If there is one character known and loved all around the world, it’s Hello Kitty. Whether you had a Sanrio stroller bag at school or watched the Hello Kitty episodes on RuPaul’s Drag Race, we all grew up with her character. As iconic as she is, Hello Kitty has collaborated with other brands like Lazy Oaf and now with local makeup brand Happy Skin. At the launch of the Happy Skin x Sanrio Characters event there was no shortage of nostalgia as cutouts of My Melody and Little Twin Stars were scattered at the venue. Aside from the 23-piece makeup collection (which BTW is their biggest collection yet), guests were surprised by the appearance of, none other than Hello Kitty herself. Dressed in a pink polka dot dress, bow and pearl accessories, she was surrounded by security as everyone went wild, myself included.
The little kid inside me was quite giddy and excited to see Hello Kitty in the flesh and the adult in me realized how much of a celebrity she is. As they introduced her on stage, “Straight from Japan,” I was shocked that they actually flew her in. Curious as to what it takes to bring Hello Kitty to the Philippines, we asked Happy Skin co-founder Rissa Mananquil-Trillo about the experience.
So how much of a celebrity is Hello Kitty exactly? Well, here’s what we know. She needed a holding room of a minimum size and specific equipment inside it like a mirror, trash can, and a box of tissue. If she had to go downstairs and walk, the floor had to be carpeted. They even asked the exact distance that she would have to walk to get to the stage. “Even before she was flown in, they showed us ‘This is the outfit she’s wearing’ so it’s an exciting process,” shares Rissa. For picture-taking, the time is only limited to 20 minutes so they encourage group shots—you must know that she runs a very busy schedule.
Move over, celebrities. Hello Kitty is the real star here.
Art by Lara Intong
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