Could This Be The End Of Kitty? Say it aint so.
Hello Kitty gets closer to goodbye as company searches for next big thing
What the article presents is the possibility that Hello Kitty is running out of steam. I do agree with some of the facts presented. One fear I do have is Hello Kitty is over exposed and over emphasized, just walk into any Sanrio store. One can see rows of Hello Kitty items but very little of other charters. I can see the same over emphasis at Hello Kitty Lab and 35Th Anniversary Three Apple events. Still popularity is dimming in Japan; Hello Kitty is just getting started in the rest of the world.
So what is Hello Kitty to do? Figurative speaking, she could buy a ticket, fly to Los Angles, and have tea and a long talk to another American cartoon icon, Mickey Mouse whose silhouette ears is much of a cultural icon as Hello Kitty’s bow. He probably will give a slight chuckle as he hears Hello Kitty problems at 35, him being 82.
Still like Hello Kitty, Mickey has not made a cartoon in years still his image is present at every Disney Parks and store while other charters have taken the spotlight. Retiring Hello Kitty will be a huge mistake, it the same way if Disney tries to retire Mickey. Still Sanrio need to revamp it store product line featuring other and new charter will keep Hello Kitty as a prominent but not as center of attention. It is good for Sanrio to hire some Disney talent to help in the transition.
