The Hello Kitty franchise has come a long way in the last 35 years. Starting out as a simple cat’s face on a vinyl coin purse in Japan, the brand’s products now line shelves around the world, with the titular feline gracing everything from dolls, stickers and greeting cards to clothes, accessories and school supplies.
Naturally, video games have long since been a part of Kitty’s portfolio and this September her new digital outing arrives on shelves. Happy Party with Hello Kitty and Friends invites players to help organise and then enjoy the critter’s shindig.
GET THIS PARTY STARTED
Working with Gamebridge to bring the distinctly Japanese game to a UK audience, Rising Star is positive that the game has the potential to be a hit this season. The company points to the popularity of the Hello Kitty brand as a sure sign of Happy Party’s success.
“As Rising Star Games are handling the marketing and PR for this great Gamebridge game, we are all extremely confident in the potential of Happy Party with Hello Kitty and Friends, in no small part due to the great responses we are getting from our market research,” says product marketing assistant Tyrone Walcott.
“This product has had an excellent response from retail due to its mass appeal of the brand. We are aiming to make Happy Party with Hello Kitty and Friends the must-have game for Christmas and beyond and give fans of Hello Kitty an experience that transcends the usual merchandise.”
Happy Party boasts a wide selection of mini-games, all based around preparing for the party. The game has over 25 party features, including sending invitations, decorating, shopping, cooking, dancing and there is even cleaning to do after the party has ended.
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“Our planned activity is not just limited to the launch,” says Walcott. “Hello Kitty has an evergreen formula and, whatever the season, this product has enormous applications. What makes Hello Kitty so special for us is the brand is easily recognisable to parents, carers and gift buyers and will attract new and established fans when it arrives.
“We have extensive marketing and PR objectives which will not just be limited to launch but throughout 2010. We have a great celebrity in Hello Kitty and using her status will be key to ramping up the hype. There is an ongoing campaign with the kids’ print media especially the official Hello Kitty magazine, which in itself has our target audience covered.”
With the 35th birthday in November, Rising Star will also complement heavyweight contributions with extra incentives from other licensees within the brand. The game will also have a presence at the next London MCM Expo in October, with fans having the chance to meet Hello Kitty in person.
“Making use of the licence has opened many avenues to reach our target audience, and not just in the UK,” adds Walcott. “We are very confident this product will be a major success across Europe.”
