LOS ANGELES – For over fifty years, Hello Kitty has become synonymous with endearing and feminine plush toys, stationary, and trinkets of all kinds. Recently, however, Sanrio has added another product to its long line that many Hello Kitty fans did not expect: Sportswear.
Sanrio has partnered up with major sports leagues like the NFL, MLB, and USWNT, as well as D1 schools like UCLA and USC to release exclusive collections. In these new licensing deals, Sanrio has released T-shirts, hoodies, bags, keychains, and Hello Kitty plush toys adorned in jerseys, topped off with their signature bows representing the teams’ colors. Some of their new merchandise even partners with specific, popular teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Rams.
For a brand that has become a titan in the world of nostalgic, twee products, it might seem out of left field for a brand so heavily marketed towards a younger, distinctly feminine market to pivot to a demographic that has historically been dominated by a culture of masculinity. However, bridging two otherwise unrelated worlds is why this unorthodox partnership has become so effective.
“I know a few people that were really excited about the Hello Kitty-Dodgers bobbleheads,” Lindsay Cuthill, Sanrio fan, said. “I wasn’t really expecting so many Sanrio fans to be so into sports stuff.”
For sports fans, seeing characters clad in the jerseys of their favorite teams might be their first interaction with Sanrio’s IP. On the other hand, fans and collectors of Hello Kitty and friends are also being introduced to a myriad of different sports through their favorite characters. Ahead of the Rams’ season finale against the Seahawks, they partnered with Hello Kitty on limited edition bobbleheads, contributing even more to the hype. The Dodgers also had Hello Kitty night on September 23rd, turning a merch collaboration into a full event.
“I’ve never been involved in sports, ever,” Cuthill said. “However, I’ve noticed that I am paying just a little bit more attention because I know what these teams are because of the merch.”
This new partnership is especially major for young girls and women.
“Sports merch has always seemed to just focus on men.” Brooke Kargari, avid fan of Sanrio and the Rams, said. “I think women and girls are happy that something so nostalgic is being included, especially in such a surprising way.”
Both femininity and sports can co-exist through this, whereas historically there had been a precedent ignoring this intersection. Instead of choosing one or the other, fans of both can embrace their fandom interests. Precedent by a history of having to fit into a binary, they no longer have to compromise their femininity, nor their interests in these teams.
“It really highlights that niche of hyperfeminine sports fans who are into a historically masculine field but also have these cute interests,” Kargari said. “It feels refreshing that we can be both at the same time.”
As for hopes for the future, a new generation of women are determined for this to be the start of an even bigger change.
“I’m optimistic about this making women feel more welcome,” Kargari said. “I think that this is a step in the right direction, and hopefully it changes the broader culture in sports.”
