TOKYO - Hello Kitty, the cute, enigmatic character that adorns everything from handbags to rice cookers, turns 50 on Friday - still making millions for her Japanese creators.
The simple design of the character - who is not a cat, but a little girl from London according to Sanrio, the company behind Kitty - has mileage as a money-spinner for years to come, experts say.
Hello Kitty started life as an illustration on a vinyl coin purse.
It has since appeared on tens of thousands of products - official and unofficial - including tie-ups with Adidas, Balenciaga and other top brands.
The phenomenon shows no sign of slowing, with a Warner Bros movie in the pipeline and a new Hello Kitty theme park due to open next year on China's tropical Hainan island.
Sanrio's share price has soared more than seven-fold, pushing its market cap over one trillion yen ($6.8 billion), since young CEO Tomokuni Tsuji took over from his grandfather in 2020.
"We'd be foolishly cynical to say that we don't need these soft, fluffy, pink things," Christine R. Yano of the University of Hawaii told AFP.
In fact, "given the fraught nature of our contemporary lives, perhaps we need it now more than ever," said Yano, author of the book "Pink Globalization" about Hello Kitty.
"This is not a phenomenon that has died or is going to die, at least soon."
Unlike other Japanese cultural exports such as Pokemon or Dragon Ball, there is minimal narrative around the character, whose full name is Kitty White.
She has a twin sister Mimmy, a boyfriend called Dear Daniel, and a pet cat of her own, Sanrio says. She loves her mother's apple pie and dreams of becoming a pianist or poet.
The rest is left to fans' imaginations - just like her "abstract, bare design that can speak with a kind of simplicity and elegance to more people," Yano said.
"I call her a 'pure product'," the researcher added.
Some feminists say Hello Kitty's lack of mouth is a symbol of disempowerment, but Yano counters that by not depicting it, "she has a greater range of expression".
Famous Hello Kitty fans include Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry, and her appeal extends to royalty: Britain's King Charles wished her a happy birthday this year.
And on Hello Kitty's TikTok account - whose bio is "CEO of supercute" - sardonic memes and footage from "Hello Kitty Day" at US baseball games delight 3.5 million followers.