Hello Kitty was originally to be named "White Kitty" (from one of the cats that Alice kept in the book Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll), due to British culture being popular among Japanese girls at the time of her inception. However, this name was not adopted.
When Hello Kitty's boyfriend "Dear Daniel" was created in 1999, designers took his name from the 1971 film Melody, which starred Mark Lester as a character called Daniel and features songs by the Bee Gees.
Hello Kitty's fictional world includes a whole array of friends and family members. Since 2004 she has even had a pet cat of her own called Charmmy Kitty and a pet hamster called Sugar. Charmmy resembles Hello Kitty but has more cat-like features. Charmmy Kitty was given to Hello Kitty by her father, George White, and Sugar by Dear Daniel.
Hello Kitty has been marketed in the United States from the beginning and has held the position of U.S. children's ambassador for UNICEF since 1983. The brand rose to greater prominence during the late 1990s when several celebrities such as Mariah Carey adopted Hello Kitty as a fashion statement. New products featuring the character can be found in virtually any American department store and Hello Kitty was once featured in an advertising campaign of the retail chain Target.
Many American celebrities have contributed to the character's popularity: Ricky Martin[citation needed], Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz, Heidi Klum, Steven Tyler, Christina Aguilera, Carmen Electra, Mandy Moore, Raven-Symoné, Varla Jean Merman, as well as Paris and Nicky Hilton have all been spotted with Hello Kitty and Bobby Jack goods. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton was also spotted with a Hello Kitty handbag while doing a video blog with Ross Mathews1. Perez Hilton was also seen wearing a Hello Kitty tie on Victoria Beckham's show 'Coming to America'. Victoria commented on his 'fierce' tie. Singer Lisa Loeb, who is marketing the pink Hello Kitty guitar, has admitted to being a fan and has even dedicated a whole album in homage to Hello Kitty named Hello Lisa. 'Scene queens' like Jeffree Star and Audrey Kitching can often be seen donning Hello Kitty apparel.
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