NBC's Savannah Sellers has a story behind Hello Kitty.

Hi guys, good morning.

Yeah, this was such a fun one.

So even though Hello Kitty's official 50th anniversary isn't until November, there have been special events leading up to this commemoration and I had the opportunity to learn more about her including one surprising fact many people don't know.

With that instantly Kitty for 50 years now.

In that time she has appeared almost everywhere taking flight on planes, trains and automobiles, cheering on professional sports teams and walking the runway.

And the girl of the hour, Hello Kitty!

On trend for five decades Hello Kitty hasn't stopped keeping fans coming back for more.

From countless products and brand collaborations to most recently a special Nordstrom pop-up celebrating her big milestone.

Jill Cook is an executive at Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty and knows her better than anyone else.

We are here because it is Hello Kitty's 50th anniversary.

My first question is, is Hello Kitty a cat?

So Hello Kitty is not a cat.

She's actually a little girl born and raised in the suburbs of London.

She has a mom and dad and a twin sister Mimi who's also her best friend.

She enjoys baking cookies and making new friends.

Cinnamon roll?

Your cinnamon roll looks kind of like you.

She's kind of a tiny little girl right?

Yeah she weighs three apples and she's five apples tall.

And her world is large.

She has her own pet cat, Charmy Kitty, a boyfriend, Dear Daniel and hundreds of other friends.

Her core message is friendship, kindness and inclusivity and part of what has helped her transcend borders, languages, cultures is that that's understandable to everyone.

Hello Kitty's story started in 1974 when she was put on a small coin purse by a Japanese business.

She was created for product and the fact that she grew so quickly around the globe was kind of a shock.

I think really interesting about Hello Kitty is she was one of the first pop culture brands to introduce Japanese culture to an American audience and really opened up that new design aesthetic.

Her prevalence also making her a cultural phenomenon, leading to an SNL sketch.

I love Hello Kitty.

Several years in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and a guest gig as a bartender.

Watch what happens live with Andy Cohen.

She also has her own theme park and cafes, making Hello Kitty a major global business.

We hit annual retail sales of over five billion in 2023, and she is in 130 countries.

The success catching the eye of New York Times reporter Ken Belson, who wrote a book on Hello Kitty's reach.

The company's been very clever over the years at rolling out products, not just for six year olds, but 16 year olds, 26 year olds, 36 year olds and beyond.

Put their business success in context.

Like how well does this do versus anything similar?

Kitty's remarkable because it didn't come from anything.

It just appeared and was plastered on product after product after product.

Most characters, both in America and elsewhere, come out of movies.

They come out of animated videos.

Kitty has had none of that.

That's unique, and it's hard to replicate that.

I got to say hello to Hello Kitty herself when she surprised me.

Hello Kitty isn't saying goodbye anytime soon.

She's been around for 50 years.

She'll be around for 50 more.

She's timeless.

She's relatable to people of all ages.

I think what has been part of her success is that she adapts and evolves while her core message stays the same.

She's so cute and Al, not a cat.

The Hello Kitty pop up at Nordstrom is happening through the summer in select stores and online.

We talked about just how big Sanrio is.

Just look at some of the products that we have here.

You can.

I mean, just she's on everything.