Category Archives: Business

Hello Kitty X Hooters Just Say It Can’t Be

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I guess only in Tokyo
Hello Kitty Teams up With Hooters Tokyo for Valentine’s Promotion

It’s not exactly the first spot that comes to mind for a romantic Valentine’s Day date, but, through February 14th, Hooters Tokyo is offering a pair of jumbo couple’s sized parfaits. To sweeten the deal, the first 1,000 customers will receive a free Hello Kitty x Hooters pin (also available for sale).

Link here

I’m sorry folk but I think this is strange beside I think of Hello Kitty a bit to innocent to be a hooters girl.

Are we helping feminist by Liking Hello Kitty

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While zipping through my friends I found and interesting post leading to an article My Little Feminist: Cartoons are Magic.

“My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has done more for the cause of feminism than any writer, artist, theorist, activist, or anything or anyone else in the Last Ten. Years”
“There’s one cause that feminists have never really managed to achieve, though. One victory that has ever eluded us.

And that is the cause of making girl stuff cool, too. In particular, the cause of making girl stuff cool without simply reinforcing particular gender roles for women. After all, it’s difficult to say, “Cooking can be really fun,” when there are people seemingly crouched by (in? under?) the eves ready to bellow, “…Because women belong in the kitchen!”” 

http://stormingtheivorytower.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-little-feminist-cartoons-are-magic.html?spref=fb 

While the article applies to My Little Pony Friendship is Magic I wonder how the same can be applied to we male fans of Hello Kitty, are we helping the cause of hello Kitty. There is one huge caveat with the feminist argument as pointed by one poster: certain radical feminist rejection of expressions of femininity. Many other feminists would disagree. A good example is  

“The absence of Hello Kitty’s mouth is a prime example of the oppressed, docile, and obedient female, a stigma that has been explored by many feminist scholars”  

The view above is pure rubbish as Yuko Yamaguchi points out. 

Why doesn’t Hello Kitty have a mouth?
Sandi Saksena, Dubai
It’s so that people who look at her can project their own feelings onto her face, because she has an expressionless face. Kitty looks happy when people are happy. She looks sad when they are sad. For this psychological reason, we thought she shouldn’t be tied to any emotion — and that’s why she doesn’t have a mouth.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1834451,00.html#ixzz1jVvoByMV

Of Kittylers and Bronies.

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First off More evidence that male fans exist. 

Antonio Garay drives a ‘Hello, Kitty’ Smartcar

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/32386215
This got me thinking about bronies; for those who have not a clue, a Bronies are older fans of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. Most of these fans are male but a few are female. The word Bronies, as the call themselves, is a conjunction of Bro and Pony. What fascinates me how in just one year this fandom has gone from a show aimed to selling My Little Pony to five to seven year old girls, to a worldwide phenomenon. There are websites like Equestria Daily to various meets around the world. The credit goes to Hasbro and Lauren Faust creating a kid show with intelligence.
Now as a male fan of Hello Kitty, there are similarities as we men are fans of a character mainly marketed to women and children. The question is how can Sanrio find its hook and make Hello Kitty popular, as My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. There the foundation for male kitty fandom in an article 10 Questions for Yuko Yamaguchi, as reported by Time magazine:

“What will Hello Kitty be doing in 10 years?
Catherine G. Pilie, Covington, La.
In 10 years’ time, everybody around the world will know her. Also, the number of male and female fans will be the same. Men who are still reluctant to be seen with Kitty in public today might be wearing Hello Kitty boxers. But they will eventually stop being shy and will show off Kitty proudly. “

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1834451,00.html#ixzz1aGzW8ycG

Sanrio would love to have a breakthrough with male fans. While Hasbro is doing fine with the gift that was dropped into their lap, I never felt Hasbro does not have very much experience dealing with something outside their demographic. Sanrio is strong suite is collaborations. If suddenly, there was an up tick of male Hello Kitty fans, Sanrio would respond with collaboration with a young male clothing line and if these new fans start visiting Sanrio stores like Toys R Us for MLP items, Sanrio would have an male line of items on the store, within months. Male hello kitty fan would not need to make an appeal to Sanrio like bronies had to with Hasbro.

Of course, it would have to be a different way to attract male fans; they could reboot Hello Kitty and Friends, a la Lauren Faust., The problem I do not see her or any other

Americacreative type navigating your typical top down manage style of a Japanese corporation like Sanrio. Then again if lightning to strike twice creating a male Kitty fandom, I’ll be there to guild new male fans of the cute one.

 

Hiding Hello Kitty

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Torn about displaying my love for Sanrio in public.

We all talk about displaying and showing our love for Hello Kitty at work and in public but how about time we feel need to hide our love for Hello Kitty.

I am very public about my display of Sanrio in tuck and in public have to confess I am still haunted over the end of my last contract at Intel. My last coworkers say displaying Sanrio items and Hello Kitty Backpack was not the issue; still I get a feeling they were not up front with me. Right now I am torn, I do not want to hide who I am but at the same times I do not want to lose my current position because I like to keep Hello Kitty items in my truck or my backpack. I tried for a while hide them like putting an outer backpack over my Hello Kitty book bag.  I could not stand it after a while. I felt was smothering who I am. Now it is getting around my new job that I am a bit different and now I am on pin and needles. I do not want to hide my Love for the Cute One but at the same time, I want to keep my job. That is where I stand now.