available at sanrio japan
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Decochan
i've never heard of this but apparently a Decodenist is someone who decorates items with crystals?? well Satsuki Hiraoka has made some HK items.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
kitty35.com
be sure to check out the cool site celebrating Kitty's 35 anniversary. the "museum" section is awesome - you can view HK goods throughout the past 35 years!
$150,000 Super Hello Kitty Doll
"The Super Hello Kitty Jewel Doll", studded with a 1.027ct diamond on its ribbon, 403-piece pink sapphires on its body, a citrine on its yellow nose, black spinels on its eyes and a total 1,939-piece white topaz on its head on the platinum 900 made body was exhibited in Tokyo this week. Swarovski, Japan's character giant Sanrio and Japanese jewellery maker I.K. unveiled the $150 million (€112,695) Hello Kitty doll, 10.5cm tall and weighing 569g at the Baselworld watch and jewellery show in Switzerland last month to celebrate Hello Kitty's 35th anniversary.
i'm not sure about the price of this - the article is a little confusing. is it $150,000 or $150 million?
HK Author Interview
The New York Times business writer Ken Belson recently presented his book “Hello Kitty: The remarkable story of Sanrio and the billion dollar feline phenomenon” (John Wiley & Sons) at the American Book Center in Amsterdam, and took some time to chat with Expatica editor Danielle Latman about the cartoon cat, expat life in Japan, and business opportunities during a recession.
You’re both a business reporter and a Hello Kitty fan. Which trait was more prominent during the writing of this book?
There’s two parts to the answer: Hello Kitty is the motivator, but at the end of the day it was a business writing job.
I was in love with the topic, but I had to hand in a book that tells a story, and that is both a writing and a research exercise. I spent several months doing interviews and research, so that I had more than enough to start writing.
How does Hello Kitty represent some of the central elements of Japanese pop culture?
One is its graceful, simplistic design. She’s very two-dimensional and minimalist. As I pointed out in the lecture the other day, she’s a Zen cat, very flat and emotionless.
The other is the way she’s packaged on everything. In Japan she’s on all manner of things and I think it speaks to Sanrio’s [the company that created Hello Kitty] success at branding her, but also the Japanese acceptance of characters. Practically everything in Japan has some sort of logo or character.
The book was written in 2004. Have you noticed any changes since then within Japanese pop culture that Hello Kitty or Sanrio represent?
Sanrio is now marketing Hello Kitty to men in Japan. I think that’s a sign of a shrinking market in Japan; declining population, deflation, and a slow economy have forced Sanrio to look elsewhere.
Also, Japanese pop culture has become more global even since 2004. When I went to college, people approached Japan through business in order to make money. Now it’s completely different; Japanese pop culture is the motivator for foreign language study in American universities.
source and rest of interview
You’re both a business reporter and a Hello Kitty fan. Which trait was more prominent during the writing of this book?
There’s two parts to the answer: Hello Kitty is the motivator, but at the end of the day it was a business writing job.
I was in love with the topic, but I had to hand in a book that tells a story, and that is both a writing and a research exercise. I spent several months doing interviews and research, so that I had more than enough to start writing.
How does Hello Kitty represent some of the central elements of Japanese pop culture?
One is its graceful, simplistic design. She’s very two-dimensional and minimalist. As I pointed out in the lecture the other day, she’s a Zen cat, very flat and emotionless.
The other is the way she’s packaged on everything. In Japan she’s on all manner of things and I think it speaks to Sanrio’s [the company that created Hello Kitty] success at branding her, but also the Japanese acceptance of characters. Practically everything in Japan has some sort of logo or character.
The book was written in 2004. Have you noticed any changes since then within Japanese pop culture that Hello Kitty or Sanrio represent?
Sanrio is now marketing Hello Kitty to men in Japan. I think that’s a sign of a shrinking market in Japan; declining population, deflation, and a slow economy have forced Sanrio to look elsewhere.
Also, Japanese pop culture has become more global even since 2004. When I went to college, people approached Japan through business in order to make money. Now it’s completely different; Japanese pop culture is the motivator for foreign language study in American universities.
source and rest of interview
I Didn't Even Know There Was a UK Mag!!
PUBLISHING MONTH: Hello Kitty mag to go monthly
Tremendous response to first issue means print title to change frequency from September.
The publisher of the official Hello Kitty magazine in the UK has reported a phenomenal response to the first issue of the publication.
The magazine hit newsstands last month, with Granie and Partners saying that the editorial team has already received over 500 letters and emails from its tween audience.
The reaction has been so strong, in fact, that from September the magazine - currently being published bi-monthly - will switch to a monthly frequency. Circulation will also rise from the current 60,000 copies to 75,000 copies to cope with the demand.
Each issue comes with a free gift - the first came with a Hello Kitty plush toy - and includes a mix of celebrity and fashion news, competitions, horoscopes and cooking tips.
The next issue of Hello Kitty magazine will hit newsstands on May 7th.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
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