Hello Kitty Con 2014

Sanrio threw a huge 40th anniversary party for Hello Kitty last weekend in Los Angeles in the form of the four day long Hello Kitty Con. It also happened to be the first ever HK Con in the whole world! I just had to be there, even if it was for just one day. I was a huge Sanrio fan as a child and I still love Hello Kitty and her friends.

Hello Kitty Con took place in the Little Tokyo section of Downtown LA at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA and the Japanese American National Museum. Hello Kitty was all over the city from billboards to roadside banners.



We arrived just around 10 am, when the doors officially opened. We still had to pick up our badges and wait in the entrance line.

Once we got inside, there were lines, lines, lines and people everywhere! There was also so many things to see and do. Although I was not able to do everything there was to do, here is a look at what I saw.

The Coin Purse

This little treasure is what started it all! The first Hello Kitty product from 1975.

Lovely Kitty Wonder

Curated by Stephanie Nguyen of JapanLA Clothing, this fashion exhibit featured designs inspired by Hello Kitty.

Vintage Village
I started getting into Sanrio around the fourth grade, so that would have been 1989. I know I owned some of the items that were on display in the Vintage Village. Too bad I don't still have them!

Friendship Village
This area featured a Hello Kitty House and loads of Hello Kitty photo opportunities. If only Raisin Bread would let me decorate our entire house with Hello Kitty!

Hello Kitty Topiary

Hello Kitty Kitchen

Hello Kitty Office

Hello Kitty Living Room

Hello Kitty Zen Garden
Located within the Super Supermarket was this adorable torii gate.

Hello Kitty Sweet Happy Plaza
In addition to the indoor activities, there was a section outside the MOCA with food trucks, a penny stretcher and free activities like pumpkin decorating, nail art, face painting and crafts for kids.

Hello Kitty Cafe
The first Hello Kitty Cafe in the US will be opening in 2015. This food truck version gave us a sneak peek of what they have in store.

Temporary Tattoos

My awesome temporary tattoo! There were so many to choose from that I had a hard time deciding which one to get!

Workshops
I attended two of the sold out workshops on the day I went. They were a lot of fun, but I already felt pretty rushed because the lines were so long and it was so crowded. The workshops definitely ate in to my convention time.

Hello Kitty Spam Musubi
Katie Chin (cookbook author, television chef, etc.) taught us how to make the most adorable Spam musubi in the world. It was easy because we had a mold, which was also being sold at the Super Supermarket.

Me and my finished Hello Kitty Spam Musubi

Hello Kitty Plush
Crafter Steff Bomb showed us how to make a Hello Kitty cupcake plush by hand. I actually did not have enough time to finish my creation.

In my haste, I also forgot to take home the felt that I had cut for her whiskers. This is what my plush currently looks like.

Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty at JANM
Convention-goers were able to see the Hello Kitty exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum with their convention badge. Unlike the rest of the con, this exhibit will be on view until April 2015.

The exhibition was organized into two general sections. The first showcased the variety of Hello Kitty goods that have been created from sports items, figurines, household goods and more. 

Hello Kitty phone dangles

The second part of the exhibition featured Hello Kitty the Muse. We saw artwork created by contemporary artists that were inspired by Hello Kitty.

Lady Gaga's Hello Kitty Dress

Katy Perry's Hello Kitty corset

Hello Kitty Con was a lot of fun! It was crowded and rushed, but it was worth it!