SHE has a flat face, two black dots as eyes and, um, no mouth. Yet, at 35 years old, Hello Kitty is a bigger star than ever.
The fictional character produced by Japanese company Sanrio made its debut in 1974 on a vinyl coin purse.
These days, Hello Kitty can count American celebrities like Kimora Lee Simmons and Paris Hilton as devotees who have collaborated with the cartoon brand on new products.
For many young executives here, the kitty is still one of the most-beloved cartoon cats around. Business-development manager Sofie Chandra, 26, is a huge fan. She had an outline of the cat’s face with a red bow tattooed on her left wrist two years ago.
“While most girls had Barbie dolls, I had Hello Kitty. I grew up with the constantly evolving Hello Kitty designs and I guess my love for it started from there,” she said.
She has more than 15 storage boxes’ worth of Hello Kitty memorabilia.
Hello Kitty has become one of the world’s most identifiable and lucrative brands. The Hello Kitty line alone has developed licensing arrangements worth more than US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion) a year in sales, said Dutch author Rien T. Segers in his 2008 book on contemporary Japan.
Hong Kong-based designer-accessories boutique, On Pedder, reported brisk sales at its sole outlet at Takashimaya when it launched its limited-edition Hello Kitty collection on Sept 17. The range is a collaboration with designers and brands such as Linda Farrow, Havaianas and American Apparel.
Response has been overwhelming. Its Repetto ballerina flats, which sport white Hello Kitty faces on its black surface, ran out of sizes within the first three days of its launch, while its Linda Farrow sunglasses sold out within the first week, said Ms Carmen Cheng, general manager of Pedder Group (SEA).
In March, SingPost sold out all 1,000 sets of its limited- edition purple Hello Kitty thumbdrives within two weeks.
And, remember the snaking Hello Kitty queues in 2000, sparked off by McDonald’s promotions, which showed the rampant Hello Kitty obsession here?
Now there is an exhibition to mark Hello Kitty’s 35th year, opening tomorrow at Singapore Expo Hall 1.
Visitors can engage in games at over 13 booths to create their own Hello Kitty in a Kitty Lab. After all game stations have been visited, they will get a Kitty ID with their customised cat on it.
Organisers expect 60,000 visitors for the two-week run.
Ms Caroline Tsang, deputy general manager of Sanrio Wave Hong Kong, said the Kitty Lab project is a very innovative one which has received tremendous positive response from fans in Hong Kong. Singaporeans love the brand, so they will definitely enjoy the creativity behind the Kitty Lab, she said.
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Kitty Lab will be at Singapore Expo Hall 1 from tomorrow to Nov 29. For more details, go to www.kittylab.com.sg
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