Celebrations for milestone birthday kick start with activity in two major cities.
Sanrio has kicked off the 45th anniversary activity for Hello Kitty with two activations taking place in London and Paris.
With the character marking the milestone on November 1, she began the celebrations by greeting fans on London’s Southbank on Saturday (October 26), with visitors invited to take the ultimate cute selfie in an immersive plush experience and take home a giveaway.
Visitors were also in with the chance of winning a UK-only prize by posting an image or video of the experience on Facebook or Instagram using #hellokitty45 and tagging @hellokittyeu.
On top of this activity, bubble tea giant Chatime will be creating a selection of exclusive drinks to celebrate Hello Kitty’s birthday from November 8, with the character appearing at the Chinatown restaurant on launch day.
Japan Centre will also launch its limited edition collection of exclusive merchandise at its pop-up at Ichiba, Europe’s largest Japanese food hall in Westfield London for one month from November 4.
Meanwhile, over in Paris, Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussman has also thrown itself into the celebrations.
For the first time, a Hello Kitty café will treat visitors to Franco-Japanese delicacies, in association with Hana Bento (which is the leader in Japanese cuisine in the French capital).
Also available at the pop-up – which opened on October 25 until Monday November 18 – is a range of limited edition Hello Kitty 45th anniversary merchandise, from designer berets and luxe luggage to stationery and plush toys.
In addition, a second Hello Kitty pop-up store will open at the fully revamped Galeries Lafayette Champs Elysees from Monday November 4 to Tuesday December 24.
Further events are also planned in London, Paris, Milan and Berlin to mark Hello Kitty’s anniversary.
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