From the “2020 Love and Peace Gundam & Hello Kitty Project”, “Chougoukin Hello Kitty” appears with the design and coloring of “RX-78-2 Gundam” and “MS-06S Char's Zaku II”. It is scheduled to be released in Japan and 22 regions around the world from Jul. 2020.
The items, “Chougoukin Gundam ★ Hello Kitty” and “Chougoukin Char's Zaku II ★ Hello Kitty” are developed from the collaboration project “2020 Love and Peace Gundam & Hello Kitty Project” by Gundam and Hello Kitty.
The product is based on the item “Chougoukin Hello Kitty” created from the collaboration between Chougoukin and Hello Kitty to celebrate the 40th anniversary in 2014. Similarly, the coloring and design come from MS “RX-78-2 Gundam” and “MS-06S Char's Zaku II” appeared in “Mobile Suit Gundam” to celebrate the 40th birthday in 2019.
The item fuses the cute form of Hello Kitty with the coloring of “RX-78-2 Gundam” and “MS-06S Char's Zaku II”. In addition, the costume design of the pilot Hello Kitty is based on the characters “Amuro Ray” and “Char Aznable”.
“Chougoukin Gundam ★ Hello Kitty” and “Chougoukin Char's Zaku II ★ Hello Kitty” are priced at 6,800 yen (excluding tax).
They are scheduled to be on sale at hobby shops, toy stores, hobby and toy sections of mass retailers, online shopping stores, Sanrio (Sanrio online shop and some Sanrio physical shops), and others.
Two leading characters of Japan, Gundam and Hello Kitty. "Gundam vs Hello Kitty Showdown Project" began on Mar. 28, 2019, to celebrate their 40th and 45th anniversary respectively.
The project had many highlights with various companies getting involved and the special promotion video co-starring Gundam and Hellow Kitty was one of them.
The final episode (episode 3), was released on the project's YouTube channel on Jan. 15, 2020.
We had an interview with director Im Ga-Hee, the key man of promoting the project, Taniguchi Osamu, deputy general manager of Sunrise's IP Headquarters Planning and Production Department 1/producer of Studio 5, and Yamada Shuuhei, creative director of Sanrio License Headquarters Design Division.
They told us about the background of the production that will help you further understand the special promotion videos along with a surprise inside-story about "Gundam".
[Coverage・Composition: Ishijima Eiwa]
■Startling news! "Mobile Suit SD Gundam" is here!
―― Finally, the 3rd episode has been released. It surprised me to see the memorable "Mobile Suit SD Gundam" (*1). What was the background of its appearance?
*1: "Mobile Suit SD Gundam" is a chibi Gundam series in the late 80s to mid-90s, expanding in toys, manga, anime, game, etc. It was centered on comedy and parodies and was popular among the children, becoming the anchor products of Gunplas and toys. SD is an abbreviation of Super Déformer (French for deform).
Im: The 3rd episode being set in a warzone in the Gundam world, we had to give Kitty-chan some moves. However, as I said in the last interview, we were forbidden to give Kitty-chan weapons or make her hit someone.
Im: We thought of giving her a barrier to reflect the attacks, but we still had the problem of the ricocheting bullets. We couldn't let them hit anyone.
Yamada: That's right. Kitty-chan can't hurt anyone even if it was from the reflecting attacks.
Im: I asked myself, "How could they become friends with Kitty-chan?", "What kind of effect of the ricocheting bullets, rather than damaging the Gelgoogs, would the fans be excited with?". That's how I got the idea of the Mobile Suits turning into SD form and become friend when hit by the ricochets.
Taniguchi: This idea truly blew my mind. Only Im-san would have been able to think of such an idea.
Im: But I still was worried if the Gundam fans would enjoy regular size Gundams and SD Gundams on the same screen.
―― Excuse me for my unfamiliar example, but I remember them together on the screen in "Yume no Maron-sha: Uchuu no Tabi" (Dream Maron Company: "A Space Odyssey") (*2).
*2: "Mobile Suit SD Gundam MK-IV Yumeno Maron-sha: Uchuu no Tabi" was an OVA by director Amino Tetsuro in 1990. The SD Gundams wind up in the One Year War in the regular size Gundams world. It was well known for the designs of the Mobile Suits from the First Gundam re-arranged into "Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket" style.
Im: Yes, they have. To tell you the truth, there are not many drawings of SD Gundam left to refer to from those days, so we used "Yume no Maron-sha: Uchuu no Tabi" and products of SD Gundam as reference for the animation.
―― Were there any points you kept in mind for animating the SD Gundams?
Im: I went over the question, "How should we put the SD Gundams in motion?", many times with the animation director and the original designer. Each of the chibi-Gundams has its differences. Some have very mechanical looks, others are very character-like.
―― I see. Many of the recent chibi-Gundams seem to have a more angular design to them.
Im: We had the idea of moving them in a more mechanical manner and keep the Mobile Suit taste. However, since they were going to become friends with Kitty-chan, we decided to go with the cuter approach.
―― So that's how they became the balloon-like old-style SD Gundams.
Im: That's right.
Yamada: I really have to thank the director for coming up with this idea.
Im: It's my pleasure, haha.
■Experienced creators and major studios were also in on the project!
―― Taniguchi-san, you said that you want people to enjoy the high-quality animation in the last article.
Taniguchi: For example, we asked the art studio "Aoshashin" to take care of the background art such as Kitty-chan's house in watercolor style. Kaneko Yuuji-san, who was in charge of the background art of "Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan", "Kill la Kill", and "Blade Runner Blackout 2022", was especially into it and kept putting out ideas.
Im: Actually, not only Kitty-chan's room but the outer space background was also drawn with analog techniques.
―― Really? I thought that was digital art.
Taniguchi: The background art of this anime was all painted with paints and brushes and scanned digitally.
Im: We aimed for warm images to match the character of Kitty-chan.
Another interesting point was Kaneko-san asking us what kind of space do we want.
―― What does "what kind of space" mean?
Im: Each of the Gundam series has different styles of drawing space. For example, "Unicorn" has a real-touch and the recent "Twilight AXIS" has many colors of outer space gases.
The First Gundam has a strong blue color and we recreated it along with the number and shapes of the stars in the sky. I learned a lot from the samples of each style of space.
Taniguchi: It takes time for the paint to dry enough to be scannable, so it would be difficult to recreate it as a TV anime series. We were lucky that this was a special promotion video with a long span of production.
It has become a quite rare animation, I hope everyone would zoom in on the background and enjoy the fine touch of the art.
Taniguchi: We usually ask Asahi Production for the shooting of the Gundam series, but for this project, we asked Mad House, who are strong in particle effects such as the heart-shapes.
Mad House isn't usually working on Gundam projects, so they were also quite excited.
Im: I heard everyone at Mad House were saying, "What in the world is this project?", "I want to be a part of it too!", the same as in Sunrise, haha.
―― Were there any difficulties with the shooting?
Im: Our main theme was to create an anime with the essence of the First Gundam, so we kept the effects as limited as possible, unlike the recent animes.
The staff at Mad House seemed to have difficulty in deciding how to express the cuteness of Kitty-chan. The color of the explosions of the First Gundam being pink made it even more difficult to make the heart-shapes match yet stand out. We had many meetings with Mad House to get it just right.
―― You said you aimed for the First Gundam taste. Could you elaborate on that?
Im: We kept the style of the art of First Gundam, but we also updated it with the latest technology. For example, the coloring of the helmet was monochromatic. We made a difference in the tones for the front side and the backside and added brightness to the highlights.
Taniguchi: We asked Kotobuki Tsukasa-san, who was the animation director of "Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN", to work on Amuro's animation.
Im: Kotobuki-san also agreed on our decision to keep the style of "Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space" by Yasuhiko Yoshikazu. That's why the shades have a Yasuhiko-san taste to them.
We did change some parts such as the lines, animation of the pupil. These are also updating ideas from Kotobuki-san.
Taniguchi: You really did "elaborate", haha.
Im: It was my first time to work on a project as a director. I really appreciated the ideas from everyone from each section.
The editing brought the animation to a higher level. I really enjoyed the production.
■A re-recording of the legendary scene?! Inside stories of the recordings and instrumentals.
―― How were Kitty-chan and Furuya Tooru at the recordings?
Im: As it was a special animation, at first, we had changed the lines a bit from the First Gundam. However, Furuya-san noticed the changes and asked us if he should read the original lines. I was surprised how much he remembers from back then.
―― The famous lines must all be in his head.
Im: It felt like he saw through me, haha. The sound director was Fujino Sadayoshi, who worked on many Gundam series since "Mobile Suit Z Gundam". He also said the original sounded better and changed it back to the original.
In the many discussions, we decided to re-record the lines of the scene right after the death of Lalah, that Kitty-chan was watching on TV, in the 1st episode.
―― So that crying scene was a new recording!
Im: Yes, we had just one scene of him expressing the sorrow of losing his love. It's amazing how his acting matches well even with the animations of that time.
―― How was Kitty-chan's recording? I think it's rare for her to be in such a project.
Im: Kitty-chan wasn't used to voice for animations and seemed quite confused. She was more stern at the beginning, especially at the battlefield, she was more like "Kitty-senpai" towards Amuro. Fujino-san said, "Just act like your usual self", and became as in the completed version.
―― Well, Kitty-senpai is actually 5 years senior to Gundam.
Im: The scene where she confronts Amuro in the 3rd episode was especially difficult since it was an important scene throughout the story. Her impression was quite different during the rehearsals where she acted more like Lalah.
After all, this is a Gundam and Kitty-chan collaboration, Kitty-chan should be always herself anywhere she goes, and I think we were able to keep her style.
―― The music at that scene was the memorable "Beginning" from "Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space", right?
Im: Actually... That was also another struggle...
―― What do you mean?
Im: Each episode was 2 minutes long with a total of 3 episodes. "Beginning" is a song that you want to fully listen to. It full potential is too hard to be shown in 2 minutes.
―― I can see the fans being disappointed if the musical masterpiece was cut off before it ends. How did you work it out?
Im: I thought of using other songs, but in the end, I asked them for an extension of the length of the show. That's why the last episode is longer than the other two.
―― I see. You really managed to end the series with a nice afterglow by not cutting the song. You really have to listen carefully to notice that the end is quite tight.
■What happens to the two after the ending?
―― My first impression was that it was an eccentric collaboration, but now I see it as a high-quality anime created by the many ideas of various people working together.
Taniguchi: I was glad that we could make this project also
a collaboration with many people and companies.
I have to thank Sanrio for being so tolerant. I hope you all would enjoy this fabulous collaboration.
Yamada: The collaboration animes of Sanrio characters were usually only one episode each. It was a nice change to be able to create a story of 3 episodes. Please take the time to watch the shows from the first episode.
――This is the last question. At the end of the 3rd episode, Amuro and Kitty-chan will be heading to A Baoa Qu. What will their story be like if there was to be a sequel?
Taniguchi: Well... This isn't answering the question, but I think there no way to continue the story. History would be re-written by Kitty-chan and everyone will live in peace, haha. But if I had the chance, I would love to make a sequel.
Yamada: Then let's work together again in five years to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty and the 45th anniversary of Gundam!
Taniguchi: Great idea! But won't there be a different character collaboration then? haha.
Yamada: Then we'll make it a collaboration of three! Sanrio's motto is "Everyone is a friend"!
Im: I'll be looking forward to it!
◆◆◆
As a new chapter of the showdown project, "2020 Gundam & Hello Kitty Love and Peace Project" will begin.
Gundam and Hello Kitty hope for a peaceful world with no wars, and together, create a world where everyone gets along through various collaboration projects and Twitter campaigns under the theme of "LOVE and PEACE". Further developments are scheduled to be announced on the official website and Twitter.
(C)Sotsu・Sunrise (C)'76, '19 SANRIO (C) Sanrio Co., Ltd.
"Soldiers of Love", the final episode of the "Gundam vs Hello Kitty",has been released. The special promotion video series on Youtube has over 2 million views in total.
As a new chapter of the showdown project, "2020 Gundam & Hello Kitty Love and Peace Project" has begun.
The infamous “Super Alloy” 「Hello Kitty」loved by people world wide comes in with a design inspired by the 1970s. Will be available for sale in hobby shops throughout the entire country from December 2019.
The hobby shop 'amiami' has released 'March 2021 amiami Figure Pre-order Ranking'. The ranking covers the figures, whose pre-orders started between March 1 and March 31, 2021.
'Jujutsu Kaisen' Gojo Satoru occupied 1st and 2nd place with 'Look up Jujutsu Kaisen Gojo Satoru Finished Figure' in 1st place, and 'Jujutsu Kaisen Gojo Satoru 1/8 Scale Finished Figure' in 2nd.
'Look up Jujutsu Kaisen Gojo Satoru Finished Figure' is a three-dimensional figure of Gojo Satoru, and its characteristic is the poses of looking-up and sitting as you can tell by the name 'Look up'. The figures are easier to make eye contact with when you place it on the desk, compared to other figures.
It comes with a replaceable face part without a mask, which enables you to enjoy two kinds of expressions.
'Jujutsu Kaisen Gojo Satoru 1/8 Scale Finished Figure' in the 2nd place is 1/8 scale figure of Gojou Satoru with his familiar gracious smile. Even though the costume itself is simple, even wrinkles are well recreated with particular molding and coloring. Moreover, it comes with a 'No mask (natural face)' replaceable part, which enables you to enjoy different expression and moods.
'G.E.M. Series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Te no Hira Giyuu-san Finished Figure' in 3rd place features Tomioka Giyuu with the title 'Water Hashira', one of the most powerful swordsmen 'Hashira' from "Kimetsu no Yaiba".
You can feel his quiet personality from him sitting up straight. It will give off a sense of unity by placing the figure side by side with other figures under 'Te no Hira' series.
Furthermore, 4th place went to 'B-style Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Lacus Clyne Bunny Ver. 1/4 Scale Finished Figure', and 5th to 'Look up Jujutsu Kaisen Itadori Yuji Finished Figure'. Other figures ranked among top 10: 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Tsuyuri Kanao 1/8 Scale Finished Figure', 'Sword Art Online Kirigaya Suguha Navy Swimsuit Ver. 1/7 Scale Finished Figure', 'ACT MODE Symphogear GX Tachibana Hibiki Movable Figure', 'KDcolle Redo of Healer Setsuna Original Ver. 1/7 Scale Finished Figure', 'S.H.Figuarts (Shinkocchou Method) Ultraman Tiga Multi Type'.
From "Date A Live" comes a figure of Tokisaki Kurumi, available for pre-order from April 6, 2021.
This item is a 1/7 scale figure (height: approx. 23.5cm). Kurumi's graceful skirt is sculpted with great attention to detail, even down to the wrinkles, and the stand makes her look as if she floats.
The twin-tails are sculpted and the expression on her face is also carefully crafted to give her a bewitching look while she smiles. The cogwheel clock, which is richly adorned with a massive gold color that resembles the ticking emperor Zafkiel, has been boldly placed to fully accentuate Kurumi's presence.
The casually visible garter belt is another point. Get your hands on this cute, yet glamorous Kurumi.
"Date A Live: Tokisaki Kurumi" is priced at 22,000 JPY (tax included). Pre-orders are currently available.
(C) Tachibana Koshi, Tsunako
The latest in the "Gundam x Pia" series, "Mobile Suit Gundam: Newtype Legend Pia," will be released on April 30, 2021.
Pia, which has published character books such as "Char Aznable x Pia" and "Amuro Ray x Pia," will publish a new book focusing on "Newtype”.
In this book, the legends of "Newtypes" such as Amuro Ray from Mobile Suit Gundam, Char Aznable, Chara Soon, Kamille Bidan, Haman Karn, Judau Ashta, Banagher Links, Jona Basta, Seabook Arno, and Uso Ewin are explained in historical order.
It also completely covers enhanced humans such as Four Murasame and Rosamia Badam. The columns include the words of people to "new types," a collection of Kamille Bidan's ability activations, and a history of psychic weapons.
“Mobile Suit Gundam Newtype Legend Pia" will be released on April 30, 2021. The price is 1,500 JPY (tax included).
(C) Sotsu, Sunrise
The "Mobile Suit Z Gundam" trilogy, "Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Heir to the Stars," "Mobile Suit Z Gundam II: Lovers," and "Mobile Suit Z Gundam III: Love is the Pulse of the Stars," will be broadcast on BS12's "Sunday Anime Theater" for three consecutive weeks starting April 11.
Mobile Suit Z Gundam: A New Translation" is a trilogy of 50 episodes of "Mobile Suit Z Gundam" broadcasted on TV from 1985 to 1986, which were re-edited and reconstructed in three parts with new cuts. They were released in theaters one after another from 2005 to 2006.
BS12 (TUV), a nationwide free-to-air broadcasting station, will broadcast "Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Heir to the Stars" on April 11, "Mobile Suit Z Gundam II: Lovers" on April 18, and "Mobile Suit Z Gundam III: Love is the Pulse of the Stars" on April 25, for three consecutive weeks.
The "Mobile Suit Z Gundam" trilogy will start airing on BS12 (TV) "Sunday Anime Theater" from 7:00 p.m. on April 11.
(C) Sotsu, Sunrise
From the "Mobile Suit Gundam" series comes an action figure of GM Quell in "ver. A.N.I.M.E." form, to be released in stores in August 2021.
The "ROBOT SPIRIT RGM-79Q GM Quell ver. A.N.I.M.E." is a three-dimensional version of GM Quell, the initial main machine of the Titans, which was newly established after the threat of the Zeon remnants was declared.
The coloring is the Titans specification, and armaments such as the GM Rifle, beam saber, and shield, as well as the trailer are included as optional parts. You can enjoy recreating the scenes from the story.
“ROBOT SPIRIT RGM-79Q Jim Quell ver. A.N.I.M.E.” will be released in stores in August 2021 for 6,500 JPY (excluding tax).
(C) Sotsu, Sunrise
The Gundam "Popcorn Machine", which was in production as Gundam's "Promise of Victory" from the "Gundam vs Hello Kitty" showdown project that began in Apr. 2019, is finally completed. It will be installed at Gundam Base Tokyo, Odaiba, from Jun. 13, 2020.
The Gundam "Popcorn Machine" was going to be installed at "Spring Fan Festival", which was scheduled for Mar. 2020. But due to the spread of COVID-19, the installation was delayed, and now, it will finally be available at the store.
The "Popcorn Machine" used to be Hello Kitty's thing. The words, "How about some freshly made popcorn?" has been changed to, "Koitsu Ugokuzo" (This thing's on) by Amuro Ray (voiced by Furuya Tooru), and "Tobe! Gundam" (Fly! Gundam!) was used as the BGM. Other lines were also changed to fan-favorite lines, such as "Amuro Ikimasu" (Amuro, heading out) and "Boku ga Ichiban Gundam wo Umaku Tsukaerunda" (I'm the best at piloting Gundam).
Also, a clear-colored "Hello Kitty / RX-78-2 Gundam [SD EX-STANDARD]", which is a collaboration between Hello Kitty and Gundam, will be sold exclusively at Gundam Base Tokyo and Fukuoka.
The Gundam "Popcorn Machine" will be installed at Gundam Base Tokyo, Odaiba, from Jun. 13, and will be available until Dec. 2020.
(C)Sotsu・Sunrise (C)'76, '20 SANRIO (C)Sanrio Co., Ltd.
A "voice-assisted body composition monitor" has been released by Tanita Corporation under the "2020 Gundam and Hello Kitty of Love & Peace". Pre-orders of a total of 3 models: "Amuro Ray" model, "Char Aznable" model, and "Hello Kitty" model, are available at the Tanita Online Shop.
These are body composition monitors that have voice assistance to guide you through the steps and announce your results. As the product name says, they were inspired by the dream collaboration between "Gundam" and "Hello Kitty", the "2020 Gundam and Hello Kitty of Love & Peace".
The "Amuro Ray" model assists you with original lines by Furuya Tooru, the voice actor of Amuro. It turns on with the sound of shooting the "Beam Rifle", and if it senses high muscle mass or metabolism, it will say lines that will make fans grin such as, "Such muscle mass, I see why father was so obsessed." Also, the coloring of the device is white, just like Gundams nickname "the white one of the Federation", and has a large emblem of the Earth Federation designed on it.
The "Char Aznable" model containes original lines recorded by Ikeda Shuuichi, the voice actor of Char. It turns on with the Mono-eye activating sound , and when it senses excess visceral fat, it also will say lines that will excite fans such as, "It’s not easy to admit…to the folly of neglecting you own health…" The device is colored with a metallic red color, inspired by the "Red Comet" Char, and has a large emblem of the Zeon army.
The "Hello Kitty" model will assist you with newly recorded lines by Hello Kitty. When it determines you have standard level body fat percentages, it will praise you by saying, "You look fabulous! Let's keep up the great work!" and when it detects high body fat percentages, it will say, "There's no short cut in losing weight. You have to do what you can." The device is inspired by "Kitty-chan trying to look mature" and is colored with a pearl white color and a pink accent, making it a "mature/cute" design.
Each product is priced at 22,000JPY (tax included). Pre-orders are available until May 17, and shipping is expected after Sep. Check out the special webpage for further information.
(C)Sotsu・Sunrise(C)1976, 2020 SANRIO CO., LTD. (L)
Items to commemorate the reconciliation of "Gundam VS Hello Kitty" have been released. 7 types of items with a cute illustration of Hello Kity as Mobile Suits can be pre-order at "Premium Bandai".
The line-up includes; Acrylic Ornaments, Double Cloth Face Towels, Double Cloth Mini Towels, Mugs, Pouch, Bandana, and Tabletop Mirror.
There are 9 types of collaboration illustrations printed on the items. The Hello Kitty Mobile Suits illustrations are; Gundam, Guncannon, Guntank, Char's Zaku II, Zaku II, and Char's Zugock, and the other illustrations are; Hello Kitty in the blue Earth Federation Space Force uniform, Char's costume, and in Haro form.
Pre-orders of the 7 items of the "Gundam VS Hello Kitty Reconciliation Project" are available at "Premium Bandai" until Apr. 15, 2020, and shipping is scheduled for May 2020.
(C)Sotsu・Sunrise (C)'70, '20 SANRIO (L)
The apparel items to commemorate the reconciliation of "Gundam vs Hello Kitty" are here. The zip hoodie and full-color T-shirts have a cute picture of Hello Kitty collaboration with Gundam, and pre-orders are currently accepted at "Premium Bandai".
Two types of illustrations of the MS Hello Kitty are available for the zip hoodie: "Gundam★Hello Kitty"; "Char's Zaku II★Hello Kitty". The highlight of the hoodies is the "Earth Federation Mark" or "Principality of Zeon Mark" on the left pocket in the Hello Kitty style.
There are also two types of illustrations for the full-color T-shirts, which are Hello Kitty in the blue Earth Federation uniform that Amuro wears, and Hello Kitty in Char's uniform. The T-shirts also have the "Earth Federation Mark" or "Principality of Zeon Mark" in the Hello Kitty style printed on the back of the T-shirts.
The apparel item for "Gundam vs Hello Kitty Reconciliation Project": Zip Hoodie 8,250 JPY (tax inclusive) each; Full-Color T-Shirts 3,850 JPY (tax inclusive) each. Pre-orders are currently accepted at "Premium Bandai".
（C）Sotsu・Sunrise （C）'76, '20 SANRIO（L)
Hello Kitty's first ever Hollywood movie (title yet to be announced) will be a hybrid of anime and live action. Two promising names in the North American animation industry, Jennifer Coyle and Leo Matsuda, were announced to be directing the movie.
Hello Kitty's first Hollywood feature length film, which title is yet to be officially announced, will be produced through a collaboration between New Line Cinema (Warner Brother's Entertainment Group) and Beau Flynn's company, FlynnPictureCo..
It was announced that Jennifer Coyle and Leo Matsuda will together be in charge of the direction.
Coyle has been involved in titles such as HBO Max's animation "Harley Quinn" as a supervisor, and the 6 seasons of "Bob's Burgers" as a director.
Matsuda, whose career took off at Walt Disney Animations, is known for directing the short "Inner Workings", which premiered along "Moana" and made to the final selection under Animated Short Film category of the 89th Academy Awards. For both Coyle and Matsuda, this is their first time to direct a major feature length film. They have been chosen from a large pool of candidates, so how Hello Kitty will be developed by them is something worth looking forward to.
Jennifer Coyle:
I'm really happy for this opportunity to work along side Matsuda. This is not only a rare chance to bring a beloved character to life, but also to spread the message of love, friendship and inclusivity that Hello Kitty stands for. The world so needs her brand of joy and happiness. I see it as an important mission to spread big smiles through this work, but it's also a huge honor for me to be able to work with New Line Cinema and FlynnPictureCo..
Leo Matsuda:
Growing up in Brazil with a Japanese family, I was surrounded by the whimsy of Hello Kitty and it served as a reminder that it’s okay to be different. Along with Jen, FlynnPictureCo. and New Line, I am delighted by this incredible opportunity to work with one of the most universally beloved characters and expand their relatable Sanrio stories even further.
New Line Cinema president/chief creative officer:
We are extremely lucky to have found in Jennifer and Leo, two directors who not only share a profound connection to the unforgettable characters Shintaro Tsuji and Sanrio have created over the past 40-plus years with Hello Kitty and her friends, but also have the imagination, talent and heart to bring this iconic world to life on the big screen.
（C）2021 SANRIO CO.,LTD.
From "Sanrio" comes the cushion blanket and boa room shoes that are useful in the upcoming winter as well as the USB tabletop humidifier that is perfect when you are concern about the dry air. All of the products are currently on sale at "Sanrio Online Shop" and other stores.
"Cushion Blanket (10 types)" has a three-way use, which are: a blanket when you spread it, cushion when you store it in the mascot case, or a shawl when you button it with the button on the chest.
The character line-ups are Hello Kitty, My Melody, Little Twin Stars, Pom Pom Purin, Cinamonroll, Gudetama, Pochacco, Kuromi, Hangyodon, and Wish Me Well. (Some might be sold out)
"Boa Room Shoes (10 types)" is a soft, comfortable room shoes with the fluffy boa.
The character line-ups are Hello Kitty, My Melody, Little Twin Stars, Pom Pom Purin, Cinamonroll, Gudetama, Pochacco, Kuromi, Hangyodon, and Wish Me Well. (Some might be sold out)
"Character-shaped Tabletop Humidifier (5 types)" is a cute humidifier that is perfect to be used in the upcoming dry season. This safe supersonic wave type that won't get overheat will have Kuromi joining in this year.
The character line-ups are Hello Kitty, My Melody, Pom Pom Purin, Cinamonroll, and Kuromi.
"Cushion Blanket (10 types)" is priced at 1,980 JPY (tax included) each, "Boa Room Shoes (10 types)" is priced at 1,430 JPY (tax included) each, and "Character-shaped Tabletop Humidifier (5 types)" is priced at 2,750 JPY (tax included) each.
Each product is currently on sale at "Sanrio Online Shop", Sanrio Corner of Sanrio's Shop or Department Store, and other stores.
（C）'76, '85, '89, '96, '01, '05, '10, '20 SANRIO （C）'13,'20 SANRIO S/D, G Copyright Sanrio Company, Ltd.
The Gundam "Popcorn Machine", which was in production as Gundam's "Promise of Victory" from the "Gundam vs Hello Kitty" showdown project that began in Apr. 2019, is finally completed. It will be installed at Gundam Base Tokyo, Odaiba, from Jun. 13, 2020.
The Gundam "Popcorn Machine" was going to be installed at "Spring Fan Festival", which was scheduled for Mar. 2020. But due to the spread of COVID-19, the installation was delayed, and now, it will finally be available at the store.
The "Popcorn Machine" used to be Hello Kitty's thing. The words, "How about some freshly made popcorn?" has been changed to, "Koitsu Ugokuzo" (This thing's on) by Amuro Ray (voiced by Furuya Tooru), and "Tobe! Gundam" (Fly! Gundam!) was used as the BGM. Other lines were also changed to fan-favorite lines, such as "Amuro Ikimasu" (Amuro, heading out) and "Boku ga Ichiban Gundam wo Umaku Tsukaerunda" (I'm the best at piloting Gundam).
Also, a clear-colored "Hello Kitty / RX-78-2 Gundam [SD EX-STANDARD]", which is a collaboration between Hello Kitty and Gundam, will be sold exclusively at Gundam Base Tokyo and Fukuoka.
The Gundam "Popcorn Machine" will be installed at Gundam Base Tokyo, Odaiba, from Jun. 13, and will be available until Dec. 2020.
(C)Sotsu・Sunrise (C)'76, '20 SANRIO (C)Sanrio Co., Ltd.
On Apr. 21, 2020, Hello Kitty and Shimajirou have teamed together, starting "Daisuki na Minna to Issho Project (Together with everyone we love)" to make worldwide children smile. Currently on YouTube, "Minna to Issho Taisou (Exercise with everyone)", a video to support the health of parents and children who are staying inside the home for long hours, is released.
"Daisuki na Minna to Issho Project" is a project led by Hello Kitty from "Sanrio" and Shimajiro from "Kodomo Challenge" to lessen the stress and anxiety of parents and children.
The video "Minna to Issho Taisou" is a video revealed on Apr. 21, taking the anxiety voices of caregivers with little children saying, "Both the parent and child are stressed as time spent at home is getting longer." and "Children are not moving their body enough, I am worried about the lack of exercise."
It is not just simple dance-along with the characters that children like, but the exercise, under expert supervision, is designed to grow physical abilities naturally at home upon performing it repeatedly.
This project in the future, to face the current situations, aims to deliver the message of "Although we cannot meet now, we are always together. We support you." by gathering characters from different companies and cultures over the border. It has already been decided that Kumamon and Cheburashka will take part, the second volume of video will launch after next week.
Also, "Minna to Issho Taisou" will be released in English on Apr. 22, and in Chinese on Apr. 27 for children globally.
＜Below are the comments＞
Hello Kitty
Although we are not together, we gathered the feelings together and exercised a lot with Shimajirou and others!
Let's happily move our bodies together, staying healthy at home and spend with a smile♪
Shimajirou
I want to exercise happily with everyone!
Everyone, let's become super healthy at home!
（C）1976,1991,2020 SANRIO CO.,LTD.
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