If you hadn’t already known, for the past 7 months, the first large-scale Hello Kitty exhibit was the main feature at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, entitled Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty. The exhibit was created as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Hello Kitty, curated by Christine Yano, PhD, author of Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific, and Jamie Rivadeneira, founder and owner of the Los Angeles pop culture boutique JapanLA.
Having already attended the opening day of the first ever HelloKittyCon, of course I had to check out the exhibit before it was too late! My daughter and I, with husband tagging along, visited the JANM last Saturday, and let me tell you, it was an awesome experience. We got there around lunchtime and, luckily, it wasn’t too crowded so we were really able to enjoy the experience. They had everything from vintage to modern Hello Kitty. Anything you could think of, or didn’t think of, was there. The exhibit was HUGE, encompassing two levels of the museum! It was definitely a better idea to take my 5-year-old to the museum than the chaotic (but super fun!) convention – maybe next year Sammi!
So, enough of the small talk, here are the photos I took at the exhibit! Enjoy!!!
P.S. Feel free to share photos with friends, etc. but please give proper credit by mentioning Kathy @ a yellow giraffe and linking back to this blog. Thank you! 😄
Entrance of JANM
Excitement!
First Sanrio Hello Kitty Coin Purse
Mt. Fuji Plush 2005
Early Hello Kitty Products
Original Strawberry Product Sales Catalog 1974
Early Hello Kitty Electronics
Aren’t these vintage calculators too cute?!
Vintage Hello Kitty Stationery & More
More Vintage Stationery & Accessories
Colorful Hello Kitty Pencil & Crayon Set
Hello Kitty Home
More Hello Kitty Home
Hello Kitty Soda Pop!
I don’t think I would every actually use these to play golf for fear of losing them!
Because who doesn’t need Hello Kitty toilet paper 😜
Hello Kitty ROBO…that’s right, a robot! She can talk, comes with 20,000 conversation patterns and voice recognition for up to 10 people. She has a camera in her eyes that helps her recognize and call her owner by name. Price unknown, but apparently very expensive!
For the male HK fan, a men’s Liberty print suit
Hello Kitty x Mike Carroll GIRL Limited Skateboard
Hello Kitty Cruiser
Hello Kitty Lunch boxes & bags
Yep, Hello Kitty Penny Loafers
Hello Kitty x Elmo — too much cuteness in one package!
Fender Squier Hello Kitty Strat Guitar
Hello Kitty Yukata
Map of Japan covered in Hello Kitty Charms (one of my faves at the exhibit)
The Gaze of Kitty (2014) by Kazuki Takamatsu, another one of my favorite pieces
HAPPY! (2014) by Asuka Satow, a drawing made entirely by ballpoint ink
Uh Oh Kitty Ho (2014) by D* Face
Hello Kitty Fanatic (2014) by Junko Mizuno
Kitty Negora (2014) by Konatsu
Super Space Titan Kitty (2014) by Colin Christian
Hello Kitty Kaiju (2014) by Mark Nagata
Black Cat Don’t Cross My Path! (2014) by Ben Venom
Hello Kitty Transcendence (2014) by Martin Hsu….beautiful!
Hello Kitty’s Submarine Ride (2014) by Paul Frank
Hello Kitty in Bloom (2014) by Michael Courville
Shading in a Heavy Line (2014) by Edwin Ushiro
Yummy Gummy Kitty (2014) by Jonathan Stein…this looked good enough to eat!
Radiant Kitty (2014) by Souther Salazar
Pomme Party! (2014) by TADO
Sweet Kitty (2014) by Osamu Watanabe
Kitty Camo? (2014) by Oddjob
HK (2014) by Jason Woodside
Hello Kitty Fashion
Lady Gaga Dress (2009) from Hello Kitty’s 35th Anniversary
Sparkly!
More sparkles!
cute paparazzi
Special Edition Hello Kitty Camera
Hello Kitty Instax Mini Camera
Stationery Hoarder Heaven!
Goodbye Hello Kitty!
Lastly, Kittypatra (2014) by Simone Legno
Bye-bye Hello Kitty Exhibit
First Hello Kitty Exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum Ends Tomorrow!