Hello Kitty is more than a cartoon cat. She's a cultural institution. No wonder, then, that the character was recently enshrined in a Shinto shrine, which is located in Kofu, Japan.

After seeing cute Dragon Quest Slime and Hatsune Miku meat buns, it was only a matter of time before Hello Kitty hit Japanese convenience stores.

I like the color pink, and I'm not ashamed to say it. I wear pink shirts, I have a pair of pink boxers and a few pairs of socks that accidentally became pink but nothing could've prepared me for my lunch at the Hello Kitty Dreams Restaurant. It was an overload of pink.

By no means is this the first Hello Kitty sofa, and no means is it the last. This month, a new Kitty-chan sofa is going on sale in Japan.

Hey kids! If you play your cards rights you might one day be the owner of your own cafe, working tirelessly day in and day out to please demanding customers that can't even go to the bathroom on their own. Sound dreamy? Perhaps Hello Kitty Cafe can help change your mind.

Skinned him alive, I guess! Sega and Sanrio are teaming up for for some Kitty-related goodies. First up, this Sonic x Hello Kitty plush toy, which will be available at Sega arcades and amusement centers in Japan.

When your loved ones are down, you'll do anything to cheer them up and make them laugh. For 50 year-old Hu Han-yan, getting his father's spirits up meant one thing: a Hello Kitty haircut.

We thought we had seen the ultimate street brawling crossover when Street Fighter X Tekken hit the scene. We were wrong. In fall 2012, Street Fighter and Hello Kitty will finally be one, at least from a merchandising perspective.

In 1975, a coin purse featuring an expressionless cat with its head turned sideways and sitting next to a fish bowl went on sale in Japan. The company was Sanrio. The designer was Yuko Yamaguchi. The cat became known as "Kitty-chan", and outside Japan as Hello Kitty. Decades later, is the cat still cute?

Employees flee Hello Kitty's hungry maw at a Hong Kong exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kitty-creators Sanrio.

Watch the music video for Hello Kitty Online's new theme song once - and only once - and you may be safe. Some of us weren't so fortunate.

Sanrio Digital celebrates the season of love this Valentine's Day weekend by opening up the servers of Hello Kitty Online for a public stress test with their four-day Happy Hearts event.