I still have Chococat but for the Hello Kitty panel I had to break out Big Kitty. Tiffany graciously allowed be to take a picture with her with my Big Kitty. Tiffany Grant is one of Kumoricn Guest of Honor best known for the English dub voice of Asuka in Neon Genesis Evangelion. When she spoke she did reminded me of Asuka She also has adapted English dub scripts for Hello Kitty Animation Theater and voice acted some of the characters. Oh yes she admits to having ian incurable Hello Kitty addiction. Her Hello Kityized Bathroom was shown in a Japanese Magazine.

The Pannel was well atteded and great.

This year I took my Chococat aroud the con and took a few pictures

I am trying  to organize a Hello Kitty Junkies meet up in conjunction with the Hello Kitty Panel ran by Tiffany Grant, one of the guest of honor, at Live one Pavilion East Sunday 1:30pm. The Panel is from 1:30pm to 2:30 but I am blocking out time for meeting and greet afterward. Other are invited as well. If you are interested, I will be having a panel Otaku over 30, a panel for older Anime fans on Saturday. 

I invite anybody coming to Kumoricon to both panels

First, I am still looking for permanent work. I been getting a string of contracts, as a result I am caught up on most of my bills and registered for Kumoricon the Anime convention in Portland Oregon.  I will be doing a panel called Otaku over 30 a panel for and about older anime fans in a young person fandom. The inspiration for the panel comes from my observations and experiences as a Furry and Anime fan, that older fans in there respective fandoms tend to be the minority and times find it difficult to fit in.. I am also trying to get a meet together with fellow Hello Kitty Junkies and fans between 1:00pm a to 3:00pm on Sunday. I will have more info as the schedule is published. 

Finally extra few dollars plus a good eBay sales I been buying a few of the New Sanrio anniversary plush collections. I am sticking to the 6in versions. It is nice to see plushies of other charters rather than the series of Hello Kitty dressed as other charters. I love Hello Kitty but sometime she is a bit over exposed.

I Keep:
One sketchpad for making a quick sketch or for me to sketch ideas for a new drawing project.
Graphite pencil set and mechanical pencil.
Cartage ink pen
Current book I am reading
MP3 player with talk radio downloads or SF stories from Escape Pod. .
Digital camera to take picture of something I may draw later.
Current book I am reading
Church offering envelopes

Is this what happen when you do not feed your pets? They behave badly.

I was sitting around Sanrio Harbor when a Fireon decided to give my poor bunny a face full or tried to sit on him. To bad Sanrio does not allow pet battles. My Punch Bunny would give the Firon a lesson in manors.

Fellow male fan:  13:04 

 Possibly outing of MR. Hello Kitty Hell: 13:38

Ok probably not, I do not think Mr. KHK would wear a Hello Kitty Man Shirt and the room looks like there would be no place for a Hello Kitty sleeping bag. Still the enthusiasm of the wife in the video gives credence that Mr. Hello Kitty Hell’s wife exists. 

Finally, a segment and offbeat design contest on Hello Kitty stuff for men. 16:41

http://blog.sanriotown.com/blog/2010/06/02/blog-of-the-week-144/

First up is my avatar developed over the Aeria Game’s open beta. I won the shirt at the birthday event and I replace the silly stone hate with a bandanna. I guess I go the Kung Fu look down or a black Willie Nelson. It took me a while to get back to the look I had during the Founder’s Beta.

Next, the inside of my mud hut I got from a London quest. I am little low on Loyalty points, so I got the more important items for a bachelor: a chair and a refrigerator for the beer.

Finally, a screen shot of a few of us with a few GMs

To the Areia GM goodbye and Godspeed. To the rest see you all in a few days.

Speaking of other things, I have taken to expressing my love of the cute one by carrying a pink Hello Kitty backpack. I have to confess I am a bit a of a nonconformist eccentric. I really do not care what others may think. If I want to use a hello Kitty Backpack, no harm done. Recently because of unemployment, I been using mass transit for long trips the last few months to conserve fuel. Last Tuesday a person on the Max train finally noticed. Jokingly he said he is willing exchange bags with me; I wonder what was going through his mind when I told him I like the one I am carrying. I am more amused that it took that long. Ether they think I was carrying the kid’s bag, helping to keep Portland weird (part of my reasoning), or a 6’ 4 man who look like a professional wrestler can carry whatever bag he wants.

Hello Kitty gets closer to goodbye as company searches for next big thing

What the article presents is the possibility that Hello Kitty is running out of steam. I do agree with some of the facts presented. One fear I do have is Hello Kitty is over exposed and over emphasized, just walk into any Sanrio store. One can see rows of Hello Kitty items but very little of other charters. I can see the same over emphasis at Hello Kitty Lab and 35^Th Anniversary Three Apple events. Still popularity is dimming in Japan; Hello Kitty is just getting started in the rest of the world.

So what is Hello Kitty to do? Figurative speaking, she  could buy a ticket, fly to Los Angles, and have tea and a long talk to another American cartoon icon, Mickey Mouse whose silhouette ears is much of a cultural icon as Hello Kitty’s bow.  He probably will give a slight chuckle as he hears Hello Kitty problems at 35, him being 82.

Still like Hello Kitty, Mickey has not made a cartoon in years still his image is present at every Disney Parks and store while other charters have taken the spotlight. Retiring Hello Kitty will be a huge mistake, it the same way if Disney tries to retire Mickey. Still Sanrio need to revamp it store product line featuring   other and new charter will keep Hello Kitty as a prominent   but not as center of attention. It is good for Sanrio to hire some Disney talent to help in the transition.