Hello Kitty isn't worth much as a collectible, but she's a high-value item to these Long Islanders
Alana Sammer's Lake Ronkonkoma bedroom is full of items from her Hello Kitty collection. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
Laura Fain, of Islip, proudly displays not one but two Hello Kitty tattoos on her calf along with 11 other Sanrio characters.
"For me, it’s Hello Kitty for life. It’s part of my journey," says Fain, 43. "If I have Hello Kitty on my leg when I’m 80, I’m good with it."
Laura Fain, 43, of Islip, got her first Hello Kitty wearing a kimono tattoo in 2008 inspired by a drink label she saw in Japan. Credit: Laura Fain
Such is the staying power of the beloved and ubiquitous character who will celebrate a milestone birthday next month as she turns the big 5-0. Created in 1974 by Yuko Shimizu, a Japanese designer, and first depicted on a little plastic change purse, people of all ages still adore her and after half a century in the marketplace, her presence is stronger than ever.
Why? "Consistency," says Lauren Bochicchio, the owner of vintage toy store, Deep End of the Sandbox in Lake Ronkonkoma. "There’s never been a break in her being present in everyplace children were able to spend a few dollars. Bochicchio notes that in the world of pop culture, Hello Kitty is "a marvel. It’s all about people wanting a shared experience. It’s a collective appreciation and almost everybody has a Hello Kitty story."
At Deep End of the Sandbox, a vintage toy store in Lake Ronkonkoma, owner Lauren Bochicchio has a cute collection of Hello Kitty merchandise, some from the '70s and '80s, along with a bit from the early 2000s. The red pencil case on the top shelf is from the '70s and sells for $25.
Credit: Deep End of the Sandbox
That is the case for Allison Vulpis, 53, of Port Washington. "It brings me back to my youth," she says. "When I did well in school, my grandpa would take me to a Hello Kitty store in Forest Hills and I would go on a shopping spree buying erasers, pencil cases and stuffed animals. I never stopped loving her."
Recently Vulpis, who owns jewelry company, Riley Gems, discovered Hello Kitty charms in the marketplace. "When I saw them, I jumped on it," she says of necklaces she’s designing that feature the icon.
For Allison Vulpis, 53, of Port Washington, Hello Kitty conjures fond memories of her grandfather who used to take her to a Hello Kitty store for a shopping spree if she got good grades. Vulpis, who owns a jewelry company, Riley Gems, recently spotted Hello Kitty charms in the marketplace and couldn't resist incorporating them into her collection. They run from $35-55.
Credit: Allison Vulpis
APPEAL SPANNING DECADES
Devotees span the decades as evidenced by 15-year-old Alana Sammer, of Lake Ronkonkoma, whose room is a bit of a Hello Kitty shrine.
There are heaps of branded merch here including a blanket, chair and ottoman along with mirrors, stuffed animals, key chains, makeup brushes, pouches, pajama pants and one battery operated car. "I am a really big fan," says Sammer who has been collecting the feline for about five years. "Walking into my room after a long day at school and seeing all the little eyes and ears is very mood lifting. She’s a sweet little cat and I think she means kindness. I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow her."
Alana Sammer, 15, of Lake Ronkonkoma turned her bedroom into a Hello Kitty shrine. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
Alana’s mom, Karminita Sammer, 46, often helps with the search, seeking Hello Kitty out at thrift stores, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.
She approves of her daughter’s zeal. "Hello Kitty is timeless, and she’s been the same since she came out." But there are limits. "If we’re out and she sees it, she wants it, and I usually have to say no unless it has a purpose like her office chair because she has so much." But mom admits she’s all in. "I still feel the same way about her and I’m pretty passionate too."
It wasn’t exactly passion that caused Fain in 2008, to emblazon her first Hello Kitty tattoo on her calf. "I just like the imagery — it’s simple and childlike and evocative of simpler times," she says. Fain was drawn to an illustration of the character wearing a kimono on a drink package during a trip to Japan and brought it to a tattoo artist here. "You see my leg and it’s like ‘this girl has issues.’ And people always ask, ‘are you obsessed with Hello Kitty,?’" she says. "But I just think it’s cute and whimsical." In fact, admits Fain, "I’m actually allergic to cats."
COLLECTIBLES WORTH
As for the icon’s collectibility, there doesn’t seem to be the same fervor as there is for say, the likes of Barbie. In part, that’s because the earliest items were stationery store goods — pencil cases, paper, pencils. "Nostalgia is the star of collecting directly tied to childhood," says Bochicchio, noting that buyers are interested in toys they owned or wished they had. "Hello Kitty wasn’t really a toy; she was an adorable presence. She’s more about imagery."
Hello Kitty has enjoyed many celebrations leading up to her big birthday, including this pop-up shop at the Nordstrom in NYC that ran from June 27 through Sept. 2. Credit: Sanrio/Nordstrom
So, for example, a decades old pencil case might sell for $24, though there are special items that do command large sums.
Then, of course, there’s the current Hello Kitty merchandise and with some 50,000 items for sale these days, rarity is not an issue. T.J. Maxx has more than 80 offerings on their website including ceramic bowls, makeup sponge sets, shower curtains and journals. At Pottery Barn, there’s an entire home collection from lamps to chairs to robes and bedding. And if you’re in search of the ultimate feline find there’s always the Judith Leiber Couture clutch at Saks Fifth Avenue which will run you $4,695. Me-ow.
HELLO KITTY: CAT OR GIRL?
Although the rumor has been around for decades, it had a recent resurgence on the "Today Show" when Jill Koch, Sanrio’s senior vice president of marketing and brand management made it clear that Hello Kitty is not a cat. "Hello Kitty is a little girl." According to lore, she’s an 8-year-old girl named Kitty White who was born in London and raised in the suburbs with her twin sister, Mimmy, and her parents. She is, according to Koch, "five apples tall and weighs three apples," and is a "symbol of friendship, kindness and inclusivity."
Despite all the sweet talk, some folks are just not having it. Says Aliza Licht, 50, who grew up in North Woodmere, "While declaring 'Hello Kitty is a little girl' smells like a classic marketing stunt to me, as an avid collector growing up, it feels dismissive of the longtime fans' dedication. As a collector in my childhood, I can assure you she was and still is a cat," she says.
Likewise, says Susan Candia, 54, of Sands Point, "I’ve grown up on Hello Kitty my whole life and that she is a girl not a kitten does not sit well with me at all."
Others shrug it off. The cat versus girl announcement was, "Irrelevant to me, personally," says Laura Fain, 43, of Islip. "Hello Kitty as a brand represents fun and the simple joys of life. Her colorful, cheery outlook and happy demeanor is pleasant and just very appealing to me."
And adds Lauren Bochicchio, owner of vintage toy store, Deep End of the Sand Box, in Ronkonkoma, "Honestly, I think they’ve dropped that bomb to shake up the 50th anniversary. It’s an anthropomorphized cat." And most importantly, "She’s so easy to love."