Hello Kitty is turning 29 this year, and so are a lot of her fans. Sanrio Company Ltd., the Tokyo-based firm that produces Hello Kitty, has made sure that this cat has nine lives by appealing to fans who have grown up as reported in the Toronto Star this week. "As a 5-year-old, she takes the lunch case to school. As a 25-year-old, she takes the Hello Kitty cellphone case off to work," says Bill Hensley, marketing director at Sanrio's North American office in San Francisco. "A Hello Kitty fan generally may be attracted first as a young girl in elementary school," he adds, "but she finds something for her lifestyle as she grows." After all, who else but an adult could afford (or would want) to buy the $129 toaster that imprints the icon on your bread, or the $129 microwave, $199 vacuum, $89 coffee maker, or $50 vibrator? Full article here.