Hello Kitty invades CES, spreads to gadgets everywhere

The doors have closed at the Las Vegas Convention Centre for the evening, and while I’m now typing on my bed, resting up for another day of more gadget overload, I can reflect on one thing I’ve learned so far about the Consumer Electronics Show: someone obviously has an obsession with Hello Kitty.

We’d say that most people have seen the cute little anime cartoon Hello Kitty before, at least once, and here at CES, vendors are prepping more than the regular bunch of simple Hello Kitty merchandise.

Oh sure, we’ve seen Hello Kitty pens and pencils and bags and whatnot, but it wasn’t until today that we realised how deep the Hello Kitty idea penetrates our world and culture.

While exploring the rows of gadgets and tech, we found karaoke machines, hair dryers, hair straighteners, a vanity mirror, a cupcake maker, sandwich maker, toaster, gumball dispenser, several lamps including one neon light strip variant, alarm clocks, night lights, messenger bags, backpacks, and a lot – and we mean a lot – of iPhone cases, all of these items featuring the likeness of Hello Kitty.

Oh, and we now have a Hello Kitty USB. Can’t forget that.

And what is the point of this?

We’re not sure, but if you’re into Hello Kitty, there will be a lot of tech based on that kitten coming to market later this year.

 

Leigh D. Stark traveled to CES as a guest of LG Electronics Australia.