i have always loved hello kitty. i am sure people thought i would have grown out of it by now, but nope. i am still a fan also at the ripe of age of 37.

i remember what must've been the first wave in the US...around '77...there was a HK display in a department store i went to to buy a snoopy doll...

i think that was also the first year i met a japanese kid in school...she used to get in trouble for reading japanese books all the time..

I bloomed late I guess, around the mid 90's. I'm 38 now, and male...which creates a very special problem around my male friends. I'm secure in my sexuality, so no big deal, but I do find it annoying that males my age aren't 'supposed' to be down with Hello Kitty, Badtz Maru, and my favorite...Chococat. What gives? I find people into anime, or almost anything Japanese are little more accepting, but I have recieved some pretty strange glances from friends who happen to see any Sanrio-related stuff at my place. I try not to hang out with narrow-minded idiots, but even the most even-tempered and open-minded people say "Hello Kitty???" as if they've just spotted a Strawberry Shortcake doll sitting on my bed or something.