Am I a Hello Kitty Rebel?

As preparation for my Hello Kitty / Sanrio panel, I been reading Hello Kitty The Remarkable  Story of Sanrio and  the Billion Dollar Feline Phenomenon

I came to this section:

 But Hello Kitty is not an insider’s club for stars; she’s a statement for those who want to snub their nose at the establishment.  …She so made her way into the boardroom where women executive have been known to flash Hello Kitty pens as away to add whimsy and  irony to corporate meetings.  “We equate cuteness not with full citizenship” said Christine Yano, the University of Hawaii anthropologist. “As part of our individualism, Americans try to maintain                a healthy distance form Capitalism and from being manipulated.  Showing off Hello Kitty in normal setting affirms one’s independence even if it’s tinged with humor she said. [1]

 

I disagree with her dig on capitalism we cannot have individualism nor independence away from Capitalism, but I thought how this passage relates to my life; how becoming a male Hello Kitty fan has become a way to express my individualism. Even as a child I had a strong sense of individualism, partly out of survival, I was hazed because I was a misfit and in special education. In a trip with my family to San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Warf, we all order seafood cocktails, they all had the crab and I order shrimp. My mother chided me that I was just wanted to be different; she was right it bothered me nobody ordered shrimp.

Latter I became a furry and had a dilemma; I wanted to decorate my apartment turning the studio into my fury den, and stared to buy traditional plush animals and bear items, the problem they did nothing to inspire me. When cleaning up my apartment and found a Hello Kitty plush leftover from and ebay sales campaign.  I thought way not she is anthropomorphic and very cute. The first plush I bought was a 20 in Fairy plush on purpose knowing it gone against all male stereotypes for a guy to buy a girly Hello Kitty Plush for himself.  I found it liberating since then Hello Kitty has become a part of my life as way affirm my own individualism in the face of conformity.  I carry a Hello Kitty wallet, backpack and sometimes one of my 18in plushies in public. I want to play with people’s perceptions; I am not on some grand crusade. nor I want to change the world; I not LGBT or  trying to redefine masculinity, I want o be myself  and Hello Kitty with respect to limits within my Christian faith, liberates me  to my own aesthetic  taste.

Perhaps I am a Hello Kitty rebel a rebel not of your cause.



[1] Hello Kitty  The Remarkable  Story of Sanrio and  the Billion Dollar Feline Phenomenon pg 107

 

Tokyo Kawaii TV Hello Kitty Episode

While surfing the net I came across this site for Tokyo Kawaii TV Hello Kitty Episode. There more Hello Kitty Kawaii than one can shake a stick at. Most of I seen but amusing segments include: 

Fellow male fan:  13:04 

 Possibly outing of MR. Hello Kitty Hell: 13:38

  

Ok probably not, I do not think Mr. KHK would wear a Hello Kitty Man Shirt and the room looks like there would be no place for a Hello Kitty sleeping bag. Still the enthusiasm of the wife in the video gives credence that Mr. Hello Kitty Hell’s wife exists. 

Finally, a segment and offbeat design contest on Hello Kitty stuff for men. 16:41

Hello Kitty G-selling and Grab Bag

It has been a while since I had been shopping for kitty items, I had a little extra for selling on EBay and I was open to buy a few cheap items. Normally on Saturdays I do the Estate to EBay thing, like any fan I check Craigslist to se if any garage sales have any Hello Kitty items; one popped up so I added the sale to my route.

 
Big Kitty Ridding Shotgun

Big Kitty Ridding Shotgun

I packed up Big Kitty (it her turn to ride shotgun for the month) and found the Hello Kitty sale and pick a few sheets of stickers and a grab bag with a pin, looks like the Los Vegas version. I had to cut G-sale short so I could attend little fur meet Pioneer Place a down town mall, a fur meet is where we furries get together and share what is going on in our lives and a little art. Sometime we would go to a movie or go out to a meal. One of a good friend, knowing how much I like Hello Kitty gave me a Hello Kitty antenna ball.

Antenna Ball: A gift from a friend

Antenna Ball: A gift from a friend

 

After the meet I checkout the down town Sanrio store and picked up a 10.00 grab bag, I got a bracelet, charm, a cup and bowl set , a Chococat purse and Panaappe purse wallet. I was hoping for plushies, trinkets and stickers. Still I got my money’s worth.

 
My Grab Bag

My Grab Bag

This brings a dilemma being a hello Kitty male fan: while Sanrio is mainly feminine there are many items like my bedding, car accessories and plushies I can have, collect and use, but there are things like women clothing and accessories I have no use or can not use because I am a male. Some because of function other simple it is physically impossible as a guy. A HK purse just will not work for me except to collect other example a few I can think of are  women panties, and um ah…. the “Shoulder Massager”. Oh well I have some nice items for a swap at Hello Kitty Junkies.