Hello Kitty lost her long-held spot as Japan’s top-grossing character in 2002 and has never recovered. In the latest survey, released this month, Kitty ranked a distant third, behind the leader, Anpanman, a character that is based on a Japanese jam-filled pastry and is produced by Nippon Television. The second spot is still held by the venerable game and animation brand Pokémon, owned by Nintendo.
-Hello Kitty Falls Behind a Jam Pastry in the New York Times.