The Japanese are, of course, crazy for Hello Kitty, and I wish I had the money that that mouthless felid has brought in since introduced in 1974. The company that markets her brings in $5 billion per year! One of the endearing things about the Japanese is their pervasive love of cats (d*gs, except for Hachikō, are pretty much ignored). But according to the Guinness World Records site, Masao Gunji takes the cake with over 5,000 Hello Kitty items:
Located in Yotsukaido, Chiba, Japan, those who enter Masao’s vibrantly pink home can see a variety of 5,169 Hello Kitty items lining the walls, tables and floors of the residence. [JAC: this beats the previous record by 600 kitties.]
Masao’s incredible collection, which he has amassed over the course of the past 30 years with the help of his wife, comprises of everything from Hello Kitty-themed plushies, bento boxes, towels, stationary items, motorcycle helmets, clocks and even kitchen wear.
Many people from Masao’s neighborhood enjoy looking at his collection, and in fact encouraged him to count every single item in his home so that he could apply for the record title.
“Hello Kitty has always cheered me up when I was unhappy,” explains Masao.
To each their own. Here’s a video of Masao and his collection. Look at the outside of his house!
*********
I think Gus needs one of these, don’t you? But it should be lined with a nice soft blanket.
*********
The Cheezburger site has a collection of Scott Metzger’s cat cartoons and a bit of information:
Scott Metzger has been creating single panel cartoons for greeting cards since 1996. He has also worked with other magazines and campaigns. His comics vary of different animals to different topics, yet we are loving his amazing new book all about cats! Make sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram for updates. His new book Being Awesome Is Exhausting: A Collection of Cat Cartoons, is available here: http://amzn.to/2sPbZnq too!
I’ll show a few of my favorites:
h/t: Michael, Rick
I like the – not thinking of you card section.
Surely “not admitting to thinking of you”. Or, for that matter, thinking of you going to the cupboard … [feline mind control activated]
Those cards cracked me up! “Whoa, look at my paw”!
No cat would ever be sorry about barfing on the carpet. Rather, they’d be insulted that you didn’t clean it up fast enough.
Great cartoons! I love the totally swamped one best.
Wasn’t Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi wearing a Hello Kitty watch when he declared the IS caliphate? Apparently Hello Kitty is popular everywhere!
I went online and looked at more of Metzler’s stuff. Wonderful sense of humour and imagination. Wish I knew where one could buy his cards.
Dear PCC, I watched the Bubble Chair video and clicked on one of the recommendations, it was called “7 Things Your Cat Wants On Amazon”. One of those things had a Bengal cat in it. I think you will find it quite amusing.
There seems to be some disagreement as to whether Hello Kitty is a cat or a little girl:
http://www.npr.org/sections/theprotojournalist/2014/08/28/343962145/is-hello-kitty-a-cat-or-a-girl
The numbers and types of Hello Kitty products available in Japan are mind-boggling, and a little weird. Not as weird as the products featuring Gudetama the lazy, whiny egg, though.
I respectfully disagree that dogs are “pretty much ignored” in Japan … I saw numerous dog-owners in Tokyo and Kyoto who apparently doted on their beloved pets. Not surprisingly, most of the dogs were small breeds – dachshunds, Yorkshire terriers, Chihuahuas etc. – but I saw a few shiba inu, Akita, and even a golden retriever. The mascot for SoftBank is a white Hokkaido dog.
From today’s news in Hong Kong, the story of Simon the war hero cat, and the only cat ever awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2114874/how-stray-cat-hong-kong-became-hero-sino-british-military-clash-known