Sanrio: Shintaro Tsuji
Learn more →The man who discovered that a flower on a sandal changes everythingShintaro Tsuji lost his mother at 13 and spent a lonely childhood in the care of a strict aunt. He grew up convinced that the most important thing in life is to have someone you can open your heart to. In 1960, using the severance pay from his civil-service job, he founded a company in Tokyo — at first he sold ties and scarves. Until he noticed that sandals with a painted flower sold many times better than those without. He hired illustrators. He commissioned characters. In 1974 Yuko Shimizu drew Hello Kitty — a white kitten with no mouth, because she's meant to speak with what you feel. A debut on a vinyl coin purse. The rest is the story of how sweetness became a language.