From the 31st October until 2nd November 2014, Hello Kitty, the beloved pop icon created to inspire happiness around the world, celebrated her 40th anniversary at Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, Nusajaya, Johor. We were lucky enough to be a part of the celebration on the 1st of November in Sanrio Hello Kitty Town itself and we really had a ball of a time!
First of all, having lunch at Lat’s Place was an experience of its own. Besides the yummy food, we were accompanied by entertaining animated comic strips as well as the sounds you would hear in an actual kampung. We absolutely loved the kampung-inspired decor in the restaurant as it made us feel very Malaysian and at home!
After lunch, we entered Sanrio Hello Kitty Town to witness the Hello Kitty Friends Forever Catwalk competition, whereby designers had to create a two-piece collection, consisting of a day outfit and an evening outfit with a special Malaysian twist that captured the essence of Hello Kitty. Mentoring the 10 finalists was Gillian Hung, the President of the Malaysia Official Designer’s Association (MODA).
The winner was 23-year-old Roy Xuan, whose designs were lauded by the judges for managing to blend a modern twist with Hello Kitty’s personality of fun and friendship. Xuan won RM5,000 in cash and a meet-and-greet with Hello Kitty, whereas the 2nd prize and 3rd prize winner won RM3,000 and RM1,000 respectively. The judging panel was made up of Gillian, Malaysian fashion designers Justin Yap and Syomir Izwa, and Philip Whittaker, Chief Marketing Officer of Themed Attractions and Resorts.
In between showtime and the announcement of the Hello Kitty Friends Forever Catwalk competition winners, there were many fun performances happening. Hello kitty also made an appearance herself, and she was also presented a tiered birthday cake. Everyone sang “Happy Birthday” and the guests were also handed out free cupcakes in conjunction of Hello Kitty’s birthday.
Later during the day, we went down to the harbour and took part in the Hello Kitty Friends Gathering, whereby it was expected to be a record-breaking gathering of Hello Kitty fans coming together in an attempt to create a record in the Malaysian Book of Records for the title, “Most Number of Selfies Taken Simultaneously.” Participants who registered also received an exclusive Sanrio Hello Kitty Town red bow, as well as a Malaysian Book of Records certificate to mark the occasion.
It was indeed a successful gathering as many Hello Kitty fans came dressed up in Hello Kitty-inspired outfits and accessories. One participant even wore a Hello Kitty onesie! We’ve never seen so many Hello Kitty fans gathered at one place before, so it was very eye-opening for us. 8TV Quickie hosts Mark and Brandon emceed the Gathering and when the time came, everyone whipped out their smartphones to take that picture perfect selfie to be uploaded onto social media with the hashtags #MalaysiaRecords and #HelloKitty40thMY.
Before we left Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, we also had the opportunity to experience the attractions for ourselves. We sat on the spinning teacup ride, decorated our very own Hello Kitty cookie, made a clay Hello Kitty model, took photos at Kitty’s House and even got Hello Kitty temporary tattoos to complete the whole experience. There was also a little bazaar happening at the open area of Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, aptly named Hello Kitty Friends Fiesta, so we did a little shopping as well.
Finally, there was also the Hello Kitty Friends Rock, a music festival which was held, featuring Malaysian pop punk band BunkFace, Malaysian J-rock band Fly1ng Pan, rock hip hop outfit Dragon Red, electro groove band Fazz and anime song cover singer, Huei Chan.
Happy birthday, Hello Kitty! 
For more information on Hello Kitty’s 40th Anniversary Celebration or Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, kindly visit this website or Facebook page.
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