Hello Kitty was launched 35 years ago November 1st with a coin purse bearing the image of the unbearably cute character.  Now the character generates billions of dollars a year in sales, as it has for decades, and has been the star of an anime and a recently launched MMORPG.

The 35th anniversary celebration, like all things Hello Kitty, runs the gamut from high art to high camp, and involves a huge range of special products.

Here's just a sampling of the Hello Kitty anniversary happenings—

Pop superstar Lady Gaga did an incredible photo shoot with photographers Markus Klinko & Indrani, in which she was adorned by Hello Kitty paraphernalia.

A special art exhibit is being held at Royal/T in Culver City from October 23rd to November 15th, curated by Jamie Rivadeneira, owner of retail store JapanLA.  Over 80 artists, including Gary Basemen, Tara McPherson, Simone Legno, Ron English, Huck Gee, and Amanda Visell, will be exhibiting their takes on the iconic character.  A product retrospective, pop-up store and special events will also be featured.  The Baseman piece is shown here.

And just to give you some idea of the range of Hello Kitty products, this is the special limited edition Hello Kitty Swaroski pendant set (six available in the U.S.).  MSRP $6000.