anime and anime-related programming to consumers nationwide via digital cable 24 hours a day. The company has two publishing arms: Newtype USA, the premier anime and manga monthly magazine, and ADV Manga™, dedicated to publishing graphic novels. Most recently, the company formed ADV Toys™, creating exclusive toys and collectible merchandise based upon the company's extensive original content holdings. Headquartered in Houston, the company has offices in Europe and Japan. For more information, visit www.advfilms.com