This may be the only time you will ever see me reference my young daughter in the same post alongside Mariah Carey and Britney Spears.
But when it comes to Hello Kitty there might not be a bigger fan. The famous female singers may have more money to spend on paraphernalia featuring the fictional feline, but my daughter is not far behind (click here to see her posing in her latest Hello Kitty jacket) and what’s more, the loyalty my offspring has shown to the big headed cat in her lifetime is something Carey and Spears have yet to illustrate to their own spouses (now ex-spouses).
And now Hello Kitty fans like my daughter will have even more to love.
Sanrio Co., which makes Hello Kitty products and licenses her image, just announced Japan’s famous feline will be rediscovering her cultural roots.
The company says it is in the process of creating digital cameras shaped like a cat’s head to stationery featuring the bubble-headed mascot in Kabuki outfits. There’s even plans to unveil an official postage stamp featuring, Hello Kitty and her boyfriend Daniel wearing flowing “The Tale of Genji” samurai and princess robes. Company execs say the move is part of a bid to emphasize the mascot’s “Japanese-ness.”
Hello Kitty, who turns 34 this year, has long catered to regional tastes (which is part of her appeal). For example, in New York you can find the mouthless cat posing as the Statue of Liberty as a souvenir figure and in Hawaii (where my daughter gets the majority of her Kitty products) the cute cat sports a perfect tan and dons lei around her neck and the state flower behind her ear.
In an effort to get gadget loving Japanese reinvigorated in the aging cat Sanrio says they are getting ready to release a slew of high tech Hello Kitty products including a 5,000 yen ($46) 512 megabyte USB memory covered with sparkling rhinestones and a 5,000 yen ($46) humidifier in Hello Kitty’s image.
On the more traditional front are wallets of deer hide and chinaware mugs made by craftsmen – all with Hello Kitty motifs. And breaking with tradition of catering to young girls (the biggest demo of Kitty fans) Sanrio is wooing other segments of the population with boxer shorts with glittery cat designs targeting young men; lingerie with cat-inspired lacing and glittery sequin Hello Kitty minidresses for adult women.