Dec 30 2007
Oh so kawaii, Mr. Adamus!
Friday I was bored at work and stumbled across this article from the Associated Press.
I thought to myself, cynically, “Oh, god. Now at least the ricers can get the ‘masculine’ Hello Kitty decals on their suped-up Civics. So many local boys are going to love that they can now ’unashamedly’ bask in their Harro Kitty sexuality.” I then emailed the article to myself so that I could find some way to use it to mock Japadamus.
These plans were cut short, however, as I was watching the evening news in Hawaii where this announcement from Sanrio followed up the live coverage from New Orleans as a “top story.” The confirmation of my stereotyping has made me too depressed to make fun of Japa. All I can think of now is how the University of Hawaii Law School grads bringing the Hello Kitty pen case in to court with them won’t just be the girls. God, I miss testosterone.
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The link doesn’t work. what is happening with “the Kitty”
That’s weird. It works for me. Here’s the full link:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iRHao26yfB6HBXvwjErHNjWFtzsgD8TQEE200
Here’s the article:
Hello Kitty Turns Attention to Young Men
By YURI KAGEYAMA – 3 days ago
TOKYO (AP) — Hello Kitty is no sexist.
The cute cuddly white cat from Japan’s Sanrio Co., usually seen on toys and jewelry for girls and young women, will soon don T-shirts, bags, watches and other products targeting young men, company spokesman Kazuo Tohmatsu said Friday.
“We think Hello Kitty is accepted by young men as a design statement in fashion,” he said.
The feline for-men products will go on sale in Japan next month, and will be sold soon in the U.S. and other Asian nations, according to Sanrio.
The usual bubble-headed shape of Hello Kitty was slightly changed for a more rugged, cool look to appeal to men in their teens and early 20s.
For example, a picture of the cat on a $36 black T-shirt has the words, “hello kitty,” instead of the usual dots for the eyes and nose.
Hello Kitty is one of mascot-obsessed Japan’s biggest “character” hits, decorating everything from a humble eraser to a $48,000 diamond necklace.
The planned products mark the first time Sanrio is developing Hello Kitty items especially for males, Tohmatsu said.
But Sanrio had tried a “limited edition” collaboration in men’s clothing with designers in Tokyo’s chic Harajuku section earlier this year, and they proved popular, he said.
“Young men these days grew up with character goods,” said Tohmatsu. “That generation feels no embarrassment about wearing Hello Kitty.”