I worked a few times in Japan before Hello Kitty made its way over to North America.

To me, "Hello Kitty" fit in with all the other Japlish slogans I had seen, such as "I Feel Coke" "Speak Lark" (cigarettes) and some T-shirt slogans: "idon'tcarewhatdoyouthinkisbesthenpecked" done in various sizes of font and in a four-line run-on sentence on the front of the shirt.

When I came back to Canada I was glad to not see the insipid, expressionless creature with "Hello Kitty" as its slogan.

*sigh* I guess it was too good to last.