In 1974, a white cat sporting a cute red ribbon made her first appearance on a vinyl coin purse in Japan. Hello Kitty has since become a cultural icon around the world as a universal symbol of harmless, lighthearted cuteness that can be found on clothing, jewelry, and even in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a massive balloon.

Despite being known widely by the brand name, Hello Kitty is not actually the character’s “real” name. According to Sanrio’s official website for her, her official name is Kitty White. She was born outside of London, England on November 1, and she has a twin sister named Mimmy. Kitty is one of dozens of Sanrio characters, which also include Keroppi (a frog), Monkichi (a monkey), My Melody (a rabbit), and Badtz-Maru (a penguin). While many of these characters can be found alongside Hello Kitty, none have seen the incredible popularity that the little white cat has achieved.

Hello Kitty came about when Sanrio’s founder, Shintaro Tsuji, noted that the merchandise he was selling (rubber sandals in particular) moved more product when “cute” designs were added. He hired cartoonists to design characters for his merchandise, and Yuko Shimizu came up with the cat. Hello Kitty helped the Sanrio company in a massive way increasing their sales seven times over the four years following the first release of a Hello Kitty product.

While Sanrio’s primary audience for Hello Kitty has always been young girls, the company has expanded Hello Kitty’s brand into an impressively wide amount of products. In 2009, Bank of America began offering Hello Kitty-themed checking accounts, allowing people to get debit cards and cheques with Kitty’s face on them. Also in 2009, the company entered the wine market, offering four different Hello Kitty-themed wines. There have also been collaborations with Simmons and Zales to introduce high-end Hello Kitty jewelry over the last several years.

Hello Kitty has also been more than just a brand name for a product. She’s also starred in multiple animated series, such as Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theater (1987), Hello Kitty and Friends (1993), and Hello Kitty’s Paradise (1999-2011). Plus, there have been dozens of Hello Kitty video games spanning nearly every major console, such as Hello Kitty’s Cube Frenzy, Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams, Hello Kitty Online and Hello Kitty and the Apron of Magic.

Hello Kitty now brings in more than $7 billion every year for Sanrio, and with the opening of a Hello Kitty Café in California, it’s clear that the little white cat with the red ribbon isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.