Why is Hello Kitty so Popular?

Why is Hello Kitty so popular?

As an international icon of all things cute and the face of a massively successful commercial empire, how is it that Hello Kitty was able to accomplish all this without a mouth? This is something Michael Richey was wondering over at Tofugu.com.

In his time spent living in Japan, Richey was almost disturbed by the “unavoidable” presence of Hello Kitty, saying, “I couldn't understand for the life of me why she was so popular.” In his opinion, Hello Kitty's “too simple” design and over-the-top cuteness should make her undeserving of such international acclaim.

However, as Richey would discover, the truth is that the very simplicity of her design--particularly the fact that she does not have a mouth--is what makes her so popular. According to cartoonist (and genius) Scott McCloud, the lack of features in a cartoon character allows viewers to identify with such characters and mascots more easily than with actual human faces. Long-time Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi echoes this sentiment as well. Hello Kitty doesn't have a mouth, she says, “so that people who look at her can project their own feelings onto her face. [...] Kitty looks happy when people are happy. She looks sad when they are sad. For this psychological reason, we thought she shouldn't be tied to any emotion — and that's why she doesn't have a mouth”. 

Perhaps the simpler the character's design, the more likely they are to become popular. From this perspective, it's no secret why Hello Kitty has taken the world by storm.

Source
http://www.tofugu.com/2013/12/09/facing-facts-the-secret-behind-hello-kittys-blank-face/
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1834451,00.html