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INTEREST: Hello Kitty & Friends Turned Into Zombie Mascots


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KabaKabaFruit



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 1871
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 10:21 am Reply with quote
Does EVERYTHING need to become zombified nowadays? Rolling Eyes
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CAIMERAMAN



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 30
Location: Washington, DC
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:17 am Reply with quote
It was bound to happen. If Marvel can make a universe based around zombies and High School of the Dead can mix fanservice and zombies, Hello Kitty was next. There are zombie spoofs of classic literature, so nothing is immune. As long as money is green and it entertains people, it's going to get made.
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Wiesteria



Joined: 25 May 2007
Posts: 141
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:18 am Reply with quote
Am I the only one who finds this kind of disturbing? -__-
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CAIMERAMAN



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 30
Location: Washington, DC
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:23 am Reply with quote
No, you're not the only one. I'm a bit shocked that they would pull the trigger so soon compared to other known mascots. But it's all for profit, so go figure. I just can't wait for some other horror fad to take precedent so I can watch the pattern of people lining up to duplicate it.
Perhaps the new My Little Pony series will expand and be that next big fad.
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Haterater



Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Posts: 1727
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:42 am Reply with quote
Too creepy for me. Doesn't really match the franchise at all, IMO. Don't want to see this going into other cute stuff. Bad enough seeing fan art of zombie Pikachu.
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Redlinks



Joined: 14 Feb 2010
Posts: 496
Location: America
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 12:59 pm Reply with quote
I thought Hello Kitty was all about the cute factor... Guess not, now it's just creepy. :/
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Teriyaki Terrier



Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Posts: 5689
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:24 pm Reply with quote
Wiesteria wrote:
Am I the only one who finds this kind of disturbing? -__-


You and me both. When you compare this version to the regular version, it looks extremely weird and even disturbing.

I always thought Hello Kitty was all about appealing to the very young demographic and being colorful and moe, I guess not anymore.

Honestly, this looks more creepy and disturbing than anything else. I mean it looks like the character was hit with something and or maybe even ran over by a car.

While it is good to a formerly G rated, squeaky clean figure become slightly more grown up, this isn't what I had imagined. I have absolutely no idea what group this appeals to and something tells me it's better that way.

But yeah, way too creepy to me.
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CAIMERAMAN



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 30
Location: Washington, DC
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:38 pm Reply with quote
Quote:

I thought Hello Kitty was all about the cute factor... Guess not, now it's just creepy. :/


Hello Kitty is still universally cute. But it's about cashing in on the latest hip trend. The Hello Kitty brand will always be adorable.
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CAIMERAMAN



Joined: 17 Jan 2011
Posts: 30
Location: Washington, DC
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:44 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
While it is good to a formerly G rated, squeaky clean figure become slightly more grown up, this isn't what I had imagined. I have absolutely no idea what group this appeals to and something tells me it's better that way.


I can't deny that. But Warner Bros. cartoons used to pull off some of the same spoofs along with a host of other things, but that didn't impair efforts like Space Jam from appealing to kids.
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LagannImpact



Joined: 03 Apr 2009
Posts: 574
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:15 pm Reply with quote
This is obviously a Halloween product. It goes on sale in late September.

Hello Kitty is almost like the Japanese Betty Boop. Her popularity transcends the general confines of the anime genre: I know a bunch of girls who dig Hello Kitty but not other anime.
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14761
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:31 pm Reply with quote
When vampires were popular, Hello Kitty vampire.
Now that zombies are popular.... Laughing

(The zombie panel at a con suggested that when times are good, vampires are the in-thing, and when times are bad, it's zombies. Vampires represent the aristocratic rich, while zombies the downtrodden peasants.)
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darcerin



Joined: 22 Apr 2005
Posts: 330
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 3:26 pm Reply with quote
I can do Hello Kitty dressed as other animals/fruits/whatever. (actually I love this...)

I can accept Hello Kitty decked out in full goth wear.

I can even acknowlege that Hello Kitty has her own pet CAT.

But this...this is WRONG. Ew. Man, why you gotta go there? Hello Kitty is sweet and inncent...to zombify her and her friends....gah, my mind is blown.
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mannyperson



Joined: 22 Feb 2010
Posts: 62
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 5:13 pm Reply with quote
Hello Kitty appeals to lots of different audiences. They have plenty of Hello Kitty products aimed for adults (car seat covers, cosmetics, etc.) so I'm not surprised about this at all. I actually sorta want one Smile
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JuicyB



Joined: 08 Mar 2010
Posts: 278
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 5:53 pm Reply with quote
enurtsol wrote:
When vampires were popular, Hello Kitty vampire.
Now that zombies are popular.... Laughing

(The zombie panel at a con suggested that when times are good, vampires are the in-thing, and when times are bad, it's zombies. Vampires represent the aristocratic rich, while zombies the downtrodden peasants.)


Nah, I don't really think so. Twilight was huge just a few years ago, and things were just as bad then as they are now. Bela Lugosi's Dracula aired in 1931 after stocks crashed and the great depression started spreading. And lets not forget the all time classic Nosferatu, which was a reaction to Germany's ruin following WWI. George Romero's Night of the Living Dead aired in 1968, when the economy was expanding rapidly. I guess it just goes to show that guys at con panels just pull stuff out of their ass.
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Nekusagi



Joined: 22 Jun 2009
Posts: 49
PostPosted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:29 pm Reply with quote
Goodness, the pearl clutching in this thread.

Hot Topic was selling Hello Zombie merchandise for Sanrio last Halloween. This is hardly new and honestly I thought until I read the article it just meant Japan was getting the HT merchandise finally.
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