Cuteness Overload at the Royal/T

Cute Overload at the Three Apples Exhibition of Hello Kitty (Photo courtesy of plushcattech)

Starting off my week-long birthday celebration, I went to Three Apples, the 35th Anniversary Celebration of Hello Kitty Art Exhibition at The Royal/T in Culver City. Ever since it opened, I've been meaning to go to the Royal/T, so when the Hello Kitty exhibit came around, I brought my Hello Kitty-obsessed friend (her first tattoo is Hello Kitty) out into the city.

It was the last weekend of the exhibition, and everyone in town must have procrastinated because the line went on for a whole block with people at the front waiting for over 2 hours! We decided to tough it out and were rewarded when we found that they were letting people in to see the exhibit and visit the cafe, but that the line was for the store (we happen to be avid online shoppers).

From the first peek in the front window display to the art work in the back, it was wall-to-wall cuteness! There was a Hello Kitty guitar, surfboard, TV, and dresses to name a few of the many unusual items at the exhibit.(I didn't see my fantastically fast Hello Kitty rice cooker, though.) We decided to enjoy the rest exhibition while waiting for a table at the cafe where we had the Hello Kitty Kawaii High Tea and Hello Kitty-shaped waffles. We also saw some great Hello Kitty Fashion as there was going to be a fashion show later that evening. I had to miss it since I had tickets to see John Cleese at the Alex Theatre.

While my friend's mother had "poo-poo"ed her choice in tattoo, stating that Hello Kitty was not real art, but rather a business gimmick, at Three Apples, we found that Hello Kitty was in fact truly an inspiration for art.

-Tiina Vuorenmaa