I cannot remember a time when I haven’t loved Hello Kitty. The Sanrio store, with all its plastic bubblegum goodness, was my mecca as a little girl. On the special occasion that I was taken by my parents, I would spin around the store over and over trying to pick out just the right thing to take home that day. And how could I really be expected to choose? There were little trinkets, sticker books, pencil cases and dangly-topped pink pens to covet and adore. Hundreds of items, if not thousands, that I desperately wanted to collect and display on every available surface in my bedroom.
Today, my taste has matured just the slightest bit. I still love Hello Kitty and the memories she evokes, always will. She inspires happiness. I think Sanrio said it best when they called Hello Kitty a “Happiness Ambassador”, delivering smiles and small gifts to people of all ages around the globe. This is precisely why I, and all of my design-minded friends, have flocked to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles recently to view the ‘Hello! Exploring the Super Cute World of Hello Kitty’ exhibit. It runs through May 31, 2015 and I highly recommend you check it out. Simply put, it’s pure fun.
Until you go, here are some of my favorite highlights from the exhibit…
Clockwise, left to right: Hello Kitty grab bag, Hello Kitty curling iron and personal care, Sanrio artwork, Hello Kitty telephone and hair dryers
Clockwise, left to right: Hello Kitty wall art @ the Japanese American National Museum, Hello Kitty skateboard, Hello Kitty gummies sculpture and art piece, Hello Kitty pink guitar
Clockwise, left to right: Hello Kitty home electrics, Hello Kitty lunchbox collection, Hello Kitty roller skates, Hello Kitty KISS licensed figurines
All photos taken inside the ‘Hello! Exploring the Super Cute World of Hello Kitty’ exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA
