Hello Kitty ready for Beijing Olympics

TOKYO: Hello Kitty is getting a running start ahead of the Beijing Olympics, expanding her kingdom of cute with a new panda costume.

Ahead of next year's Summer Games, Japan's iconic cat will merge with China's most popular animal in a new design depicting Hello Kitty in a panda-like black and white outfit.

"The Olympics are coming up. That is what we have in mind," said Kazuo Tomatsu, a spokesman for Hello Kitty maker Sanrio Co.

The comapny has yet to unveil the exact products for the Olympic tie-in.

Hello Kitty, which is popular among girls and adult women alike, is also adding a new product line showing different sides of the cat -- as a little devil and an angel.

The black devil character features Hello Kitty with tiny horns and a tail, while the white angel sports a pair of wings.

Along with stuffed figures, the devil and angel characters will be used for perfumes, lingerie and accessories, among other products.

Hello Kitty, which started in 1974 in Japan as a moon-faced cartoon cat on a coin purse, has developed into a global phenomenon, with more than 50,000 different products on sale in 60 nations.