Crowds overwhelm first Hello Kitty Con

LOS ANGELES: Hello Kitty cuteness is taking over Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles as the city hosts the first Hello Kitty fan convention.
Hello Kitty Con is expected to draw some 25,000 fans over four days.
Long lines snaked through the sold-out event at the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art, where conventioneers could pose for photos with Hello Kitty, get permanently inked with her image, hear lectures about her popularity and shop for exclusive products created for the mouthless cat character’s 40th birthday, which falls on Nov. 1. “I grew up collecting Hello Kitty and being in love with her,” said 30-year-old Grisel Esquivel, who was having a Hello Kitty face etched onto her wrist. Chicago artist Mario Desa created about 100 Hello Kitty-inspired designs for ink-friendly fans. Organizers expect that about 50 conventioneers a day will receive free tattoos from the five artists at “HK Ink.”
Frank Clow, a 51-year-old collector, spent hours waiting in line to get a Hello Kitty mermaid tattoo while his wife shopped for limited-edition collectibles. “I like tattoos in general,” he said, adding that he took the day off from work to come to the convention.
Elena Ramirez and Janet Tongtip also took vacation days to come to Hello Kitty Con, where they were dazzled by the cuteness — and the crowds. “Since we were little, we’ve been big fans,” said Ramirez, 29. “We’re getting sentimental looking at all the old bags and things we used to have.” Tongtip said: “The lines are pretty bad, but they’re moving quickly.”