In 1990, Megumi Hayashibara auditioned for the voice acting role of Sanrio's mascot, Hello Kitty. The prolific voice actress lent her voice to the character over the span of 33 years, covering several Hello Kitty anime series, original video animes (OVAs), and anime films. On the eve of the birthday of the iconic kitten bearing a red ribbon, Hayashibara announced that she was stepping down from the role after serving as the voice of Hello Kitty for over three decades, one year shy of the character's 50th anniversary. Hayashibara made the announcement on her social media accounts and personal blog, stating, “Looking ahead to the next 50, the next 100 years, it has come to be that I’m leaving [the role of] Kitty. As we say in the industry, I’m ‘graduating.’” She joins fellow Hello Kitty voice actors leaving the franchise, Miina Tominaga and Go Takahashi, who voiced Kitty-chan’s twin sister, Mimi and Hello Kitty’s boyfriend, Daniel, respectively.