This weekend marks the birthday of Hello Kitty, full name Kitty White, birthplace somewhere on the outskirts of London. At least, that's what the official biography says. This unassuming but globally recognised character is worth some $7bn to its owners, the Japanese company Sanrio – although according to Time magazine she is a “polarising cult figure”.

She was first sketched on 1 November 1974 by designer Yuko Shimizu, who was tasked with creating a decoration for a plastic purse. Over the years, however, Kitty's character has been fleshed out in great detail: she's five apples high, weighs three apples, is in the third grade at school and apparently has blood type A.