Tuesday, May 20, 2008

uncanny valley

wow, hello kitty was named japan's tourism ambassador to china and hong kong. i'm more of a tuxedo sam woman myself, but why not korea?

i have mixed feelings about this video. i thought the whole appeal of hello kitty was her diminutive nature. look at her! she looks like she's going to attack the japanese minister of transportation with her cuteness. btw, is she going to be traveling with her boyfriend, dear daniel? quel scandale! and why does she live in london?

anyway, this news led me to the sanrio website and, more specifically, to their hall of characters of yesteryear. my favorite are doki doki yummychums: Dokidoki Burger is always smiling and is everyone’s favorite! Don’t forget to check out his friends Dokidoki Fries, Dokidoki Shakes (Vanilla, Banana, Strawberry and Chocolate) and Dokidoki Chickenchums.

and also pandapple, who, as beta alex points out, is literally a panda with an apple for its head. creepy, scary!

1 comment:

cold4thestreets said...

So, what in Japanese pop culture even qualifies as "kitsch" or "underground"?