In 2003 I heard the original designer of Hello Kitty, Yuko Shimizu speak at the TOKION Creativity Now conference. I was shocked that she didn’t make a penny in royalties, as she created the character while an employee of Sanrio.
Yuko Yamaguchi, who has designed Hello Kitty for 29 of the character’s 35 years, says Kitty did not gain in popularity until the mid-1980s.