I’m not sure where to start. There’s simply too much awesome.

Hello Kitty Con was one of the most happiness-inducing events I’ve been to. It was an incredibly crowded event, yet everyone seemed positive and just plain happy to be there. The majority of these photos are from Hello Kitty Con 2014 and some are from the Hello! Exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum.

Okay, brace yourself for EVERYTHING Hello KItty. Here goes…

So this year is Hello Kitty’s 40th birthday. Can you believe it? Hello Kitty is such a timeless icon, it’s hard to believe there was even a beginning to her. And this was the first Hello Kitty convention in the world… No big deal.

HELLO KITTY DECOR

The decor for this event was out of this world. My eyes wouldn’t stop moving. 

  This Hello Kitty Topiary belongs in my front yard.

Do you remember getting those super special bags whenever you purchased something from the Sanrio store?  With that little trinket attached to it? I remember how ecstatic I’d be every time a birthday rolled around and I saw one of those special gift bags. It never mattered what was inside because everything from Sanrio is the best thing ever.

HELLO KITTY DIORAMAS

One of my favorite things (and there were many) were these Hello Kitty dioramas. They were so detailed, I could stare at them for hours.

HELLO KITTY TOYS

There were toys I never knew existed… like this Dr. Hello Kitty set. I would’ve loved to have this instead of my Operation board game.

VINTAGE HELLO KITTY

Treasured trinkets and accoutrements from the days when Hello Kitty wore her palette of primary colors full time. Such nostalgia.

This brought be back to the day when my G-MA would take me to the Sanrio store in Monterey Park and spoil me all sorts of goodies. I still have the My Melody stamp set she bought me back in the 80s.

HELLO KITTY TATTOOS

There was a never ending line for FREE Hello Kitty tattoos.  You read correctly. FREE. These were just a handful of the designs available.

And the tattoos weren’t done by just anybody. One of the artists was the talented Dan Smith. You may remember him from Kat Von D’s reality TV show LA Ink.

HELLO KITTY FASHION

I’m not talking about t shirts and jammies.  This was over the top, amazing Hello Kitty couture… gowns made of Hello Kitty plushes and pencil pouches.

HELLO KITTY FOOD

Sustenance was definitely necessary at this convention. We started the day with Hello Kitty Yoplait yogurt. If you feel like you’re missing out, don’t feel too bad. These little cups of goodness are available at Target.

And here we have the cutest food truck you’ve ever laid your eyes on. HELLO KITTY CAFE.

The donuts went so fast! I cringed every time something got crossed off the menu.

Ended up purchasing 3 bottles of Hello Kitty water and a box of mini cakes just so I could get the adorable reusable tote bag.  Don’t judge me.

HELLO KITTY ROCK & ROLL

One of my first internships was at a tiny boutique agency and one of our big accounts was Fender Musical Instruments. This Hello Kitty Fender Squire guitar brings me back to my humble beginnings as a perfectly happy unpaid intern who was just ecstatic to have the chance to be around products like this.

Roller derby anyone? These gorgeous Hello Kitty roller skates by Moxi are so legit.

HELLO KITTY ART

Lastly, my absolute favorite… art inspired by Hello Kitty.

STILL LIFE 2 by DABS MYLA – Acrylic on Wood

EAT CAKES, YOU KITTY by BRANDI MILNE – Acrylic on Wood

Crazy for this Hello Kitty submarine. Look, there’s Keroppi!

These sparkly things…

HELLO KITTY IN BLOOM by Michael Courville – Mixed Media

Swarovski crystals go so well with Hello Kitty.  These luscious candy gems look so delish. 

GUIDE BY CELL by KEVIN EARL TAYLOR – Oil

So obsessed with art work by Gary Baseman.And Junko Mizuno…

We concluded the Hello! Exhibit with this enormous sculpture of Hello Kitty as Cleopatra. It was pretty epic and representative of how Hello Kitty is global.

As you can see, Hello Kitty is quite the muse. Hope that brought you some inspiration for the week. Or at least some happy thoughts. <3