Yuko Shimizu

 ( 1946 Births ) 

born 1 November 1946 is a Japanese people designer who created Hello Kitty.

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Early life and education Shimizu was born in Kyoto, Japan, on November 1, 1946. She attended Musashino Art University, and joined Sanrio after graduation.

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Career

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Hello Kitty In 1974, Shimizu made the original design for Hello Kitty, whose fictional birthdate is November 1, the same as Shimizu's. Hello Kitty is Sanrio's most successful and best known character. Shimizu based her name on Alice's black 'Kitty' from Through the Looking-Glass. Hello Kitty was designed to be a kawaii (cute) symbol to be used on merchandise. In 1975, the design made her debut in Japan with her image on a coin purse.

Sanrio has said Hello Kitty has no mouth because she "speaks from the heart" and that she is "Sanrio's ambassador to the world who isn't bound to one certain language."

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At Sanrio

In 1973, Shimizu designed the first original Sanrio character, Coro Chan, a bear. Before designing Hello Kitty Shimizu also did designs of fruits for Sanrio.

(2025). 9780470820940, Wiley. . ISBN 9780470820940

Other characters designed by Shimizu for Sanrio include バニー＆マッティ, a rabbit and mice, and 八千代チャーマー, a girl wearing a kimono, all from 1974.

西沢正史 (1990). 9784387901983, サンリオ. ISBN 9784387901983

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After Sanrio

Shimizu left Sanrio in 1976 to get married. She has been working as a freelance designer ever since. She did not make a lot of money from Hello Kitty.

The other characters she has created include Angel Cat Sugar and Rebecca Bonbon. She has also published some picture books.

Categories: 1946 Births, Living People, Japanese Character Designers, Japanese Advertising Artists And Illustrators, Hello Kitty, Cat Artists, Artists From Chiba Prefecture, 20th-century Japanese Illustrators, 21st-century Japanese Illustrators, Japanese Women Illustrators

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