Universal already owns the theme park rights to Hello Kitty and related characters in their native Japan, where a section of the Universal Wonderland area of Universal Studios Japan is devoted to Hello Kitty.
From Sanrio's press release:
The shops will mark Hello Kitty's official retail debut at theme parks in North America and offer specialty merchandise including stationery, home goods, apparel, accessories and collectibles. The majority of merchandise will be devoted to Hello Kitty; Sanrio properties Chococat, My Melody, Badtz-Maru, Purin and Keroppi will also have a presence. Hello Kitty confectionery and specialty co-branded Hello Kitty Universal park-exclusive products will also be available.The Hello Kitty stores at Universal Studios will also offer enhanced interactive retail experiences. Customers can shop for custom designed merchandise, enjoy photo opportunities with Sanrio properties, create souvenir versions of Hello Kitty's signature bow, and even meet Hello Kitty herself.
Hello Kitty merchandise is ubiquitous, and Sanrio stores are not uncommon in the United States. (There's one in the Orlando International Airport, pictured above.) But brands such as American Girl have shown that retail stores can become attraction experiences with appeal beyond simply offering another place to buy branded merchandise.
There was no word in Sanrio's announcement about where in the parks or resorts the stores would be located. But Universal has pulled a permit for major interior renovations in the Lucy: A Tribute location in Universal Studios Florida, making that perhaps the most likely in-park location for the Hello Kitty store, if it is to be located in one of the parks and not in CityWalk.
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Also, Anon bringing up his kid made me realize that giving Hello Kitty a presence in the resorts wouldn't hurt at all. I'd hate to get stereotypical, but let's face it; Spider-Man, Jurassic Park, Transformers and other such franchises are stuff that appeals more to boys. Sure, some franchises, like Despicable Me and Harry Potter, do strongly appeal to girls, but they're equally enjoyed by boys as well. Since Hello Kitty by far leans more towards girls, they'd finally have something that mostly they will enjoy. Disney already appeals to girls by exploiting their pretty little princesses as much as they humanly can, so I think that Universal really needs this.
Hmmm...Universal really seems to be loving Japanese franchises...first Nintendo and now
this...Hey, um Universal? Have you ever considered making a thrill ride out of a little cartoon known as Dragonball? Would make a lot of people happy, I'm just Saiyan;). Maybe even a stunt show, who knows? (Actually, scratch that, I'm scared to see what a live Dragonball stunt show would look like)
Thank you Universal for making aggressive moves that excite your fans. But why not a Hello Kitty ride? And please don't dump Toon Lagoon to do it. Popeye and Duddley Do Right are two of your best attractions.
I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend you, but I can't resist saying this:
Yes! Universal! Keep making aggressive moves! Oh, just uh, don't remove Toon Lagoon, that's too aggressive.
There are 23 attractions at Universal Orlando resort that are rated 7 or lower. Why should Universal remove two of their most popular attractions? Why not remove unpopular attractions like Twister or Disaster instead?
But I'm kinda in the same boat with you, I don't really wanna say goodbye to Popeye or Dudley, either (although poor Dudley is in desperate need of some maintenance). And to this day I'm still baffled that Jaws and BTTF kicked the bucket yet Twister's still around! Although I wanna keep Disaster around. I think that's the hidden gem of Universal Orlando.
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