Rooster_Ties Posted October 6, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2003 Hello Kitty taxis now in Tokyo Wednesday, September 17, 2003 Posted: 12:46 PM EDT (1646 GMT) Hello Kitty cabs are equipped with the popular kitten character umbrellas, ponchos, and tissues for customers. TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- How's this for a relaxing cab ride: slide into the back seat of a pink and baby blue sedan with two Hello Kitty characters painted on the side, sit on a Hello Kitty blanket and listen to Hello Kitty music piped in through the sound system. This mobile paradise for fans of the popular kitten character is the latest service offered by a Japanese taxi company, Kanachu. The 10 Hello Kitty cabs -- equipped with Hello Kitty umbrellas, ponchos, and tissues for customers -- have been operating since April. Kanachu integrated the new taxis into their fleet of 500 cabs serving suburban Tokyo after deciding they needed a special service targeting children. They also figured there was also no danger of alienating anyone with the cute cat, said Katsuo Habu, a manager at Kanachu. Kanachu has licensed Hello Kitty from Sanrio, the character's creator, for three years. Fares -- about 660 yen for the first 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) -- are the same as regular taxis. The cars are driven only by women drivers, in part to satisfy Sanrio, Habu said. "The Sanrio people told us they associated taxis with bearded, smoking male drivers. That is why they were not really sure if they wanted us to use their character," Habu said. "But we told them that we would have female drivers and the cars would be nonsmoking." The ban on smoking alone has gotten a good response, he said. But the most popular feature is the free giveaways of Hello Kitty goods. "We hope mothers use our service when small children cry because they have to go to hospital or kindergarten," Habu said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 6, 2003 Report Share Posted October 6, 2003 Hey, if MY kid was crying and had to go to the hospital, I'd be DAMN sure to hold out for the Hello Kitty Cab... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
couw Posted October 6, 2003 Report Share Posted October 6, 2003 anyone still wondering why we get such strange reviews about this board? this thread still being alive creeps me out every time it enters the now-active threads list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted October 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted October 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted October 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2003 (edited) Edited October 20, 2003 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted October 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted November 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Hello Kitty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Hello, kitty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Goodbye, kitty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Now, her career's not the only thing that's toast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 BAD Kitty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Psycho Kitty, q'est ca c'est? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Oops! I used that line too soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Hello, Kitty Carlise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted November 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 (edited) Hello, Kitty Carlise! Damn, I was just gonna look for a picture of her, but you beat me to it!!!! Edited November 14, 2003 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 If I could talk to the animals... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Hello, Kitty Carlise! Damn, I was just gonna look for a picture of her, but you beat me to it!!!! Dude, I used to think she was old back in the 50s. Now she's REALLY old! (still, a class act all the way) Guess when I thought she was old, she was really not too much older than the age I am now, which I guess makes me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris olivarez Posted November 14, 2003 Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 This thread gives kitty litter an entirely new meaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted November 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 (edited) This thread gives kitty litter an entirely new meaning. Link: Kitty Litter Cake (Link goes to another post here on the Organissimo board. If you must, please reply to this horribly grotesque idea there (in that thread), if you please. Thanks!!!) Edited November 14, 2003 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted November 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2003 Link: Midnite's Glow-In-The-Dark Atomic Kitty Litter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted December 4, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted December 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2003 (edited) anyone still wondering why we get such strange reviews about this board? this thread still being alive creeps me out every time it enters the now-active threads list. Just for your birthday, Couw, I brought this thread up for you. Enjoy!!!! What do 12-year old girls, young Japanese housewives and little raver kids have in common? I'll give you a hint: it's small, white, diabetes-inducingly cute, and sports a red bow and a head that's shockingly huge, but has no mouth. Welcome to Hello Kitty's world, a dangerous place to tread if you're a cynic, an old humbugger, or completely lacking a sense of humor and mirth. Move over, Disney. Japan-based Sanrio Company Ltd. has been cranking out the cute since their inception in 1960. Early success came with Strawberry, a character of a little girl with a giant strawberry on her head, about two years before Hello Kitty first appeared on the scene in 1974 on a small change purse. Since then, an endless stream of fat-headed, two-dimensional characters have come bouncing and flouncing down the rainbow path, including, but not limited to, Kero Kero Kerropi, Saru no Monkichi, the leader of a band of playful monkeys, and the most darling brother and sister combo since the Osmonds, Little Twin Stars, an angelic team who live on Compassion Planet in Dream Galaxy. Are you gagging on your own phlegm yet? There are still other alliteration-ridden players in this performance, such as Winki Pinki, Picke Bicke and Spottie Dottie. The marketing behind these products is strategic and complex. Everything is about display, collection, consumption and communication. Character's faces, slogans, and still life moments of the characters "in action" (i.e. drinking tea or smelling flowers) emblazon absolutely any household product you can think of: furniture, clothing, notepads, stationary, electronics, bedding, kitchen appliances, school supplies, candy, stuffed animals, fashion accessories, bone china, theme parks, restaurants...the list grows larger than Sanrio's bank account which, from 1996 figures and the current exchange rate of 140 yen to the dollar, grosses over 5 billion dollars annually. "But what do they do?" asks puzzled friends and non-collectors. They don't do anything. The substance of these characters is as blank and as vacant as the look in Hello Kitty's black dot eyes. They're not from a movie, they don't sing on television, and Sanrio has no pretense about selling their products on anything other than brand recognition. If you ask Sanrio, they aren't in the business of moving merchandise. They are in the business of spiritual retail and "social communication". Shintaro Tsuji, President and CEO of Sanrio, writes, "Our business puts importance on the spiritual side of things. We make things which will help foster communication,... and we seek to help friendships flourish. That is why all of us at Sanrio shall continue, with one heart and mind, to offer the very best social communication business possible, and to help build a bridge between the hearts and minds of people all over the world." Why is Sanrio's fleet of characters so successful? What need do they fulfill in Japan and in ten other countries throughout Asia, Europe and North America? One fan ponders the following: "What is it about Hello Kitty that makes everyone love Her?...Perhaps it's her silent kindness that intrigues us so. Or maybe it's just a clever marketing ploy that's been brought on by Sanrio: Create a character that both kids and adults go nuts over, and make it available only through certain retail stores, making it nearly impossible to acquire if you don't live near one of the above stores. I'm beginning to think it's that she's not sold just anywhere that makes us want her so bad." And She would never slum with the simple and common toys on a cold shelf in Toys R Us. A trip to a Sanrio store is like a mini-vacation, a dreamy wonderland, or a freakish nightmare, depending on your perspective. Golden turrets of castles from long ago, festive balloons, rainbows with their mandatory pot of gold and oversized toy planes transport you into their world. Neatly stacked and arranged little knickknacks, sorted by color, character and design amuse and entertain. Who's buying into the myth? "Oh, everyone", says store Assistant Manager, Sarah Aldana. "Everyone from ages 3-40, tourists, regulars. It used to be predominantly girls, but ever since Bad Batz Maru came out, we have teenage boys coming in, too." Wide-eyed packs of overwhelmed young girls shrill the battle cry of, "Mom! Can I have THIS??!!" throughout the store, sometimes a reasonable request for candy or gum, other times a heartfelt wish for the pink, Hitachi Hello Kitty toaster oven tauntingly on display and only available in Japan. "I'm just buying some stupid little things," remarks Amanda DeHaan, age 23, of her purchase of some Bad Batz Maru barrettes and a My Melody contact lens case. "Everything else is too perky, too pink" she continues, despite the fact that she's shopping in the perkiest and pinkest store on earth. The Japanese are known world-wide for being voracious consumers who buy new products before the old one's wear out, and for giving numerous small, token gifts. Their culture also loves fantastical childish escapes from the tight pressures and high expectations of their hard-working lives. Thus, a company offering tiny, affordable gifts of fantasy can only thrive in such a cultural breeding ground. And it's success in the States and beyond? Westerners have long been fascinated by the seemingly quirky, misunderstood nature of the Japanese, and kids and college hipsters are attracted to Sanrio's infantalistic appeal, its kitsch, and its nostalgic resonance back to Sanrio's first wave of release in the US in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Seasonal product lines, a numerous pool of ever-changing characters, and varying inventory based on region and individual store, all beckon for collectors to start getting itchy, and it's worked. As demand for popular culture items (lunch boxes, etc.) begins to skyrocket in the collector's marketplace, so does the value of classic, no longer produced, Sanrio artifacts. A quick search on Ebay, one of the Internet's most popular trading and collecting sites, revealed about twenty Sanrio items for sale, ranging from a Hello Kitty lunchbox going for $35, a My Melody stuffed animal selling for $20, and a rare, English-language Hello Kitty magazine for around $20, amongst other items. The future of Sanrio can only get brighter, as small retail stores are popping up in malls all over the country, and the company is actively expanding their video production, CD ROM development, software programs, and multimedia products. The official company logo composed of their best known celebrities has recently inflated from two to three dimensions, showing Sanrio's stylistic strategy to keep up with the times. And in this third, added dimension of its characters, in that intangible vastness of social communication, is the reason for the success of this family of products we could all easily live without. The Sanrio collector's blue book has yet to roll off the presses, but it's likely it will soon. Just look for the pink book with Hello Kitty on the cover. Scary or sweet? What's your take on the Hello Kitty obsession? SOURCE Edited December 15, 2003 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man with the Golden Arm Posted December 15, 2003 Report Share Posted December 15, 2003 not so fast to make fun-sies of this insitution there birthday couw. granted miss kitty has trumped heidi as the axis' character of choice. thanks for posting this RT. the line about the precursor to all of this felinity- the girl with the strawberry on her head from '74 - was a revelation. my first job out of school was at the creative division that brought the world Strawberry Shortcake (endlessly licensed and re-issued). i recall the big guns were embroiled in endless legal wranglings over just who created with Miss Shortcake: an in-house artist or a greeting card freelancer who took some direction for a side job. this was obviously long before the information mania that we have today and it is now revealed here on the Organissimo that it was the Japanese that beat all to the punch. not really certain as to why i posted but i can do that in this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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