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We all love Hello Kitty, right? And we all love Playboy? So why not combine them?
In 2014, with Hello Kitty turning 40 and Playboy turning 60, somebody at Sanrio thought "Get this grandma into a Playboy suit too! Stat!"
And this collaboration was born. In my never-ending quest to find interesting things online (as well as coming across an old Hello Kitty blog which reported on this collaboration) I stumbled upon it and decided to write a bit about it.
Merchandise for it was sold by the French manufacturer/retailer Colette, including candy, mirrors, memo notes, lighters, mugs, Leica cameras, iPhone cases, socks, bowties, boxers, shirts, and more.
There were two logo mashups: Kitty wearing bunny ears, and the Playboy bunny with a bow on one ear.
The collaboration debuted at Crazy Horse Paris, a performing arts theater in Paris, France. Yamaguchi Yuko, character designer behind Hello Kitty, attended and said the designs were 'Really sexy cool'. Some items were also sold online, and I managed to find an archive of the store page (including prices thank you god) here. A few of the items are further clickable, to see what their materials are and such.
(I have to agree with her on the 'really sexy cool', I love seeing some more edge in my Sanrio. The black white and blue designs are really great, they look so sleek. I'm personally a big fan of the lighter.)
The evening's piece de reistance were two Crazy Horse mini shows. The dancers marched dressed as Queen's Guards and pole danced, among other titillating numbers, while Kitty herself made some appearances throughout.
"Did you know they had to censor the show for Kitty?" quizzed Julien David, fresh from his fashion show at the Palais de Tokyo, earlier in the day. "Usually that act is topless."
The collaboration had a mixed reception. Some expressed that Hello Kitty seemed a somewhat inappropriate fit for Hugh Hefner's 'soft-porn empire'. "I believe that opposites attract," stated Carven designer Guillaume Henry. "They're both icons, but they have nothing in common. I'm always more intrigued by a couple's differences than similarities, so I love the whole idea of 'sexy kawaii.'" (Looking at recent collector trends, you can see this is undeniable.)
People really seemed to get upset over the camera, perhaps because it was the collaboration's most expensive item and drew the most attention. Some outlets reported on the collaboration as being "not-for-kids".
Some merchandise pieces were also on display in 2016 as part of Seattle's Experience Music Project Museum's exhibit "Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty".
But did you think that would be the end of this collaboration? Wrong! They did it again in 2016 in Taiwan! (Though not involving Colette this time.)
This time, it was entirely bags (along with a plushie keychain/bag charm), and it drew even more backlash, with people arguing that they were essentially selling Playboy to young girls. These bags are way less drippy than the black/blue/white collaboration pieces, though I might be biased because I'm not the biggest fan of checkered print.
...But the plushie is pretty freaking cute, lol. 10/10 would buy.
Anyway, what do you think? Will any of these collaboration items be making it to your wishlist? It's another interesting example of Sanrio collaborating with something more adult-focused (see Sonico Sanrio). In my opinion, it's pretty easy to see the appeal, I love the Playboy bunny head logo. It's cute, simplistic, fashionable. But I'm curious to hear other opinions too, so feel free to comment your thoughts. Thanks for reading!
