Sanrio epitomizes all things cute in Japanese culture. In fact, Sanrio/Hello Kitty was my introduction into Japanese culture. I grew up in a town populated by Japanese immigrants back in the 50’s, resulting in many Japanese stores. Sanrio was one of them, and I can remember my grandmother taking me there to get pens, pencils and various stationery for grade school.
Sanrio is currently celebrating their 50th anniversary with “Small Gift” festivals in Los Angeles and Miami and a touring pop-up store hitting select cities in the US, featuring rare collectors items only available on the tour.
Gamesugar visited Small Gift in Santa Monica, CA, held at Santa Monica Airport’s Barker Hangar. The venue is perfect for a massive festival that includes an art show, gift shop, game booths, miniature golf course, arcade station, face painting booths, and a Ferris wheel. We could barely hold it together ten feet from the entrance because everything oozed of cuteness. Most of my time was spent at the arcade station, playing retro games and yelling at the pinball machine.
Check out plenty of photos from the event at our Facebook Page.
