Ask John: What is the Target Age Consumer for Hello Kitty?

Question:
I’ve seen the Hello Kitty “personal messager” on this site (I bought one), and I’ve heard that they make Hello Kitty douches and even Hello Kitty cars! Is that true? I thought Hello Kitty was for kids!

Answer:
The Hello Kitty “personal massager” is now out of production in Japan, so you’re in possession of a limited edition collectable now.

Daihatsu produces a compact car called the “Mira.” There is an existing Hello Kitty special edition Mira available in Japan.

To quote a line from the September 2001 issue of Wired Magazine, “You can get a Hello Kitty vibrator and douche, but not a letter opener. Sanrio, the company that owns the license, draws the line at sharp objects.”

Some research turned up a clear image of the legendary Hello Kitty douche from Ebay. However, the fact that the box in this image includes the words “Puchishower” meaning “petit shower,” taken in combination with this French web page leads me to believe that the mythic Hello Kitty douche is not exactly what Westerners think it is. In French, the word “douche” refers to a shower. I have a strong suspicion that the Japanese Hello Kitty douche is not actually a feminine hygiene product, but actually a plastic dispenser for liquid soap or shampoo for use while bathing. [Note: A reader has submitted confirmation that the Hello Kitty douche appears to be a dispenser for perfumed shower gel.]

However, regardless of exactly what the Hello Kitty douche is, there should be no mistake that Hello Kitty is a prime representation of Japan’s obsession with things cute. Hello Kitty specifically was first introduced to the Japanese public in 1974. Since then, the Japanese consumers that grew up with Kitty are now 30+ year old adults who still buy Hello Kitty rice cookers and vacuum cleaners and computers and cel phones and furniture and luggage. At the same time, new children discover Hello Kitty all the time, thus there’s always a steady stream of child friendly Hello Kitty goods available.

Hello Kitty is also representative of Japan’s cultural obsession with cute mascot characters. Rather than paraphrase articles that have already been published elsewhere, allow me to direct you to a pair of articles from Wired Magazine and Businessweek Magazine that cover Japan’s “culture of cute.”