I’m not really that familiar with Hello Kitty, but I went to Hello Kitty Exhibition as it looked like fun!

It seems that this year, 2024, is the 50th anniversary of her birth!

I had no idea Hello Kitty had been around that long, and it’s amazing how her popularity has only continued to grow over the years!

The Hello Kitty exhibition had displays of various Hello Kitty goods and costumes, arranged by floor and by year.

There were so many goods on display that I can’t possibly introduce them all, so here I would like to pick up some of the pictures I took and also introduce the sweets I bought as a souvenir.

※ I separate the page as it would be heavy with so many pictures and introduce the sweets I bought as souvenirs on the second page

No same-day tickets available at the ticket counter

I arrived at the Ueno Tokyo National Museum after a 5-minute walk from the Koen Exit of Ueno Station.

I thought I could buy the ticket at the ticket counter on the day, but they weren’t selling the same-day tickets.
They were selling the tickets only at a convenience store or online.

I had to walk for more than five minutes to the nearest convenience store from the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno, so I decided to buy the tickets online.

But, this online purchase was also quite troublesome.
After accessing the sales site on my mobile phone, I had to register my personal information and enter my credit card number, and in the end it took more than 5 minutes.

When I looked at the website of Hello Kitty Exhibition later, I saw the word “Same-day tickets are not available for sale.”
But the word “Same-day tickets on sale”, which were written in even larger letters above this, stood out even more.
If they had at least erased this word and replaced them with “Same-day tickets not on sale”, I would have noticed in advance and bought tickets before I went.

If you are planning to go to the Hello Kitty Exhibition, I recommend that you buy your tickets online or at a convenience store before you go.

Impression of Hello Kitty Exhibition (50th Anniversary) at Tokyo National Museum in Ueno

There was Hello Kitty in front of the garden at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno.

There was a line naturally, so I joined the line and took a photo.

I think it’s something that only happens in Japan that people naturally form a line without being told to do so by a staff member, and everyone waits their turn.

There is also Hello Kitty inside the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno.
She is peeking out from the second floor.

Limited Hello Kitty of Hello Kitty Exhibition

When I go inside, I was greeted by Hello Kitty, that is exclusive to this Hello Kitty Exhibition.

There were also limited edition plush on sale, which I will introduce later.

The First Hello Kitty Plush Ever Sold

Hello Kitty made her debut in 1974, and the following year, in 1975, the first Hello Kitty plush toys were released.

This is one of the plush toys.

It was sold for about $11.5(1750 yen), and the plush toys sold out immediately after they went on sale.

It seems that Hello Kitty was very popular even back then.

Hello Kitty in Gingham and Tartan Check Patterns

The rucksacks and bags have a retro feel.

I think these goods of Hello Kitty in gingham and tartan check patterns probably appeared in the late 1980s.

Hello Kitty in collaboration with PINK HOUSE

This is Hello Kitty, that collaborated with the apparel brand PINK HOUSE to celebrate Hello Kitty’s 40th anniversary.

So it’s 2014, isn’t it.

The strawberry pattern is a feature.

Retro Telephone and Fan of Hello Kitty

There was a rather retro telephone of Hello Kitty in the front left.

After doing some research online, I found out that it was made in 1983.

The white version was also released at the same time.

You can still see dial-style retro telephones of Hello Kitty sometimes at auctions and the like, but this type is quite rare.

Fan of Hello Kitty on the right diagonal of the telephone is also quite interesting.

Hello Kitty 40th Anniversary Goods

The white-themed bags and plush toys are Hello Kitty 40th anniversary goods.

So it’s 2014, isn’t it.

The design of the plush is good.

This is also a plush toy that was sold as a limited edition to celebrate the 40th anniversary.

Hello Kitty Retro Goods from Early Showa Period

Personally, I thought the coffee cup and plate in the center of the first photo had a retro feel to them, and I would have bought them if they were on sale.

The aluminum lunch box next to it is also nice.

The second photo shows stationery from the late 1970s.

It has a real Showa-era feel to it.

Angel Kitty in the 1990s

Plush of Hello Kitty with wings in the upper center is Angel Kitty.

It was released in the late 1990s and became very popular in America.

Plush of Hello Kitty that collaborated with Mt. Fuji in the lower left corner is also cute.

Plush Toys of Hello Kitty Collaborated with Puroland and Hermann

Hello Kitty in dress on the left is a plush that was made to commemorate Hello Kitty Dream Review One, which is the show performed at Puroland in 2000.

Hello Kitty on the right is plush made by the German teddy bear brand, Hermann.

I can see 1/350 on the sole of its foot, so it seems that it was sold in a limited edition of 350.

Germany also has other long-established teddy bear brands such as Steiff, and in the past this Steiff have also released high-quality Hello Kitty plush toy.

Retro Hello Kitty CD Player & Cassette Tape Storage Case

There is a portable CD player of Hello Kitty on the left.

Another fairly rare item.

This is a CD player (KTY-CD) made by Sanyo, which is no longer exist.

Since it’s a CD player, it was probably released in the 1980s or 1990s.

This CD player has a colorful, pop-like appeal.

The red box in the bottom right is a cassette tape storage box.

When it comes to cassette tapes, it’s probably from the 1980s, before the period of CD.

TV & Telephone & Hairdryer of Hello Kitty from Showa Period

This is also extremely rare!

I’ve seen Hello Kitty goods from the Showa era like cameras and telephones, but this is the first time I’ve seen CRT TV of Hello Kitty!

Or rather, I didn’t know there was a Hello Kitty TV!

This TV was released in 1989 in a limited edition of 3000 units.

Now I want to watch some Showa-era anime on this TV.

The telephone on the right is also interesting.

The red and blue Hello Kitty in the middle are hairdryers.

At first glance, I didn’t realize they were hairdryers.

Laura Ashley and Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty with pink floral pattern.

This is a collaboration with Laura Ashley, a leading British brand of women’s clothing and lifestyle products.

The tea cup set, which includes a mini Hello Kitty plush toy, was actually sold as a gift set in 2015.
My Melody set was also released at the same time.

GAME BOY of Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty also collaborated with GAME BOY!

I bought this GAME BOY on Yahoo! Auctions last year.

It was more compact and lighter than I thought, and it turned out to be a GAME BOY POCKET.

This GAME BOY was released in 1997 along with Sanrio Fortune-Telling Party (Game cartridge of Hello Kitty).

Hello Kitty and Fashion by Age

There were also Hello Kitty costumes on display, each representing the characteristics of each age group: the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

The outfit in the foreground is overseas celebrity fashion.

Hello Kitty’s popularity among overseas celebrities began to grow in the 2000s.

The outfit you can see in the back is kogyaru (kids gyaru) fashion.
It was the late 1990s, and I was part of the generation that grew up with this fashion, so it looks familiar to me.
At the time, loose socks were all very popular.

HELLO KITTY THEATER

I could also watch a short film? or commercial? of Hello Kitty.

However, photography was prohibited from this point.

It’s like a commercial made up of various different things, and it finishes in about 2 minutes.

I could catch a glimpse of the history of Hello Kitty, and enjoy Hello Kitty collaborated with various Japanese anime characters dancing.

Collaboration Between Hello Kitty & Chiikawa & Gundam & Evangelion, etc.

Hello Kitty has collaborated with various characters.

Here, works that collaborated with Chikyuwa, Gundam, Evangelion, One Piece, etc. were on display.

This is the first time I’ve seen a collaboration between Hello Kitty and Chiikawa.

Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary Premium Licca-chan

Hello Kitty also collaborated with Licca-chan doll to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

The price is about $160 (24200 yen) including tax.

I just checked and it’s also available from the Sanrio Online Shop.

Licca-chan is holding a wand of Hello Kitty.

To mark the 50th anniversary, there are 50 rose motifs on her dress and accessories.

Licca-chan doll was first released in 1967 by Takara Co. (now Takara Tomy), so it also has a long history!

※ As this will be a heavy page, I break it up here.

On the second page (bottom right 2), I introduce Ukiyo-e of Hello Kitty and the limited sweets that I bought as souvenirs.

Tags: 2024, Hello Kitty Exhibition, Limited Goods, Review, Souvenir, tokyo Author : Hiroshi80