Bloom Gallery Boutique Hosts Hello Kitty Art Showcase on Saturday Night

She's adorable, she's endearing, she's loveable -- and for girls everywhere, she's probably one of the most beloved icons of childhood. She's Hello Kitty, the cutesy-pie cartoon cat created in 1974 for Japanese toy manufacturer Sanrio by designer Yuko Shimizu that's been etched onto millions of pieces of merchandise and memorabilia...

By Benjamin Leatherman

July 29, 2011

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She's adorable, she's endearing, she's loveable -- and for girls everywhere, she's probably one of the most beloved icons of childhood.

She's Hello Kitty, the cutesy-pie cartoon cat created in 1974 for Japanese toy manufacturer Sanrio by designer Yuko Shimizu that's been etched onto millions of pieces of merchandise and memorabilia for more than 35 years.

The iconic image of the mouthless white cat has shown up on everything from pens to playing cards, including such weirdly licensed products as beer bottles, oil cans, and even sausage.

And this weekend, she'll invade Bloom Gallery Boutique in downtown Phoenix, when the artists and designers of Missconstrued present their Hello Kitty Showcase on Saturday night.

Organizer Reanna Diehl says that the Hello Kitty loomed large in every girl's childhood, including those of herself and her fellow artists.

"It's a fuzzy, cute cartoon kitty. Everybody loved it. I grew up with it and a bunch of my friends are fans, they die over the Hello Kitty stuff," Diehl says

The event will showcase work inspired by the cute cat made be around a dozen artists, including paintings, hats, and perhaps some handbags made from Hello Kitty duct tape (yes, they make that too).

The showcase, which is the first in a series of monthly themed art shows that Bloom Gallery, will also feature a special Zombie Hello Kitty piñata that was created for the event by artist Sir Thomas M. Deadstuff. Although it's not for sale, special stickers will be sold over at Galeria de los Muertos for $3 that give entry into a raffle for the piñata.

The Hello Kitty Showcase will take place at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Bloom Gallery Boutique, 812 North Third Street. Admission is free.

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Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music, and nightlife. He began writing for New Times in 2003 and joined the staff full-time in 2005. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Contact: Benjamin Leatherman

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