They say that life begins at forty, and who knows if it is true also for Hello Kitty, who the next November 1st is going to cut the fateful goal. Of course, all over the world there are preparations for the event. Let’s see what awaits us in the coming months…
In Japan the big party has already started a few weeks ago. The mini-site dedicated to the anniversary lists all the initiatives dedicated to Hello Kitty, from the launch of new products to the actual launch of the birthday girl in space. Yes, you read that right. Kitty is currently in orbit on the Japanese satellite Hodoyoshi 3 and she will broadcast from space the best messages written by her fans on Earth. Not bad, right?
Elsewhere the initiatives to celebrate the most popular not-cat (as you may already know) in the world are multiplying as well. Hello Kitty is in fact touring the world giving hugs to children and adults: for now she shared more than 400 thousand hugs, although she has not yet set foot in Australia and Africa. Hopefully she will remedy as soon as possible!
In the United States, where the Kitty-mania does not seem to stop the spread, the first official convention for Hello Kitty fans is about to start. The Hello Kitty con will be held from October 30th to November 2nd at MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) in Los Angeles and it will offer guests many activities, shops, art exhibitions and food stalls. Among the guests, there will be Yuko Yamaguchi (the “mother” of Hello Kitty) and Simone Legno, creator of Tokidoki.
Also in Los Angeles, from October 11th to April 26th 2015 it will be open “Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty“, the first retrospective about the impact that has had Hello Kitty on popular culture in the world. The exhibition presents the best artwork dedicated to Hello Kitty and even some rare gadget coming directly from the mysterious Sanrio archives. There are also many other activities such as screenings, conferences and workshops dedicated to Hello Kitty and, more generally, to Japanese culture.
We will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hello Kitty on our blog with a surprise for you! Curious? You’ll have to wait until the end of October to find out what it is 🙂 We leave you with a cute video that summarizes the many styles tof Hello Kitty during these forty years. What is your favourite?