What Are Gimmicks?

Gimmicks are well formed tricks in persuading a consumer to part ways with their money. A lot of branding concepts out there are usually in gel, liquid, or powder form. Often times, they do not match with collaborations with character brands, unless it's customized to character shaped containers or physical shaped forms. 

For a good example, the Creme Shop sheet masks have actual Hello Kitty prints on them, but I don't know how you can justify it when you have to throw it away after one use. Same with below.

Cinna Lip Balm

The products above is part of the beauty line, but more so on the accessories side than the actual beauty product (the liquid lip gloss and gel balm), which is hard to justify the kawaii gimmick of just covering it with art. A simple placing of a sticker can easily do the trick. 

Cr: Proactiv

The only viable character branding exception is Proactiv's cleansing brush. It is true to something that is unique where you have the item as a character shaped brush. This is what physical character branding is all about and not about decorating it with only a superficial sticker. This is where your money is well spent and justified.

 Makeup removal wet wipes

Bath bomb. The plastic packaging is the only art provided.

I would hope most people in general are more smart with their money. Above are gimmicks that does not have any physical sense of connection to the character. 

Take for instance the fake eyelashes. Seriously?

I could never buy and justify spending my hard earned money for just the Hello Kitty paper that comes with the eyelashes. It just baffles my mind. 

From most feedback that I have heard about these wines or champagnes are that they are very pretty as decor, but they do not taste good. It's why I don't own one. I don't see the justification of buying a bottle. If the art is printed on the bottle, then that's different and I would justify buying it. 

Although, I have to say-- they are very pretty to look upon.

Lastly, I have come to my final example of a gimmick. There was a sweet dessert collaboration with Yogurtland. The product is the liquid form of yogurt ice cream. There's no way to shape it in the form of a character. So, what was provided was character shaped plastic spoons and paper cups. Mind you, decorated printed paper cups. 

These paper cups do age and are completely useless after years stored away. It's not something you can keep long term and in good physical form. As for the plastic spoons, it's not worthy enough to justify this collaboration.

The Yogurtland collaboration was just a simple form of a gimmick marketing. Their goal was to draw fans to their franchise stores. If you always went there, then I would see no changes to your regular routine. If you didn't go there often, was it for the bragging? 

Gimmicks are there, but most times if you're smart with your money-- you will think twice about it. I do on many, many occasions because I use my money on actual Sanrio products to decorate my home or to cross things off my wishlist. It's why I have a variety of collectibles in my collection rather than all plushes or of the same type of product.

Are you smart with your money?

Momo & Luxe

What do Momoberry and Sanrio Luxe have in common other than being Hello Kitty branded lines?

Both stores have closed down, Momo in Los Angeles and Luxe in New York. No longer rivals, they sure have become friendlier, don't you think? 

What or whom do you think they are gossiping about now? :p

Hello Kitty Bow

How do you solve the problem of limitation on cute?

Sanrio is taking on the challenge by using simplicity in a form of a bow. Say hello to Sanrio's next campaign: Hello Kitty Men or specifically HK Men.

Cute can get you so far until you hit a road block. Like most successful corporations, they are on the lookout to searching to expand to new territories. Take for example with Sanrio's HK Men line campaign. Instead of using Hello Kitty's face with the eyes and nose, they're using their signature bow to associate with Hello Kitty. If you can't use Hello Kitty's facial image then doesn't it mean that kawaii has it's limitations?

By Sanrio selling only these Bow products without Hello Kitty's face just represents that Sanrio can't overcome the problem of cute-- that cute can have a limiting effect on its surrounding. It's something that life with cute can't solve everything, especially in fashion and style. Surrounding yourself with cute can't help you escape the responsibilities that come with life. If Sanrio can incorporate life with Cute in a cool factor, then they can meet their goal: expanding to new territories. 

An example would be in a professional setting: is it appropriate to wear Sanrio in a court room? By wearing cute, can you be taken seriously?

The Hello Kitty Men x Casper John relies on the bow design to attract the Men in the world. Didn't Sanrio go the safe route and isn't that like admitting defeat? So in wearing only a bow design, does it save you face from wearing an actual HELLO KITTY facial product? Does it say that you're ashamed of the character's image? Is Hello Kitty's bow their only solution to the problem of Cute? Is that their final answer?

So far-- not impressive.

Hello Kitty...For Men! But Can Sanrio's New Fashion Line Overcome The Pussy Factor?

by Jake Adelstein

Just in time for Japan’s unique version of Valentine’s Day, Sanrio, the makers of cute characters such as My Melody and Cinnamoroll,  launched a line of men’s clothing based on their most well-known character: Hello Kitty. Yes, Hello Kitty Men—or HK Men–if you thought you heard incorrectly. Sanrio’s latest ambitious project is to convince men that Hello Kitty isn’t just for girls. They can also enjoy the lovable, mouthless mascot without compromising their masculinity.

However the “fiendish” side of the marketing ploy comes from the fact that on Valentine’s Day in Japan, women buy gifts for men, not the other way around. So women wanting to make their boyfriends ‘cuter’, might buy the clothing and give it to their man, who will be forced to wear it–or face a pounding from the iron fist in the velvet glove–the seemingly demure Japanese woman.
The project kicked off last year with an announcement and “a letter”  from Hello Kitty herself who wrote “Until now I’ve been loved by many girls. But I’ve always thought this: It would be nice to be next to guys too, not just girls.”
Their marketing poster was a black and white photograph of a chiseled male model whose face was obscured by Hello Kitty’s signature red bow.
Sanrio promoted their new line last September with a weeklong exhibition in Hankyu Men’s Department Store in Tokyo of Hello Kitty-inspired men’s t-shirts. Sanrio insiders say their goal is to make Hello Kitty, possibly under the moniker HK,  a name that man feel comfortable with and expand their customer base. After all, half the world are men. “This is why they’ve partnered with Casper John and some other well known men’s fashion designers in Japan,” said one of the Sanrio collaborators.

This month, Sanrio launched the long-awaited Hello Kitty’s men line—just in time for Valentine’s Day. The limited edition clothing, shoes, and business card cases will be on sale into March and may possibly be extended into the future. Unlike in the United States where men present their significant others with flowers and chocolate, gender roles in Japan during that day are reversed, with women presenting their boyfriends or crushes with homemade chocolates. The custom dates back to the late 1950s when Japanese chocolatier, Mary Chocolate, started a campaign in Shinjuku’s Isetan Department store encouraging women to give men they fancy chocolates for Valentine’s Day. The reason why female consumers were targeted in the campaign was because the majority of shoppers in department stores were women.
In 1978 the National Confectionary Industry Association started “White Day,” an answer to Valentine’s Day on the grounds that men needed to return the favor to women—of course, it also gave a boost in sales to confectionary companies.
The line consists of three items sold in Lumine Man Shibuya in three different stores: dark blue opera shoes, a white hoodie, and a denim jacket. Just two days after the February 2^nd release date of the clothing line, the existing stock of the hoodies and jackets have already sold out.


“All twenty have sold out,” said a shopkeeper at Casper John, a male clothing store selling the white Hello-kitty themed hoodies. “Both men and women are purchasing the hoodie, sometimes couples buy it so they can match.”
Unlucky shoppers will have to fill out an order form and wait a few days before the next shipment of clothing comes in. The shoes, which cost 28, 000 yen, and are embroidered with a blue version of the bow Hello Kitty sports, however, are first come first serve. The store that sells them, Unline by Alfredo Bannister, only made 20 pairs in total—3 pairs for each shoe size.

“We don’t plan to make anymore so these are quite rare,” said a shopkeeper there. This writer (me) tried on a pair of the shoes in size 28—they fit amazingly well and somewhere deep inside me, there is a metrosexual voice, saying “They’re a limited edition! Only 3 pairs in the world. You should buy them…” But yet…
The clothes and shoes are not too “girly” but will the pussy factor—the unbearable cuteness of items emblazoned with reminders of sweet little kittens–make or break it in the rough and tumble world of men’s fashion? The brand took off during Valentine’s season in Japan, thanks to the peculiar Valentine’s culture and the Japanese love for limited editions. But will men outside of Japan wear such cutesy stuff?
In the weeks after Valentine’s Day, even in Japan, Hello Kitty Men may end up Hello Kitty Meh. Meow?
Angela Erika Kubo contributed to this report. 

Source: Forbes

Dependability on a Brand

Lasting Longevity?

Here's a problem that I foresee for our Sanrio Community.  You cannot grow a large community in terms of longevity without dependability on a brand of character(s). With Sanrio constantly taking away our classic characters to make room for newer characters, how long can one Collector stay interested in the brand itself? 

Many of us have a short span of interest and once we lose that spark of intrigue, we eventually move on to different brands that we can depend on growing with our new found collection. Sanrio releases around 10-15 new items of a popular character like Chococat as an example, while Hello Kitty, My Melody, and even Little Twin Stars get a whole large line of regular series. If you're not as lucky and during rare times, Sanrio releases about 5 items per series on classic characters like Keroppi. 

How about Pochacco? Charmmy Kitty? Tuxedo Sam? Well, you might as well put these characters out of your mind because Sanrio has "discontinued" them. You won't be getting a series lineup anytime soon with their current agenda being rolled out. You can only get a TINY sized plush from a chain store like Target or Toys R' US.

Sanrio just released a "few" items of Piano, My Melody's pet sidekick. How long do you think Piano Collectors will get bored of waiting for new merchandise releases? Sanrio cannot be depended for collectors to grow a large amount of collection if the character are not HK, My Melody, LTS, and Pompompurin.

Scenario

Let's say you are a new Collector and want to collect Keroppi, but you can't really do it because Sanrio is not dependable on releasing new merchandise for this character. With the fewer items released, it wouldn't give you much of a collection to brag about to other fellow collectors. 

Has anyone noticed that in all the rare merchandise series releases-- the few products are types of "safe" investment for the branding company? It's always the same type of things like small (5" or always 8 inches) plushes, keychains, and face towels. What is Sanrio afraid of? Lack of sales profit? Well, if Sanrio cannot give dependability and confidence to classic character Collectors, how can Sanrio expect to get sales?  

Below are rare vintage "type" of merchandise that you will never see Sanrio make again (are they not safe in terms of profits?):

 

Profits, profits--- It's all about the Money

While we are on the subject, how can a Collector gain confidence on a character brand if all they sell in their mainstream stores are Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Little Twin Stars? Oh, and let's not forget about those non-Sanrio products like a few San-X products here and there. But, then again, you have other Sanrio stores (in America & overseas) that sell mainly just Hello Kitty. If you really wanted My Melody or Little Twin Stars merchandise, you'd have to special order them from International Shopping Agents.

More money = a kitsch brand

There Are Days I Hate Hello Kitty

I think I have a love and hate relationship with Hello Kitty. Even though she's my favorite Sanrio character, I have days where I can't stand the sight of her.

I'm betting that I'm not alone in this feeling.

Hello Kitty can be extremely cute, cool, pretty, and iconic-- all things that I love about the character. Then, there's the ugly side of her that I can't ignore.  No matter where I look, I can't escape the ugliness of Hello Kitty. You know what I am talking about. I don't have to spell it out for you.

Sometimes, I wonder what makes me love this cute white cat and in the next instant, feel such a strong dislike towards the character. I guess the phrase: "on the flip side of love is hate" is true.

Recently, I read an online article stating that Hello Kitty was not on top #1 spot on the Sanrio Character Ranking Contest and my gut reaction? Good.

Yeah, I know, I should be rooting for my favorite character, but let's face it-- the character ranking list is most likely rigged by Sanrio to promote their new characters. Like longtime fans are going to forget those beloved classic characters that have been pushed aside to make room for their "food" characters just so Sanrio can compete with San-X for the #1 title of Best Character Branding company.

Maybe part of my dislike for Hello Kitty has to do with how Sanrio treats their many classic characters for newer characters and how they favor their money maker in America. Yeah, I understand from a business point of view that Hello Kitty is their cash cow, but to lose sight of what makes their company so special seems very unfair. 

Hello Kitty is great-- we all know this. Pochacco can be just as great. Keroppi can be just as special as Hello Kitty with the right amount of attention and promotional activities. Same can be said for Spottie Dottie, Pippo, Tuxedo Sam, Chococat, etc. 

Do you think Sanrio listens to the fans? What do they do? In recent years if you had walked into a Sanrio boutique store, you find the store nearly filled with everything Hello Kitty and not one big section of different characters. In the 90's, I remember going into a Sanrio store and being extremely giddy at seeing the different sections (S-E-C-T-I-O-N-S not tiny ones) of My Melody, Little Twin Stars, Pochacco, Keroppi, Tuxedo Sam, and Spottie Dottie. Going into a store like that was like stepping into a different world. A fantasy world of cuteness.

Now, they sell mainly Hello Kitty and items that are non-Sanrio, instead of bringing back the classic beloved characters. Great marketing job, Sanrio. Well done. And, another home runner-- they take away the many Sanrio boutique stores in favor of putting their character merchandise in chain stores like Target and Wal-Mart. Yeah, way to be classy and unique. 

I have a feeling that I'll be entering Disney stores more often to get back the feeling of being in a dream world full of imagination and love.

At the end of everything, I think the main factor in my hating Hello Kitty has to do with the fact that she's too overexposed. She's too kitsch. It's why I can relate to those who are not fans of kawaii -- hello, world!

But hey, it's just me. Loving or hating Hello Kitty, I'm still here blogging about my favorite hobby.

San-X vs. Sanrio

Today's topic is the war between Japan's Merchandise Character brands: San-X and Sanrio.

You have two big name Japanese brands competing for your attention. Aww... aren't you flattered like I am? Just which two of the brands have the kawaii character that makes you see hearts and magic? Let the battle begin to win America's sweethearts!

Let's continue on my troublemaking ways of starting a fan war:

FACE-OFF:   San-X vs. Sanrio

ROUND 2

	San-X	Sanrio
1. How long has your company been around?	We were founded in 1932. 80 years since then	We've been around for 52 years
2. Does your name have any special meaning?	Our logo, four-leaf clover represents with our Symbol color, blue, which correlates with putting their hearts and soul for wishing "Good Luck."	*looking it up from a smartphone* From the spanish words, "holy" and "river".
3. Any mottos or specific slogans?	"You're so cute, I could eat you up"	"A small gift can bring a big smile"
4. Whose your current most popular character?	Rilakkuma	Hello Kitty
5. Is there anything we can differentiate between the two of you?	Most of our characters are based on food	Our characters focus on cutesy animals like kitties and bunnies
6. You've both earned some bragging rights. Care to share?	*with a solemn innocent look* New York Times has stated we have bypassed *cough* Sanrio *cough* in the popularity ranks	*Beaming like a proud parent* Our Puroland & Harmonyland are a shrine to our achievements
7. Anything you want to say about each other?	*bites back* I "love" what Lady Gaga was wearing...	*irked by last comment* A favorite character is their Kogepan.
8.  Any hidden weapons to your successes?	Sentimental Circus	My Melody
9. Which out of the two of you is more famous?	Ask that in 10 yrs or so. We're working on that...	Well, I don't mean to brag here...
10. Does your fans consist of both genders?	*grinning* Why, yes, of course. Our Tarepanda is a big hit with the male office workers in Japan.	No comment
11. Where do you see yourselves in a decade from now?	..........	*with no hesitation* Global Domination
12. Anything you want to say to the fans?	Please look forward to seeing us more in the future. [Mentions official FB page address] *hinting for fans to petition for a San-X franchise in the U.S.	We thank you for your unconditional love and support *secretly pointing & hinting to a big Hello Kitty sofa nearby*

*Exits*

Round 2 went off with a great big bang! How can the kawaii world decide between the two cutest character brands?

Tap, tap...
tapping on the shoulder...
"Psst, you forgot Mickey and Minnie! The powerhouse cutest couple in the world!"

*Giggles* Now, why on earth would I forget a thing like that? Stay tuned, folks, for another battle round in the works. Comment below to tell me who you think is the winner.

Originally Published at Sanrio Luver Lane

Review of Pink Globalization

Hello Kitty, a Global Icon

Pink Globalization by Christine Yano

There have been a lot of books written about Hello Kitty and all have tried to dissect the phenomenon of the little white cat. None came close as this author as she tries to analyze the kawaii culture while integrating with the obsession of Hello Kitty. Without the kawaii culture, Hello Kitty would have never been born.

Next, comes the question: Who is Hello Kitty?

Who is exactly Hello Kitty that can make millions of fans all over the world go crazy? How can a cute little white cat with black whiskers and a red bow on it's left ear have hypnotize the whole world for more than a decade? In simpler terms, Hello Kitty is equivalent to America's Barbie franchise. For one example, Yano tries to examine the phenomenon with the discussion of Hello Kitty's pure image as a long lasting brand. She does this while trying to interweave the "friendship" and "happiness" aspect of Asia's cute culture.

Yano goes into details of "cool" cute and "kitsch" cute factor throughout the book.This may be a sensitive subject for most Hello Kitty fans because this is where the preferences of style that comes into effect. Yano delves into trying to get to the heart of a Hello Kitty fan by including interviews from different types of fans.

So, by the end of the book, was the question of how Hello Kitty became such a phenomenon been finally answered? Honestly, I think Yano did a successful job at incorporating all the business and Japanese (culture) aspects into trying to answer this complicated question that so many people have asked. After reading the entire book, I feel that there isn't a real simple answer that can be explained in one sentence. You're going to have to read the book for yourself to have a better understanding of how everything comes into play for this beloved white cat and her road to global fame.

Without Hello Kitty, Sanrio most likely wouldn't have lasted this long outside of Japan (International fame)

- Junolyn

Pop Matters Review of Pink Globalization

The review below is very well written and most importantly, from an objective perspective.

Hello Kitty's Silent March toward World Domination: 'Pink Globalization'

 By Scott Elingburg

Here’s the truth: I never gave much thought to Hello Kitty until my young daughter became aware of her. Then, without warning, I was buying Hello Kitty t-shirts, bedroom slippers, band-aids, toothbrushes, and almost any thing else that bore her cherubic face and yellow nose. Then, and only then, did I realize that Hello Kitty was so ubiquitous, so unavoidable in popular culture, that she rivaled the pinnacle of Western culture in presence: Disney.

Despite her omni-presence, however, I still don’t see her in public; Hello Kitty has melted into the background, another part of the landscape of our culture along with Walmart and Nike. And I’m no closer to understanding how that happened than when I first began reading Christine Yano’s Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific.

The fanaticism that surrounds Hello Kitty on all sides, from blind hatred to unquestioning loyalty, is unfathomable. Yano, for all of her meticulous research and personal communications with fans, Sanrio employees, authors, and others, does an exceptional job of mining the Hello Kitty multiverse. Despite her persistence, however, by the end of the book, the surface has only been scratched. Yano, too, gets sucked into the gravitational pull of the kitty and explores areas of lesser interest or importance. For example, while it’s hilariously unsettling to read about the Facebook user group, “I hate Hello Kitty”, and a few outlying Christian churches that believe Hello Kitty is influencing young children to deliberately disobey their parents, it hardly moves the discourse of Hello Kitty’s worldly domination into a new light.

In other respects, Yano, has moved Hello Kitty into a new light by digging below the surface and giving the pop culture icon her full academic due. If popular culture is prone to disposable (mostly Eastern) heroes and fads (e.g., Pokemon, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, etc.), Hello Kitty is the exception to the rule. She has dominated from East to West, in her native home of Japan all the way to Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Integrated as part of Japan’s “cute” culture (kawaii), Hello Kitty has a history all her own.

Her changes have been minuscule—the removal of black outline, the addition of a red bow—and Sanrio has basically kept with a formula of non-branding: they don’t make waves, but consistently keep Hello Kitty at the forefront with new items, they adopt a publicity model where “finding out that a punk group has begun sporting Hello Kitty paraphernalia does not necessarily cause excessive handwringing at Sanrio; rather this maybe the cause for celebration, generating product lines that build and extend Sanrio’s brand,” and they maintain that happiness is what Hello Kitty is all about. Their mantra is their slogan, “Small gift, big smile.” It’s almost enough to believe that Hello Kitty isn’t actually consumer product, but a self-defining icon with real feelings. Almost.

At her core, Hello Kitty is still a product on various levels—a product of the “cute-cool” Japanese culture that borders eerily on the realm of pedophilia, a product of innocence and appeal to sex workers and children alike, and a product in the absolute literal sense, where collectors and fans obsess over new Hello Kitty merchandise because “it makes [them] feel happy.” (Much to Sanrio’s delight, because happy customers spend money.) Yano hears the “happy” mantra over and over from personal interviews she conducts, which, it should be noted, she transcribes and includes rather than piecing them together in an academic jumble. The personal interviews give Pink Globalization an intimate feel, mimicking the personal connection that fans speak of, instead of the cold, distance that academic theory brings to such an intimate subject.

All of which point to one undeniable fact about Hello Kitty: no one can articulate exactly what it is about Hello Kitty that they are drawn to. Her’s is an unconscious connection, a subversive draw.

With any force as strong as Hello Kitty, this subversion is both celebrated and reviled—a theme that Yano examines over and over, in a multitude of examples. And yet, Yano’s book hits a big stride when she explores the ripple effects of Hello Kitty among cultures and groups rather than individuals. The positive and negative effects on cultures—especially Asian-Americans and the gay community—are almost palpable and expressed in outrageous ways. The ways that Hello Kitty empowers and subverts the identities of others is an exploration that deserves wider attention. And Yano, a chair of anthropology at University of Hawai’i, Manoa, is in comfortable terrain to be our guide to Hello Kitty’s effect (and affect) across her lovers and detractors alike.

There are quibbles that I have with Yano’s book. It has a 40 page introduction that can tedious. Though it’s a question of audience that I don’t feel academia has successfully addressed: the net of popular culture is cast wider than on insular academic topics, but its appeal is made more narrow by stuffy elements of the text (i.e., academic theory). Additionally, some of Yano’s personal communications with Hello Kitty fans seem superfluous, not advancing the discussion beyond collective recollections of personal experiences with Hello Kitty. And the beginning and ending chapters of her book are the ones that sink beneath their own queries, not the middle chapters that can be glossed over for intro and conclusive punch.

Pink Globalization isn’t a primer for Hello Kitty lovers, it’s a deep dive into the tale of the small feline that has dominated culture from East to West—all without saying a word or making a sound. Not every icon can make that claim, but, then again, not every icon is Hello Kitty. 

Source: here

Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek across the Pacific

By Christine R. Yano
SPOTLIGHT
Book Review:

Pink Globalization is a quite extensive book detailing Sanrio's influence on international pop culture. From the beginnings of Hello Kitty in 1974, to her arrival in the states in 1976, onward throughout today.

For all the mercenarial nature of the company, this book demonstrates how they do several things right: having multiple price points so that it is a natural gift choice, especially in Japanese society, a continual reinventing and refreshing of their brand to hook new customers while keeping most of the old, and perhaps most importantly not trying to quash any infringements on their brand that could be argued as satire (any exposure is good exposure!)

The book interviews many Kitty fans from all walks of life, with various levels of devotion. That alone makes this a somewhat interesting read. One is also surprised to learn that none of the rich and famous you see "endorsing" Hello Kitty (think Lisa Loeb's album "Hello Lisa") were compensated at all from Sanrio. Smart, smart company.

My main beef with the book is that it reads like a college sociology text, and is pretty dry in places. I'd give it 3.5 stars, but Goodreads won't allow that, so I'm rounding up.

I'd recommend this book for someone who wants to know how to make a societal movement seem effortless and fresh.

I would NOT recommend this book for someone merely interested in Hello Kitty, because I can't see them actually finishing the book.
By Warren

The Power of Hello Kitty

I'm going to bring up a touchy subject (for the men anyways)...

Do you think there is a growing trend (outside Asia) that more and more guys are starting to like Hello Kitty?

We, girls, say, "Why not? Guys can like Hello Kitty, too." 

Years ago, for most men, the idea of Hello Kitty was generally categorized for just girls and often viewed with disgust on the fascination with the kitty image.

But as of late, there seems to be an abundance of guys buying Hello Kitty products or photos surfacing of guys wearing some sort of a Hello Kitty clothing. Would you say this was more of a gag joke or a real change in our culture?

If there really is a possible change in the trends, let's look at some possible reasons as to why this sudden change can be happening.

Big Brand Influences?

Star Wars is a popular franchise that is adored by both men and women. So, when the perfect-timing appearances of Hello Kitty robot versions started popping up all over the internet, did that trigger the first wave of male HK fans?

How can you resist me?

I can truly understand how guys could start falling in love with Hello Kitty. Just look at the robotic creations that has leveled Hello Kitty to a whole new status. A very cool looking status, wouldn't you agree? 

What makes Star Wars' Hello Kitty so cool?

Basically, Hello Kitty's kawaii quality is stripped away from what was keeping a male audience from connecting to her and a new image has emerged. This is what we call thinking out of the box, which is opposite of what society likes to do: box us all in one neat little packages.

Along with the use of social media these days, perhaps this new line of Hello Kitty robots influenced a new generation of male fans.

It doesn't hurt that there are more products aimed to target the male consumers like these:

Pics Source

While the male underwear are officially Sanrio made products, the guns are not. There is even a picture of a Hello Kitty beer product floating around on the web.

More Possible Reasons

• The times are a changing. More open-mindedness. Culture change

• Great marketing strategy by the one and only Sanrio to cause this change in culture

• Men are more accepting and liking the idea of women wearing HK sexy, fantasy lingerie -- so in essence, men are turned on by Hello Kitty? Is this the influence of the Anime/manga community?

Sources: Yahoo Question

Momoberry Hypnosis

You’re getting very tired. You’re getting very sleepy. Now, go back, go back…
In a moment, with your eyes still closed, you will begin seeing the image of Hello Kitty.

You will feel calm, relaxed, peaceful and safe.

Imagine you are walking into a Momoberry by Sanrio boutique store…

You will hear the sounds of the magical register ding, have a sensation of wonder and awe of all the kawaii things around you, taking a deep breath as the luscious aroma of the store fill your entire senses, and listening to the bubbly chatter of obsessed Momoberry stalkers nearby.
What are they happily gushing about? Why, it’s about Sanrio opening more Momoberry brand stores all over the world. Europe, London, and all way to Switzerland!

No, no, keep your eyes closed. Yes, I know. You want to make *this* a reality by sending a love letter demanding the return of Momoberry to L.A.
Psst… it’s in the works, ya know. The big guys are aware of little ol’ me, their Momoberry #1 Stalker. They know about the holy kitty movement. Have patience and shhh…
I’m only telling you this in secret confidentiality. I trust you won’t spread the word…
Just pretend I never said anything. Just continue to relax and enjoy your visit to a Momoberry store until I tell you to open your eyes and wake up.

Now, after having looked all over the exclusive merchandise of glittering jewelry, lovely accessories, elegant clothing, bodacious handbags, vibrant color cosmetics, sweet smelling beauty products, and colorful home decor— what’s keeping you there in your dream?
… Why, it’s no wonder Momoberry’s infamous plushes have you so enamored. Oh, but, I’m sorry, your session is now over. We can continue this discussion on another day.
Now, when I finished counting to 5, you may open your eyes.
1… 2…. 3…. 4….
Take one last peek around you before opening the door. Say goodbye. As you hear the door bell twinkling fades away…
... 5
Open your eyes.


—————————————————————————
Have I brainwashed you yet? ;p

There lies the Most Asked Question: Why so obsessed with Hello Kitty?

Here's an Answer to a Frequent Asked Question:

Why is Hello Kitty So Popular?

My Interpretation:

For me, the answer is pretty simple. I believe we became fascinated with Hello Kitty in our childhood and that fascination never really faded away as we grew older into adults. Although as we have gotten older, there were valid criticisms on Sanrio's merchandise designs marketed for the mainstream audiences that did not meet the high standards of what we had seen and experienced when we were kids. To overcome this, I believe Sanrio has successfully turned around it's image to satisfy both audiences: (the new fans) children and the Sanrio adult fans. In order to draw back the older Sanrio fans and gain new fans, I believe Sanrio has re-worked their marketing strategy to include using the social media to their advantages and collaborating with other brand name companies that would assure the consumers would take notice of their products. With so many collaborations out there, Hello Kitty has become part of the American culture. And if you think about it carefully, Sanrio has experiences with obsessions. They've seen it in the eyes of their consumers whenever they enter a Sanrio store. They've heard about the countless, many crazy fan collector stories out there. They also know that if one friend is spazzing about an obsession, it will spark an intrigue as to what is so fascinating about said obsession, which will closely follow to an interest in taking up the same obsession. This pattern will continue, especially since we now have social media at our fingertips. I hate to say it, but many people jump on fads. Whose to say these new fans will wake up one day and forget about Sanrio and it's obsession? All I know is that if you genuinely love Sanrio's characters, it'll shine through your collection and related projects. It's a good thing that Hello Kitty is so popular and everywhere now. Sanrio has officially made it acceptable to wear Hello Kitty clothes on the street these days. Their collaboration with Forever 21 just sealed the deal. Did you not see the latest Sanrio fashion they have came out with? It's classy... it's so kawaii... it's up to the high standard in adult fashion... and most of all, we all love it. Also, it doesn't hurt that Sanrio has endorsed celebrities to promote their products.

Here's another View on this Frequent Asked Question

You can read it through this link or you can scroll below to read it fully.

Before reading the whole article, here are the highlights:

Source: http://www.quora.com/Why-is-Hello-Kitty-so-popular

 From Marc

The little half-Japanese, half-English cat has become so globally recognisable that it is, perhaps, inevitable that the Japanese board of tourism has appointed her their official tourism ambassador to China and Hong Kong. This is not the first time the world has looked to Hello Kitty to perform an ambassadorial role; she has been United States children's ambassador for Unicef since 1983.

Hello Kitty's creator started out as the Japanese equivalent of Hallmark cards. Sanrio was founded by Shintaro Tsuji in 1960; Tsuji, a qualified chemist, lost his mother when he was 13 and spent an unhappy childhood with reluctant relatives. He attended a kindergarten run by a Canadian missionary and saw for the first time the custom of birthdays, which were not traditionally celebrated in Japan. He decided he would use his company to foster the culture of gift-giving.

As an experiment in 1971, in the wake of student riots, the company began printing rounded, cutesy images on previously blank writing stationery and in 1974, Hello Kitty was drawn. She was drawn without a mouth, which later made her the perfect cross-cultural representative. She wasn't given a mouth, explains Sanrio, because she "speaks from the heart. She's Sanrio's ambassador to the world and isn't bound to any particular language".

She was made partly English because when she was first drawn, the Japanese rarely travelled abroad; foreign, especially English, associations, were particularly popular. The stationery and diaries were a hit with schoolgirls during the 1980s and the company soon branched out in to other fanshi guzzu (fancy goods).

In the 1990s, Hello Kitty had a second stab at fame as it was was re-marketed as a "retro" brand. Shops, run by the outlet label Vivitix, marketed Hello Kitty to teens and adults, appealing to their sense of nostalgia. As eight year-olds they would have used Hello Kitty pencils and pencil cases in the classroom; in their late teens and early twenties, they reached for Hello Kitty satchels and make-up mirrors.

"Hello Kitty stands for the innocence and sincerity of childhood and the simplicity of the world," says Helen McCarthy, an author and expert on Japanese animation and comics. "Women and girls all over the world are happy to buy in to the image of the trusting, loving childhood in a safe neighbourhood that Hello Kitty represents. They don't want to let go of that image, so as they grow up, they hang onto Hello Kitty out of nostalgic longing – as if by keeping a symbolic object, they can somehow keep hold of a fragment of their childhood self."

Spotlight on a commenter:

In addition to Marc's answer, I would say that Hello Kitty is popular because of the dissemination of Japan's "kawaii" (cute) culture to the rest of the world. It's very clever how, in Japan, Hello Kitty represents that non-aggressive, non-offensive, non-threatening, exotic (or at least she used to be, for the reasons of Japanese isolation that Marc mentions), acceptably desirable figure, when she travels to, say, America, she maintains that exact reputation because she's an export from quirky, fantastical Japan.

Further, I think the psychology of the design of Hello Kitty plays a huge role in why she's loved by so many people. On one hand, the environment and companions they've created for her remind us of love, friendship, sweetness, etc. which appeals to our soft side. But she lacks enough definition that a lot of personality can be imprinted on her based on the buyer's own impressions, essentially personalizing the connection that Hello Kitty makes on each unique owner, regardless of age. In his book, "Buying In", Rob Walker talks about how corporate logos are symbols and it's the consumers of corporate logos that imbue these symbols with meaning, and Hello Kitty is a great example of this. It can't be said that she speaks for any specific cultural or social ideas (because she has no mouth--haha), Sanrio has given her virtually no back story so that provides little influencing factors, and she doesn't even have emotions (as her lack of facial features make it possible for someone to assign any emotion that they find appealing). She takes on different meanings based on how she's appropriated (think Hello Kitty on a coin purse versus Hello Kitty on an adult toy).

Basically, as an icon with no meaning at all, she can take on any meaning that we desire and therein lies her value.

- Ly Nguyen, May 12, 2010

Top cat: how 'Hello Kitty' conquered the world

Independent (dated May 21, 2008)

 by Esther Walker

When, in 1974, employees at the Japanese design company Sanrio created Hello Kitty, the small, rounded cartoon cat with a red bow between her ears and no mouth, they could never have dreamt that she would become the global megastar she is today. Sales of Hello Kitty merchandise now account for half of Saniro's $1bn (£500m) annual turnover and her face adorns 50,000 products, sold in more than 60 countries.

The little half-Japanese, half-English cat has become so globally recognisable that it is, perhaps, inevitable that the Japanese board of tourism has appointed her their official tourism ambassador to China and Hong Kong. This is not the first time the world has looked to Hello Kitty to perform an ambassadorial role; she has been United States children's ambassador for Unicef since 1983.
Dr Sharon Kinsella, a lecturer at Oxford University on Japanese sociology, thinks that Japan's choice of Hello Kitty as their representative is unsurprising.
"It seems predictable enough to have her adopted as a diplomatic envoy," she says. "That has been the way of the 'Cool Japan' bandwagon for a few years now, and relations with China are no healthier. It seems a bit farcical to select Hello Kitty, however: as if a dumbed-down cultural icon that was cool in her retro boom in the 1990s, and which Chinese teenagers dig, can somehow do something significant to alter the gnarly and difficult state of China-Japan relations."
Hello Kitty's creator started out as the Japanese equivalent of Hallmark cards. Sanrio was founded by Shintaro Tsuji in 1960; Tsuji, a qualified chemist, lost his mother when he was 13 and spent an unhappy childhood with reluctant relatives. He attended a kindergarten run by a Canadian missionary and saw for the first time the custom of birthdays, which were not traditionally celebrated in Japan. He decided he would use his company to foster the culture of gift-giving.
As an experiment in 1971, in the wake of student riots, the company began printing rounded, cutesy images on previously blank writing stationery and in 1974, Hello Kitty was drawn. She was drawn without a mouth, which later made her the perfect cross-cultural representative. She wasn't given a mouth, explains Sanrio, because she "speaks from the heart. She's Sanrio's ambassador to the world and isn't bound to any particular language".
She was made partly English because when she was first drawn, the Japanese rarely travelled abroad; foreign, especially English, associations, were particularly popular. The stationery and diaries were a hit with schoolgirls during the 1980s and the company soon branched out in to other fanshi guzzu (fancy goods).
In the 1990s, Hello Kitty had a second stab at fame as it was was re-marketed as a "retro" brand. Shops, run by the outlet label Vivitix, marketed Hello Kitty to teens and adults, appealing to their sense of nostalgia. As eight year-olds they would have used Hello Kitty pencils and pencil cases in the classroom; in their late teens and early twenties, they reached for Hello Kitty satchels and make-up mirrors.
"Hello Kitty stands for the innocence and sincerity of childhood and the simplicity of the world," says Helen McCarthy, an author and expert on Japanese animation and comics. "Women and girls all over the world are happy to buy in to the image of the trusting, loving childhood in a safe neighbourhood that Hello Kitty represents. They don't want to let go of that image, so as they grow up, they hang onto Hello Kitty out of nostalgic longing – as if by keeping a symbolic object, they can somehow keep hold of a fragment of their childhood self."
And so now, although originally conceived as a character that would appeal to pre-teen girls, Hello Kitty is no longer regarded as being for children only. Along with the likes of Coca-Cola and Nike, she has become a brand phenomenon.
Her wide, white, slightly questioning face first adorned a clear plastic coin purse, which retailed for 240 yen (£1.17). Now you can buy almost anything stamped with the Hello Kitty brand, including towels, pencils, clothing, stationery and mobile phone covers, selling in more than 60 countries. Hello Kitty's popularity with adults is reflected in the changing products available: you can buy Hello Kitty-branded laptops and adult-sized underwear – you can buy more merchandise and charge it to your Hello Kitty credit card, cannily supplied by the Bank of America; really dedicated fans can register for their own @hellokitty.com email address at the website, Sanriotown.com.
Hello Kitty is technically just one character who inhabits an entire, fictional world dreamt up by Sanrio. She lives in cyberspace on the fondant-coloured Sanriotown website. Hello Kitty has her own birthday, 1 November, (which makes her a Scorpio) and, as her English heritage befits, she lives in London with her parents and twin sister, Mimmy. Her many hobbies include travelling, music, reading and "eating yummy cookies her sister Mimmy bakes".
Other characters who share Hello Kitty's world include Dear Daniel (Hello Kitty'son-off boyfriend), Kathy, Tippy and Thomas. Conveniently located to the right of Hello Kitty's biography on the Sanriotown website is a link to the online shop, where you can buy a silver and pearl Hello Kitty necklace for £60, a steering-wheel cover for £14 or a Hello Kitty digital camera for £80.
Sanrio's theme park, Puroland, opened in 1990; it features Sanrio's most popular characters, with Hello Kitty as its star draw, and with yearly figures of 1.5 million visitors, from around the world, it is one of Japan's most popular visitor attractions.
Hello Kitty even became an animated character. She first appeared on the American-animated Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theatre, which was shown on US television throughout 1987. Another series ran in 1991. This year, Hello Kitty was seen for the first time in 3D in an animation made by Sanrio Digital, called The Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends. The Hello Kitty craze reached fever pitch in the early to mid-1990s, when celebrity endorsement from fellow megastars such as Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears were photographed wearing assorted pieces of Hello Kitty branding. The American singer Lisa Loeb is a particular fan, dedicated an entire album to Hello Kitty, entitled Hello Lisa.
When Hello Kitty was first marketed to the US, the cultural differences meant that changes to the Japanese version had to be made. Sanrio's market research showed American consumers responded best to pink and purple kitties and worst to anything blue, yellow or red. The American audience also took against one of Hello Kitty's friends, a little snail, which had to be eliminated from the merchandise.
But Sanrio got it right in the end and now there are no differences in the American and Japanese lines of merchandise. Indeed, when Sanrio tried to customise Hello Kitty for itsTaiwanese and Hong Kong markets, putting her in local dress and in local surroundings, the products did not sell. Her mixed English-Japanese heritage was part of her charm.
Cultural commentators often see the invention of Hello Kitty as part of a wider cultural wave of kawaii (translatable as "cuteness") in Japan. Other popular characters in Japan, such as Pokemon, which adorns the side of Japan Airlines aircraft, are as cosily (or sinisterly, depending on how you see it) cute. The popularity of kawaii can be seen as either an example of Japan's harmonious and peace-loving culture or an example of Japan's culture of non-assertion.
Dr Kinsella describes the ingredients of a kawaii character in her essay Cuties in Japan: "The essential anatomy of a cute cartoon character is small, soft, infantile, mammalian, round, without bodily appendages (arms), without bodily orifices (mouths), non-sexual, mute, insecure, helpless or bewildered."
Hello Kitty's cuteness, says Dr Kinsella, was originally good at selling merchandise to schoolgirls because it lent something of a personality to an otherwise soulless piece of writing paper or a plain desk diary.
"Now, cute has become a new national style," she adds. "It is being used diplomatically and in fine-art circles to promote Japan. It has come a long way from its schoolgirl roots."


Other Sanrio creations
 
BADTZ-MARU
 
Badtz-Maru is the only Sanrio character aimed at both boys and girls; teenage boys often have tattoos of this bad-attitude penguin in his classic pose: one eye closed and tongue sticking out. He was the official mascot for the 2006 FIBA World Championship of basketball, which was held in Japan.

LITTLE TWIN STARS
 
Little Twin Stars are a brother and sister called Kiki and Lala; they live on a cloud. Kiki has blue hair and sometimes appears with a star-shaped halo, while Lala has pink hair and carries a wand. Launched by Sanrio in 1975, they became particularly popular in the 1980s.

MY MELODY
 
My Melody is the first rabbit character released by Sanrio. She was originally marketed as a Little Red Riding Hood character when she first appeared in 1976, hence the red hood. She was popular in the Seventies, but then fell out of fashion.

KEROPPI
 
Keroppi the frog was released in 1987 and rivalled Hello Kitty in terms of merchandising in the early 1990s, particularly in the UK. The Keroppi line of trinkets was discontinued when sales started to decline.

Avoid Working In a Sanrio Store

When I first began to collect with a more serious passion, I had not considered working in a Sanrio store as my dream job. Though as time progressed, I began to think about it more seriously. When you spend so much time in an online Hello Kitty community, you believe the best place to earn a living is by working for the company that makes your beloved Sanrio products. Well, I'm here to shatter those dreams. Yes, I know, I can be a downer at times, but this is what I live for-- to bring you back to reality and to enable your sanrio addiction. Without me to point out examples to consider, you might just end up eliminating your addiction all by yourself. By the time you finish this blog post and if you agree, you can thank me by leaving a comment below.  ;)

Myth: I adore Sanrio. So, it should be fun to work there

Sorry, addicts, but that is the # 1 place you should avoid if you want to continue on with your obsession with Hello Kitty. Think about it hard, surrounded by Sanrio products 24/7 with no break from staring at Hello Kitty's face for hours and hours. 

Now, imagine your daily non-Sanrio work day: you come home after spending hours of doing labor work to be greeted by the sight of your adorable Sanrio plushie. Next, you give a big fat sigh of relief because you are finally home. The image of your plushie reminds you that you are in your safe haven from the dangerous world of Sanrio haters. Now, the fun with your sanrio collection can begin. 

What you don't realize is that in a Sanrio-fested working environment, you would have annihilated your reason to look forward to coming home and having fun staring at your collection. No matter how much you think a place is enjoyable, problems will arise and effect your outlook in your love towards Sanrio merchandise.

You do know the lesson to be learned here, right? Being surrounded by something you love (24/7) will eventually turn to hate. Reasons to consider are below:

• You will get sick and tired of moving Sanrio products from one place to another
• You will be sick of customers complaining about the products being so expensive
• You will be sick of the silence when there are no customers, which will lead to outright boredom
• You will be sick and tired of dealing with irrational and rude customers as well as their nonstop crying spoiled children
• You will be sick and tired of trying to find ways to entice customers to come into the store
• You will be sick and tired of planning out ways to bring in more sales
• You will be sick of quoting the rules on returned merchandise
• You will be sick of Sanrio fans asking what's it like to work in a Sanrio store
• You will be sick of working for a nagging boss, when it should be the opposite of you nagging Sanrio 

Considering all above, have I succeeded in crushing your dream job at a Sanrio store? If the answer is yes or a possibility, you can take out your frustration in the comment section below.