A Hello Kitty superfan has spent £30,000 on her impressive collection of more than 5,000 pieces of merchandise.

Amy-Louise Allen, 31, fell in love with the fictional Japanese character at the age of 11, and has collected Hello Kitty clothing and merchandise ever since.

Now, Amy's home in Walthamstow, London is full of items branded with the little white kitten, including 150 handbags, 50 cuddly toys, clothing, bedding and a 40 piece dinner set.

Amy, who is a shoe designer, says: 'People think I'm bonkers because of my Hello Kitty addiction, but it's a part of who I am and that will never change.

'My obsession all started when I was 11 and I found a little Hello Kitty plush at a car boot sale in Leicester.

'Something inside me just clicked when I spotted her and I instantly fell in love.'

After discovering Hello Kitty, Amy spent her teen years rummaging through charity shops and car boot sales for more of the merchandise.

She says: 'Hello Kitty was really hard to find in the UK when I was younger, and there was only one expensive shop in Leicester that sold her.

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Amy discovered the Sanrio character at the age of 11 but says she struggled to find any Hello Kitty merchandise in the UK 

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Instead the super fan had to spend time rummaging through charity shops and car boot sales in the hope to find some treasures

'My family would buy me some Hello Kitty from the shop for every birthday and Christmas.

'In fact, I'm still the easiest person to buy presents for- anything Hello Kitty and I'm over the moon with it.'

Now, Hello Kitty is widely available online and in shops across the country.

Amy, who buys new Hello Kitty items every week, says: 'I know that £30,000 sounds like a lot of money to spend, but it's all added up over the past 20 years.

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Amy has traveled to Japan twice in the past two years and says that it would be her dream if she could move their permanently 

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Since learning of Harajuku's Kawaii style in her late teens, Amy has transformed her everyday appearance, wearing pink wigs, cute pinafore dresses and patterned tights. Pictured: Amy in Sanrio Puroland 

'I often import items from Japan, too. My recent additions include a Hello Kitty fiberoptic lamp for my bedroom which was £1.99 and a pair of flip-flops for 99p.'

As well as Amy's cheaper merchandise, the natural blonde has also splashed out on some pricier items for her collection, including a £1000 scooter which was transformed into a pink Hello Kitty bike for £800.

Amy, who is single, says: 'I had my scooter spray painted pink and white and added tassels and Hello Kitty stickers to the front. I definitely don't like to do things by half.'

The little kitten, which was designed by the Japanese company Sanrio in 1974, was created in reflection of a popular Japanese culture named Kawaii.

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Amy's home in London is full of merchandise including 150 handbags, 50 cuddly toys, clothing, bedding and a 40 piece dinner set

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Amy often gets items shipped across from Japan with her recent purchases including a 99p pair of flip flops 

Kawaii, meaning cute in English, has since grown in popularity in Japan and Harajuku,Tokyo in particular, inspiring doll-like clothing trends, often associated with the Hello Kitty brand.

Since learning of Harajuku's Kawaii style in her late teens, Amy has transformed her everyday appearance, wearing pink wigs, cute pinafore dresses and patterned tights.

She says: 'When I first discovered Harajuku fashion I was totally inspired.

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As well as Amy's cheaper merchandise, the natural blonde has also splashed out on some pricier items for her collection, including a £1000 scooter which was transformed into a pink Hello Kitty bike for £800

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Despite her obsession Amy says that she has never struggled to find love and even claims that Hello Kitty has helped her to cut out potentially bad relationships

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Amy has spent the last two years teaching herself to speak Japanese in the hope to move to the 'Hello Kitty motherland'