Hello Kitty

Article summary

also known by her real name is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as a British anthropomorphic white cat with a red bow and no visible mouth. According to her backstory, she lives in a London suburb with her family, and is close to her twin sister Mimmy, who is depicted with a yellow bow. Hello Kitty was created in 1974 and the first item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in 1975. Originally, Hello Kitty was only marketed towards pre-teenage girls, but beginning in the 1990s, the brand found commercial success among teenage and adult consumers as well. Hello Kitty's popularity also grew with the emergence of kawaii (cute) culture. The brand went into decline in Japan after the 1990s, but continued to grow in the international market. By 2010, the character was worth a year and The New York Times called her a "global marketing phenomenon". She did about at retail in 2013. UNICEF has appointed Hello Kitty children's ambassador and the Japanese government appointed her ambassador of tourism. There are Sanrio theme parks based on Hello Kitty: Harmonyland in Hiji, Ōita, Japan, Sanrio Puroland in Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan, and Hello Kitty Shanghai Times in Shanghai, China.…

Key claims

1. publication date: 1992 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. release date: 1989 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. release date: 2008 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. release date: 1989 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. release date: 2005 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
6. release date: 2013 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
7. release date: 2005 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the publication date is "1992". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the release date is "1989". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the release date is "2008". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the release date is "1989". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the release date is "2005". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. The record states that the release date is "2013". What evidence would count against this claim?
8. The record states that the release date is "2005". What evidence would count against this claim?
9. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
10. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377686919