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MIAMI - Lina Garcia remembers her first Hello Kitty purchases at age 15: a wallet, a trash can and an alarm clock, all with the image of the sweet-faced feline, three whiskers sprouting from each round cheek and a bow over her left ear.

Twenty years later, she's buying Hello Kitty for her daughter.

"She's really cute," said Lourdes, 9, looking at a display of Kitty pens in the Sanrio store at Aventura Mall.

Sanrio, which is marking the 35th anniversary of its top-selling brand, has marketed thousands of Hello Kitty products and built a following that extends far beyond the tween set. The Japanese company, which won't break out Kitty figures, reports annual retail sales of $5 billion.

"She really goes from 4 to forever," said Janet Hsu, president of Sanrio Global Consumer Products. "She's always represented friendship, love, all of those good things. Every consumer interprets her in a different way. They have a personal relationship with her that's very unique to them."

Hello Kitty got her start in 1974 with her image on a change purse. She moved onto pens and pencils, stationery and T-shirts, created to make people "feel good and smile," Hsu said. "She only continues to get stronger."

Aventura shopper Lina Garcia agrees.

"Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, Dora the Explorer. They all have their time. Hello Kitty is forever," said the 36-year-old, who sheepishly admits to having Hello Kitty earrings, a necklace and pajamas. "It's a long-lasting style that never ends."

Twelve-year-old Liz Alvarez, who was shopping with Garcia, said one thing she finds cool about Hello Kitty is just how long she's been around.

"A lot of old stuff doesn't come to the 2000s," she said. "Every girl loves it. It's girly. It makes you happy."

Hitting the 35-year mark puts Kitty in "the character hall of fame," said Ken Belson, who, with Brian Bremner, wrote "Hello Kitty: The Remarkable Story of Sanrio and the Billion Dollar Feline Phenomenon" (Wiley, 2003). "It's one of the strangest product evolutions because in the life of character goods, there's only really a handful that last with any momentum beyond the first few years."

Given her staying power, Kitty has a "thin back-story," said Belson, a New York Times reporter. "Really, she has no voice. She's just an image."

Christine Yano, an anthropology professor at the University of Hawaii, has been studying Hello Kitty for more than a decade.

"She's narrativeless, in effect," Yano says. "In my mind, she's pure product. They've made a few cartoons. They've given her a back-story about her family in London, but none of that is critical to her purchase. I'm guessing a lot of people who buy Hello Kitty don't know and don't care that much."

Sanrio has placed its best-selling character on almost every product imaginable, from toasters to cars, bathroom scales, shoelaces and fruit baskets. There's even a line of wines for the adult consumer.

She's gone upscale with a Sanrio Luxe store in Manhattan and appearances at New York's Fashion Week.

Celebrities have adopted her as well. On an episode of "MTV Cribs," Mariah Carey holds a Hello Kitty tee to her chest and proclaims, "It's cute, right?"

Lady Gaga did a photo shoot with a Hello Kitty doll in her hair and a cascade of plush figures building a floor-length dress.

Kimora Lee Simmons launched a line of jewel-and-diamond watches, necklaces and rings and with Hello Kitty.

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