Hello Kitty is a globally recognized brand, arguably as iconic as a certain animated mouse and perhaps just as popular. The white cat without a mouth has innumerable pieces of collectible merchandise, a Hello Kitty theme park in Tokyo, and it had its inaugural convention in November last year to kick off its 40th Anniversary celebrations . Now, Hello Kitty has added its face to a pink Mercedes truck and is traveling around Southern California distributing sweet themed treats. Something Sanrio, the parent company of Hello Kitty, calls a “mobile vehicle of cuteness.”
Paid a visit to the #HelloKittyCafe truck in Glendale yesterday. How could you say no to these sweet treats?! pic.twitter.com/SInyKgRnd1
— Whitney Ashton (@Whit_Ashton) March 29, 2015
As reported in SFGate , the Hello Kitty Café truck spent last weekend at the 48th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown in San Francisco, and fans were characteristically eager to take a bite out of it. The menu allows patrons to choose from rainbow-coloured macarons, petit fours, donuts with bows, hot chocolate, and water that comes in a bottle shaped like a bow. Some Hello Kitty lovers were willing to wait more than two hours to sample the delectable goodies.
Waiting in line for the #HelloKittyCafe The hour wait will totally be worth it. pic.twitter.com/uU3TKTXAGd
— Mallory Day (@mallorydayz) April 11, 2015
According to San Francisco Eater , The roving café is part of a promotional tour through California, to whet the appetite for the first continental North American brick and mortar Hello Kitty Café in Orange County, opening sometime this summer.
The truck and the Hello Kitty Café are a cooperation between Sanrio and managing partners, Allan Tea, and husband and wife team Charlie and Urania Chien. LAist spoke with Tea, who told them that “everything from the food to the decor of the space will be featuring the iconic Sanrio [character].” He went on to say, “their focus will be on café-style food: artisan pastries and desserts, as well as savory foods, like salads, sandwiches, and sliders.” On top of that, there’ll also be coffee drinks, like espresso, available.
The Hello Kitty mobile café is set to return to the Cherry Blossom Festival on April 18, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and then move to San Jose’s Santana Row on April 19, from 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Check out Hello Kitty Café USA for updates on both the cafe and where the food truck is set to stop.
[Image via Instagram user hellokittycafe]