For fans of Sanrio’s most famous cat, Halloween weekend meant more than an opportunity to dress up as Hello Kitty; it marked the first-ever Hello Kitty Con 2014, held at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in downtown Los Angeles, celebrating Hello Kitty’s 40th anniversary. To commemorate the landmark event, the 55,000 square foot exhibition space was taken over, quite literally, by all things Hello Kitty. Trying to describe the endless Hello Kitty-centric panels, interactive Friendship Village, or authenticated memorabilia for sale in the Sanrio Vintage Shop, only makes you feel like Stefon on SNL, “this convention has everything”.
Making her debut on a vinyl coin purse in 1974 for $1, Hello Kitty quietly solidified her pop icon status, at least in the collective mind of her passionate fanbase, by embellishing a large variety of stationary and back-to-school products. Through the years, Hello Kitty stayed true to her message of, “Small Gift, Big Smile” and Hello Kitty Con 2014 was the ultimate culmination.
For those who never “got” the appeal of this relatively story-less cat, it’s just that. Hello Kitty is a “blank canvas”, encouraging fans of diverse cultural backgrounds to create their own narrative; Hello Kitty can be Classic, Punk Rock, or on a boat – with a multitude of anthropomorphic friends.
Upon arriving to the Press and VIP Preview night the day before the convention opened to the public Thursday, it took every fiber of my being to not run at full force, probably taking some people down with my enormous swag bag, into the MOCA. That’s right, I’m a grown up woman and I love Hello Kitty and I am not alone. If anything, I was one of the few not decked out in head-to-toe Hello Kitty gear.
From the welcoming Sweet Happy Plaza, where Hello Kitty Cafe (coming in 2015) treats were available to sample, to stepping inside HK Con itself, was a true testament to the brand’s love and connection to its fanbase. It was like stepping inside a beloved board game, come to life.
Hello Kitty has maintained her viselike grip on her enthusiasts imagination because of the creativity she can inspire, primarily offline. Something about her simplistic design lends itself to be interpreted many ways and was represented justly on the conventions main floor. Starting, most stunningly, with a live-action fashion installation, curated by Stephiee Nguyen of JapanLA Clothing. It went further than the clothing lines you might’ve become familiar with over the years. Hello Kitty came to life in floor length, haute couture gowns and costumes fit for a Lady Gaga concert; it was the sort of the insanely impractical fashion you can’t help but gawk at.
Moving onto the interactive Friendship Village was truly what childhood dreams, at least mine, are made of. A huge sculpture of Hello Kitty slippers, created by Dabs Myla, begging you climb it, hug it, take a selfie with it – I was overwhelmed and did all three. Most of Friendship Village can’t help but inspire that similar reaction from its con-goers, it was basically one inexhaustible photo op after the next, an excuse to be a kid again. You can choose your adventure with Hello Kitty and Bullseye the Target Dog (a co-sponsor of the convention), fly in the clouds or go under the sea with their cardboard replicas, and remember it forever as a gif. Sit down and have a tea party with Hello Kitty Harajuku Girls, or wander into Hello Kitty’s house.
There was a retrospective of Hello Kitty’s merch that triggered memories of the heated trade wars that transpired between my best friend and I over anything with Hello Kitty branding on it. Stickers, coin purses, plush toys, and of course, the stationary. It all cleverly lead you to glassed-in display of the very first Hello Kitty coin purse, on loan from Japanese HQ, then spills you into the very-dangerous-for-your-wallet, Vintage Shop.
Sure, there’s never a shortage of ways to spend your money inside any given convention but the Super SuperMarket at HK Con was mystifying for the sheer volume of licensing and brand partnerships Hello Kitty has acquired in her four decades. Beats by Dr. Dre, MMA Sports, SPAM; I watched the guys at MakerBot 3D print the Hello Kitty figurine they gave me and the pop-up shop upstairs off the main floor, offered more traditional fare you’d find in a Sanrio retail store.
Even though the formal art exhibit, Hello! Exploring the Super Cute World of Hello Kitty is being held at Japanese American National Museum through April 15, the main floor was an art scene. Art School, a Hello Kitty art class lead by some of the featured artist in the convention, where the finished artwork was hung up on the walls. Yet, most the unassuming, but most permanent kind of art was going down at HK Ink. It was not total hyperbole when I said HK Con brought out your inner Stefon, I’m telling you, it had e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.
I walked into HK Ink off the Main Floor, thinking it was a photo gallery of Hello Kitty Ink, and ended up walking out part of the HK Ink army. The tattoo shop had 120, Hello Kitty-themed designs to choose from, I settled on a sailboat. Waiting to get my tattoo, I watched one young lady get the color filled in on her gigantic Hello Kitty piece on her calf; the woman next to me made small talk while the artist put the finishing touches on her Hug Life tattoo. Hello Kitty brings out a little something different in all of us.
Back outside on the Sweet Happy Plaza, enjoying tater tots served on a paper boat with Hello Kitty’s face, Sanrio’s remarkable ability to connect and bring people together was all around. After forty years, Hello Kitty has remained true to her roots and even managed to inject elements of surprise along the way, ensuring the refrain from my childhood, “just get me Hello Kitty for Christmas”, will carry on for another forty or so years.
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