Hello Kitty

In 2004, a Japanese blogger started a discussion on whether Hello Kitty was modeled after Musti, a cartoon character created by Flemish graphic artist Ray Goossens in 1945.
In May 2008, Japan named Hello Kitty the ambassador Japanese tourism in both China and Hong Kong, which are two places where the character is exceptionally popular among children and young women. This marked the first time Japan's tourism ministry had appointed a fictional character to the role.
UNICEF has also awarded Hello Kitty the exclusive title UNICEF Special Friend Children.
Hello Kitty's popularity has been waning in Japan for over a decade. In 2002, Hello Kitty lost her place as the top-grossing character in Japan in the Character Databank popularity chart and has never recovered. In the most recent survey, she is in third place behind Anpanman and Pikachu from Pokémon.