Open source cuteness: Hello Kitty’s success explained

Reveries:

One key is that “Sanrio takes a much more laissez-faire approach” than does “litigious American megabrands like Disney … Since 2004, the company has allowed a cadre of modern artists to have their way with Hello Kitty’s visage without any mediation from the corporate giant.” Detractors object to Hello Kitty’s “submissive, infantile undercurrent.”