Japanese Deploy Pussy Power

Alright, this is just too funny.  I could not, just could not resist.

I love the Japanese.  They have this completely surreal perspective that is often totally hilarious yet charming in their naiveté.  Yet they can be sharp as tacks and totally cutting edge.  Definitely a land of oxymorons and paradox. 

And boy, have they exhibited it with their latest ambassador of tourism.

Hiya Pussy.

Er, sorry, that's Hello Kitty.

Anywhere else in the world, the idea of having a fictional cartoon character as a national icon of tourism would be a thing of embarrassment.  In Japan, it is a source of pride.

In today's Associated Press, it was reported that Hello Kitty has climbed the career ladder from being a marketing icon, designed to fleece parents when their little girls cry and whine over the moon-faced feline, to official "government envoy".

Just how Disneyish is that?  

But let's not sneer at this feat of marketing.  The Japanese might not be as barmy as they appear.

The puss in tourist Birkenstocks, white socks, hat and camera will only be deployed to hypnotise the cute-crazed minions in Hong Kong and China.  Let's see.  There were riots in Hong Kong when they ran out of Hello Kitty giveaways in their Happy Meals after queues were formed for days.  In China, they are status symbols.

You know ... these Japanese know of what they unleash.

To reach their targeted 10 million per annum visitors to Japan, they need to up the ante in these two countries, which accounted for 16.5 percent of their visitors in 2007.  This year, this group of pussy-lovers are projected to be the second largest tourist groups after South Korea.  What?  Koreans don't like cats?

As an aside, the Japanese government is obviously trying to update their image to a younger, more fanboy/fangirl-friendly appeal.  Although this is the first time they have utilised pussy-power, it is not the first time they have resorted to 2D allure.  In March this year, they named another cat "Anime ambassador".  You guessed it, Doraemon is also an official Japanese official alongside his feline playmate, Hello Kitty.

What next?  Maybe if Garfield emigrated he might be able to get a job with the Japanese government.

According to AP, the Hello Kitty mania has already began.  This 34-year-old feline recently has a multi-million dollar musical in Beijing and is currently on a national tour, which will then begin its bid for world domination by targeting the feeble-minded in Malaysia, Singapore and the US.  No bad for a pinhead that first made its debut on a plastic coin purse in 1974.

According to her official profile at parent company, Sanrio, Hello Kitty still lives with her family in London.  What?  Japan not good enough for her?  Bit hard to represent a place if you do not live there, no?

And no, I am not being a sour puss.

But I sure would like to see Barbie become the tourism ambassador for the US.

* Photo from AP