hello kitty never says 'goodbye'

A little known fact: Hello Kitty turned 30 this month. She's an old girl now (that's for a certain friend who also hit that landmark this month - should have given her a HK something). But she still looks great (Hello Kitty, I mean . . . okay, and said friend). It gives us all hope, as long as we totally overlook the fact that she's, well, a cartoon character. The cat, I mean, not my friend. But I digress.

Funny thing about Hello Kitty - I don't think she ever went away. I mean, not like the others - Care Bears, Rainbow Bright, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, Smurfs (say when) - who all disappeared somewhere with the '80s (possibly held hostage by a gang of rogue, shoulderpad wearing Cabbage Patch Kids?) and have now, inexplicably, started to make a comeback in all the stores. Which irritates me to no small degree. Come on, kids, get your own graphic icons, don't recycle mum and dad's.

Not Hello Kitty, though. She's been sitting sideways in her blue overalls on notebooks, pencils, pendants, t-shirts and purses, and tens of thousands of other Sanrio-branded items for three entire decades. That's more than Madonna, for crying out loud - and she hasn't had to reinvent herself even once.

So what is it about the sober white cat? I mean, yeah, she's cute, but so was Pikachu. And who remembers him?? She has no mouth - could that be a clue? Do we have a special soft spot for small animals without a means of verbal communication? Or food intake (anyone else ever wonder this)? Her expression - think deer in the headlights - is endearing to be sure, but it never, ever changes (hmm, kind of like Sarah Vaughan). Whatever it is, celebrities should take pause.

I didn't have very many HK accessories, myself. I went in for her friend more, My Melody (little rabbit with pink hood, also handicapped in the mouth department if I remember correctly). I had a My Melody colouring book (which my yokel cousins got their hands on and coloured WRONG - I still haven't gotten over that), My Melody stickers, My Melody notebooks, pencils, pencil box, the lot. Kelly was more for Hello Kitty. At the time I thought she (HK) was too mainstream - but in fact she's the one who picked up the quirky cult following - which, I hate to admit, I'm secretly a part of. Not like my friend A., who headed unabashedly to Hello Kitty World when she visited Japan two years ago, but there's definitely a soft spot.

Did I mention I've had three white cats? All of them had mouths, of course, and none sported a red bow by their ear - or the name Hello Kitty (there's always the future, though). To finish (I know, this has no point but it's been a fun little journey, hasn't it?), I just want to mention some other iconic felines, who may not have grossed the billions our big-headed kitten friend has, but still deserve some vague rememberance every now and then.

They are:

Puss 'n' Boots
Cat in the Hat
Cat Woman (yes, she counts)
The Cheshire Cat
Henrietta Meow Meow Pussy Cat
Garfield
Felix
Mouser (pronounced "mouzer," legendary in the Cornish town of Mousehole - pronounced, you guessed it, "Mouzel")
Cat (Breakfast at Tiffany's, aka "Poor Slob")
Cat (Red Dwarf)
The Black Cat
Morris
Puff

Okay, and since it's my blog and I can say what I want, I just want to give a quick mention to some other great cats that have shared my space:

Mr. Pink
P.J.
"The Kittens" (Kimba, Gizmo, Kissy-Fur, Tiny)
Daniel
Generic
Sarah (who's thinking of changing her spelling to Syrrah)
Kat

Well that about does it for me. Anyone important I forgot?
Next week: Remembering Triple Yan Yan