In 1974, Hello Kitty was first introduced by the Sanrio company in Japan. Hello Kitty gained the hearts of young girls. Hello Kitty is iconic mouthless kitten with a signature pink bow over her left ear. See the kitten and you'll never forget the look.
It was not until 2009, that we saw the first Swarovski Hello Kitty. Swarovski and Sanrio collaborated to produce a 'Super Hello Kitty' to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Hello Kitty. More information about this one of a kind figurine, Super Hello Kitty Jewel Doll, is available on the Swarovski Gems web site.
The crystal brand officially announced the latest Swarovski Hello Kitty collaboration in June 2011. Swarovski and Sanrio have now formed a bigger bond to unite the two companies with more stores and distribution channels as well as offering more products with the official Swarovski name geared toward consumers. The crystal giant indicates jewelry, charms, figurines, and accessories were created for the dual-brand productions.
In 2013, Swarovski introduced a new way of categorizing and aligning figurines within their marketplace. As a result of the changes to the Swarovski Product Lines, the Swarovski Hello Kitty figurines are now officially a part of Swarovski Characters.
The Hello Kitty Swarovski jewelry will include bracelets, rings, pendants, and necklaces. The Hello Kitty Swarovski accessories will include leather coin purses, bag charms, and card holders. And most importantly to Swarovski crystal fanatics, the crystal figurines will be the famous Hello Kitty Swarovski figurines donning a pink, red, or purple bow holding an apple or teddy bear. This original lineup is now retired (effective 2012)
Within the Swarovski Hello Kitty collection, Swarovski and Hello Kitty have created a Swarovski Limited Edition Hello Kitty masterpiece, assembled using the Swarovski pointiage technique. The Hello Kitty, Limited Edition 2011 has a maximum production of 88 pieces world-wide, so it will be quite exclusive.
The Hello Kitty Swarovski jewelry and accessories continue to expand with the growth and popularity within the crystal brand's product lines. Foro the die-hard Swarovski fanatics, additional figurines were introduced in 2012. A rock-inspired Hello Kitty crystal figurine is available along with 2 different Limited Editions.
In 2012, another Swarovski Limited Edition Hello Kitty masterpiece was available, assembled using the Swarovski pointiage technique. With a total production of 88 pieces world-wide and a price tag of $8000, the Hello Kitty, Limited Edition 2012 will be purchased by a select few Swarovski crystal or Hello Kitty collectors.
The Hello Kitty Swarovski collaboration with Sanrio continues to grow, with Swarovski adding two new kitties to the lineup....Hello Kitty Blue Bow and Hello Kitty Ladybug. Swarovski is also launching additional charms, pendants, and stylus to the product offerings.
Many third party companies have used Swarovski crystal stones and the popular Hello Kitty design to bling-up their electronic toys, like iPods, iPads, cell phones and such. It is worthwhile to mention that products like these may very well not be found in the Swarovski store or in any Sanrio Hello Kitty online store. This is because the completed products are NOT made by Swarovski or Sanrio, so hopefully collectors will not be confused by the 'official products' by Sanrio and Swarovski when deciding what items to purchase for their respective Swarovski or Hello Kitty collections.
Swarovski no longer includes a Swarovski certificate with its products, so there is no accompanying certificate of authenticy with the Hello Kitty figurines. The familiar Swarovski swan logo can be found on the Swarovski Hello Kitty crystal figurines along with Sanrio, 1976 (their original copyright date) and 2011. The boxes are the newer Swarovski blue cylinder packaging. The 2013 products have not been seen to know if the Swarovski crystal packaging for them is any different.