Cartoon characters may rise and fall in popularity, but one--Sanrio's Hello Kitty--seems to have the sort of staying power marketers can only dream of.
Hello Kitty, who was "born" in 1974 when she was first printed on a vinyl coin purse in Japan, has appeared on everything from t-shirts to Smart Cars. Bank of America once offered Hello Kitty credit cards, and there's even an Airbus devoted to the cat and her pals.
Most recently, a Hello Kitty-themed restaurant opened in Beijing. It's been packed since the doors opened.
Japan is home to not one, but two Hello Kitty theme parks, Harmonyland and Sanrio Puroland. Puroland, in Tokyo, opened in 1990 and attracts more than 1.5 million visitors each year.
If you're not into pink, or cuteness, this indoor amusement park should probably be avoided at all costs.
Thanks to Flickr user dansnosekai, who was kind enough to share his album of Puroland snapshots with us (check out his great photoblog here).
Welcome to Puroland
The park, in Tokyo, is indoors
It attracts more than 1.5 million visitors per year
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