Hello Pus**

I passed my 75th post last week, joy.

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This is one of those posts you hope never to write. Actually, this is one of those topics that you never even contemplate writing, because the very idea of the topic envokes such scenarios as the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Ragnarok, and judgement day occuring simultaneously along with said topic. I can't avoid talking about it, because what is my blog for but to record such bizarre moments in japanese/chibi pop culture, but I desperately, desperately want to.

Before I start a soapboxy tirade, I will say that every company, big or small, has a brand, an image if you will of how they are seen by the world and, more importantly, their customers. Marketing campaigns change rapidly, but the essential idea of the company, its mission and goals, is usually constant from year to year, and hopefully decade to decade.

Hello Kitty, as a brand, has done remarkably well in its long and very cute career. I personally like it and when I have kids of my own will probably buy them all the Hello Kitty stuff they can stand; heck, it's better than having them buy a Bratz doll, after all.

So what does Hello Kitty do, to continue their legacy of cute, innocently hip, internationally known squishy chibis? They decide to do a Hello Kitty doll in the form of a pop culture celeb. And which celeb do they pick? Why, Paris Hilton of course, because what better celeb to represent the Hello Kitty brand than the very one who embraces such values as cattiness, sluttiness, vapidity, and misogyny? That makes perfect sense Sanrio, bravo!

It's true that in the past Hello Kitty has parodied celebrities—Elicia has a bobblehead of Hello Kitty as Marilyn Monroe, after all—but this is so awful, so incredulous that I can hardly breathe. And I can't blame the stupid American distributors, as the doll-spawn is only being sold in Japan; no, I have no one to blame but my beloved Japanese Hello Kitty makers.

As a devoted customer, I feel betrayed. As a designer, witnessing them chibi-fy a celeb who is the antithesis of all things Hello Kitty, thus sullying their brand, I am outraged. We can prevent a company from hawking dolls of the Pussycat Dolls, a burlesque group posing as the new Spice Girls, to little girls but can't prevent this? Sheer travesty.

Enough on this subject, I feel ill. If Hello Kitty makes a Cristina Aguilera or Olsen Twins Hello Kitty, we are so through.

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On happier news, work and home have calmed down significantly, so I can do an AB this week! Am very excited as have missed doing them tremendously. Not sure who yet but am thrilled.