If you have a special place in your heart for cute childlike anime-style designs, then you might have a case of what's known as Hello Kitty OCD.
(Some of you males out there do too. Admit it.)
There's nothing quite like the originality, imaginative idiosyncrasies and precious innocence of Sanrio designs. Devotion to all things Hello Kitty and co. crosses boundaries of age, style and pretensions toward ironclad toughness.
If you are one of the many afflicted with this obsession, take note. Sanrio Inc., creator of beloved icon Hello Kitty, and British design studio Momiji announce a global design collaboration to be revealed in the U.S. today.
Momiji + Hello Kitty is a special collection of the collectible Momiji dolls; Momiji dolls were created in England in 2005. This collaboration is described as a happy collision of cute; sharing the consistent messaging of friendship, kindness and smiles inspired by both Sanrio and Momiji.
Momiji are message dolls — each colorful doll carries with it a secret folded card for your own secret message, dream or wish. Sprinkled with an abundance of Sanrio cute, and following the Momiji signature design aesthetic, each of these new dolls has a name and is accessorized with items from Hello Kitty — ranging from Gigi’s huge Hello Kitty headphones to Astrid’s Hello Kitty electric guitar (pictured above). The Momiji + Hello Kitty dolls will be available at high-end specialty retailers throughout the U.S., in addition to art, design and gift shops.
They will also be available online at sanrio.com and lovemomiji.com. The collection is already available throughout Europe.
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 3, 2011.