Martes, Agosto 14, 2012

Hello Kitty; A product of Japanese Creativity

Midterms is here and since this will be a heavy week for me, I will make this blog post very light.

Yesterday, during our Com 207.3 my professor asked if what comes to our mind when we talk about Japan and then I immediately answered "innovation" but after the class I was thinking that I should have answered "Hello Kitty". 

                                               
Hello Kitty is one of Japan's trademark , it is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. It was first designed by Yuko Shimizu in 1974 and was brought to the States in 1976. By the way , below is a photo of Yuko Shimizu who is now a New York based award winning illustrator. 

                       

After reading about Hello Kitty and Yuko Shimizu, I gain a deeper understanding about Japanese approach on creativity.They use their creativity to communicate globally and to gain profit as well. Just like when Hello Kitty was realeased, Sanrio's sales increased seven times up, to think it's just a cat with a red bow on it. The appeal of Hello Kitty to the public is amazing especially to young girls who wants cute stuff, something very girly and attractive. I can say that Hello Kitty is one of Japan's icon and it is very evident when you go to their country because Hello Kitty's face is all over the place. 

                              
Hello Kitty Hotel 

                                  
Hello Kitty Bus

But wait, In Italy there is a Hello Kitty train which is very cute and pink. This is just an evidence that Hello Kitty addiction is spread globally already. Who would not want to ride to this train? I mean it's so cute, pink and different. I'm wondering what's the feeling when you are inside that Hello Kitty train. :)

Hello Kitty Train 

I myself grew up with Hello Kitty, I remember the days when my cousin from Japan brings me Hello Kitty stuff. The joy that i'm feeling that time is different, I'm just a happy little girl. But now, even though I'm an adult already , I'm still smiling whenever someone gives me Hello Kitty stuff but then there's more to that now. I am now very curious with her history and how she was designed. She is clearly a product of Japanese creativity. Maybe the designer Shimizu used the principles of Kaizen because looking at Hello Kitty, she is small, simple with her red bow on it, incomplete because as you can see she has no mouth and when you look at her, she communicates just by her expression. Hello Kitty's transformation is one of a kind, because of the creativeness of Japanese and using Hello Kitty as their icon, the packaging of some of their food has Hello Kitty's face on it. It's a good thing I guess because whenever we purchase something with Hello Kitty's face on it, we immediately remember the country, Japan.

Hello Kitty Bacon Strips

Hello Kitty Corn Flakes

Hello Kitty Cheetos

Hello Kitty has gone a long way already, this cat is very popular now and soon our children and grand children would still make Hello Kitty as part of their childhood. Thanks to the Japanese and to Yuko Shimizu for bringing us Hello Kitty. Also , thank you to Sanrio for living up to their mission which is "social communication" thru Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters. I'm just wondering what would a little girl's childhood be without Hello Kitty? hmmmmm...








7 komento:

  1. aww very nostalgic feeling after reading this. grade school and high school life of my childhood wouldn't be complete without hello kitty. i used to like her too, but my interests abated when some of my classmats started collecting and showing-off their HK stuff. but yes, HK is really cute and there are a lot and i mean A LOT of stuff patterned after her. even a car, piano, cellphone, iron, etc. hehe the guy version of him is Daniel :) they used to have (or maybe still airing) a kiddie series of HK with ther rest of Sanrio gang :) HK is one of solid testament of Japan's creativity. they were able to make an everlasting icon :)

    TumugonBurahin
  2. It's amazing that you were able to use Hello Kitty to discuss the topic of Japanese creativity. Through Hello kitty, you were able to show how the Japanese used and reused a topic, following their belief of Kaizen. Hello Kitty is now everywhere. Japan was successful in invading each country, one little girl at a time. :)

    TumugonBurahin
  3. Who would have thought that the Hello Kitty brand would define Japanese Creativity. It made me realize that a simple idea would be creative, not by just adding something new but also preserving the whole concept of the idea. Creativity is not always creating new ideas but more of creating something that could enhance these used ideas.

    TumugonBurahin
  4. Hello Kitty is one creation that stood the test of time. There's something so captivating about that pink cat.

    What I like most about Hello Kitty is that the brand has inspired a lot of creations like what you posted here: Hello Kitty houses, dolls, cornflakes, etc.

    I grew up with Hello Kitty because my father went to Japan several times a year. I saw a lot of Hello Kitty items like stationery, pens, bags, shoes, clothes, and more.

    This is probably one brand that will never die. As long as there are kids out there and as long as Hello Kitty continues to adapt, the brand will live forever.

    TumugonBurahin
  5. I really like your blog, Ayessa. I was once a fan of Hello Kitty until later on I realized that my dream Hello Kitty world is possible yet unattainable. (You need lots of money to build a hello kitty house, a hello kitty car, and a kitchen with hello kitty cooking utensils. hehehe!)

    Hello Kitty has truly been a pride of Japan. I remember when I was still in my childhood years, whenever I hear somebody saying that she is working or living in Japan, I immediately think of asking that person to buy me a Hello Kitty stuff in Japan. I even imagined myself to go to Japan just to buy Hello Kitty stuff because it's much cheaper there.

    I admire the creativity of the Japanese because many of the things that they have created became and are still popular today and made a huge impact. Maybe this could have been one of the reasons why Japan became a rich country. I wonder if Filipinos are like them, maybe the Philippines could have been rich by now. (hehehehe!)

    Oh. I am also wondering how much Yuko Shimizu earned from her Hello Kitty creation? hhhmmmm.. I'm guessing billions of dollars. :)

    TumugonBurahin
  6. Ayesser!! Im commenting na :)

    I used to love Hello Kitty too! Feel ko that's one of the things we bonded about (I dont remember much of what we did then actually but I guess it's more important that I remember you! HAHA). I used to have a Hello Kitty phone and lunch box, and yes, I also wanted all those other memorabilia too! Sadly, I outgrew it na :( Still, I think my (our) childhood would not be complete w/o HK!

    BTW, now I know something I can buy you for your birthday =))

    TumugonBurahin
    Mga Tugon
    1. really? yey! are u gonna buy me a hello kitty hotel? hahaha

      Burahin