Hello Kitty Cafe debuts at Fashion Show mall — PHOTOS
Over 500 fans arrived at Fashion Show mall Friday morning for the debut of Sanrio’s newest Hello Kitty Cafe, combining only-in-Las Vegas elements with one of the most endearing Japanese characters.
With fresh merch and sweet treats, the new cafe offered a Hello Kitty goody bag to the first 100 guests while others received a Hello Kitty magnet keychain along with their purchase.
Fans gathered as early as the night before to be among the first to visit the latest Hello Kitty Cafe experience, featuring freshly baked cookies, cakes, doughnuts and hot and iced drinks, complete with a meet-and-greet with the global pop icon herself.
First to arrive at the cafe was Helen Frausto, a self-professed Hello Kitty superfan and founder of Hello Kitty Babes Fan Club, a group of Sanrio collectors and devotees with a wide range of ages and a shared passion for “Hello Kitty and Friends.”
Frausto, who has visited Hello Kitty cafes in Irvine, California, Mexico City and The Park on the Strip, drove in from Riverside, California, arriving at 11:52 p.m. Thursday and slept in her car overnight to be first in line Friday at 5 a.m.
“She just stands for so much for all of us,” Frausto said. “You know, a lot of people think Hello Kitty is for little kids. Oh, my gosh, no way. She just keeps us grounded, keeps us loving one another and just being kind to each other.”
Arriving along with the fan club was Thea Paisley, a Sanrio content creator on TikTok who calls herself a “first generation collector” as she is one year younger than Hello Kitty and has been collecting her whole life.
“I’m half Japanese, so this is something that was part of just growing up as a Japanese American and having everything culturally from Japan,” said Paisley, who regularly visits the Hello Kitty pop-up cafe at The Park.
While the new indoor Las Vegas location offers more opportunities for new treats, Paisley said its exclusive soft-serve ice cream in a Hello Kitty-shaped waffle cone makes the cafe worth visiting.
Attracting locals and tourists alike, the new cafe offers exclusive merch including new dad caps, a sprinkle bow headband and a sequin plush Hello Kitty holding the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign.
“Hello Kitty loves Vegas, and luckily Vegas loves her back,” Sanrio Senior Vice President of Marketing Jill Koch said. “Creating merchandise that infuses the two has been super successful and a great thing to take home as a memento from your trip.”
The new cafe is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.
Contact Maria Staubs at mstaubs@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MariaStaubs on Twitter.
