Hello Kitty Phenomenon
I got this book as a present and I read it pretty quickly. It was quick and easy to read and I liked it. I was a little surprised that it was so poorly copy-edited, but the book as a whole was good.
One especially enjoyable aspect was that it included information about Japanese culture as well. It turns out that Hello Kitty is a very integral part of Japanese kawaii culture, and she's not seen as just for kids there the way she often is here. Oh, don't get me wrong, plenty of adults are into Hello Kitty in the United States - but she's not quite as revered by all age groups here as she is there. She's primarily a kid's cartoon here.
Her background was really fascinating to read. How she was originally developed, how Sanrio came to be, and how maintaining Kitty's appeal is a full-time job for several people.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Hello Kitty - it's a really in-depth look at Kitty and is well worth the time spent reading it.
One especially enjoyable aspect was that it included information about Japanese culture as well. It turns out that Hello Kitty is a very integral part of Japanese kawaii culture, and she's not seen as just for kids there the way she often is here. Oh, don't get me wrong, plenty of adults are into Hello Kitty in the United States - but she's not quite as revered by all age groups here as she is there. She's primarily a kid's cartoon here.
Her background was really fascinating to read. How she was originally developed, how Sanrio came to be, and how maintaining Kitty's appeal is a full-time job for several people.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Hello Kitty - it's a really in-depth look at Kitty and is well worth the time spent reading it.
