My checkbook still has the same pink plastic Hello Kitty cover from my 20s; my kids have a Hello Kitty beachball floating around in the backyard. My editor says this qualifies me as a fan.

But it’s important to note what she’s not: Hello Kitty isn’t a cat, nor is she, in fact, Japanese. She is an anthropomorphic feline-like British girl born in the leafy suburbs of London ...