Hello Kitty heads to Hollywood

Hello Kitty, Japan’s moon-faced global icon of cute, will soon appear in a Hollywood film for the first time in her 45-year-old history, her creator said on Wednesday.

Sanrio, the feline character’s operator, announced it was teaming up with New Line Cinema and FlynnPictureCo for the film after a near five-year discussion about rights for the big screen.

The mouthless character, with her child-like hair bow and a registered height of five apples, has spawned a multi-billion-dollar industry since Sanrio introduced her in 1974.

Immediately recognizing Hello Kitty’s cash cow potential, the company branched out into merchandising the year after and she now adorns everything from pencil cases and pyjamas to double-decker buses and airliners.