Hello Kitty has been apart of my life for as long as I can remember. To this day, I still have some Hello Kitty blankets and clothing from my childhood stored in a box in my mother’s garage. Since January, it feels like companies have been overproducing and pumping out Hello Kitty merchandise left and right. This has caused havoc with obsessed Hello Kitty fans and resellers buying out merchandise (blankets, ceramic household items, sneakers, clothing, jewelry, etc.)
Though it’s a harmless form of nostalgia and self-expression for fans of the Sanrio character, the overconsumption of the merchandise can contribute to environmental problem such as waste and pollution. The constant production of new Hello Kitty products can create a sense of consumerism and materialism, creating a prioritization of material possessions over values. Finding a balance between enjoying things we love and being mindful of our consumption habits is very important. The overproduction of Hello Kitty products and the selfish purchasing of online resellers has caused many fights in stores like T.J. Maxx, Home Goods and Marshalls between grown adult women. This type of behavior over something so simple as a blanket (the infamous Hello Kitty Halloween blanket being resold for almost $300 at that) is taking away the fun and nostalgic feeling for genuine Hello Kitty fans that find joy in collecting the lovable characters merchandise respectfully.