] That's because no other member of the Japanese company's
] money-making characters has what Hello Kitty has managed
] to attract and keep drawing back for more, year after
] year -- legions of girls eager to spend their pocket
] money generously on products that are seen as fun,
] affordable and unabashedly cute.

ASIAN POP How Hello Kitty Came to Rule the World / With little advertising and no TV spinoff, Sanrio's 30-year-old feline turned cute into the ultimate brand