As part of Hello Kitty’s 40-year anniversary celebration, The Japanese American National Museum is featuring, Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty, the first major exhibit to present the history of this beloved cat in America. 

The exhibit, set in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district, is an extensive overview of everything and anything Hello Kitty.

Hello Kitty debuted in 1974 as a product of the Sanrio brand.

Since her debut, Hello Kitty has captured the hearts of many people around the world; so much so that the first ever Hello Kitty convention took place just a few weeks ago, right next to the JANM exhibit. 

Read more about Hello Kitty Con here.

Christine Yano, PhD, and author of Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific, joined with Jamie Rivadeneira, the founder and owner of JapanLA, a clothing shop that specializes in pop culture, to curate the exhibit.

The curators have extensive experience with Hello Kitty, and while Rivadeneira calls herself a Hello Kitty fan, Yano says she is not a fan of the character itself, but a fan of Hello Kitty’s history.

Yano’s book delves deeper into Hello Kitty’s appeal to people all over the world. Yano says the fandom is stunning, especially after seeing the success of Hello Kitty Con, which brought in thousands of people.

Yano’s research started in 2002, and her book was published in 2013.

“I’ve come to appreciate Sanrio, what it does and how the fans feel about Hello Kitty,” says Yano. “I’m writing as an anthropologist. Hello Kitty has really captivated myriads of fans of different sorts.”

Yano says Kitty Con reinforced her findings that Hello Kitty reaches a wide array of people, from children to adults, women to men and so on.

Yano was responsible for curating the Hello Kitty items that are displayed on the first floor.

“The exhibit encompasses the everyday stuff… what will happen for fans is that they will see things from their childhood,” explains Yano. 

Yano says her favorite example is the gum drawer, a drawer filled with Hello Kitty gum that radiates a fruity aroma when opened. 

Rivadeneira organized the second floor, which is dedicated primarily to art.

Rivadeneira’s store, which is on the iconic Los Angeles street, Melrose, focuses on adult fashion that features several pop culture characters, such as Hello Kitty.

Rivadeneira had experience curating Hello Kitty art in the past. She worked with Sanrio to curate the Hello Kitty exhibition to celebrate Hello Kitty's 35th anniversary, an event Rivadeneira says was far smaller than the recent Hello Kitty con.

Given her experience with Hello Kitty artwork, Rivadeneira was asked to curate this exhibit as well. 

In Rivadeneira’s line of work she meets Hello Kitty fans on a daily basis, and also considers herself a super fan.

“I like that she is so simple, and she just represents cute to me,” says Rivadeneira. “She can change with the times but still remain true to herself, so it is kind of like the same for me in life.”

Rivadeneira says that not all of the artists she recruited to create pieces for the exhibit were Hello Kitty fans beforehand. But Rivadeneira says that the artists now have a deeper appreciation for what Hello Kitty stands for.

“You can see her through every artists interpretation,” explains Rivadeneira. 

Though the exhibit is packed full with Hello Kitty memorabilia, it is not overwhelming to appreciate. The displays are clean and well kept, and the explanations and fun facts are actually interesting enough to read. 

For fans and nonfans alike, Hello!, is worth visiting. If not to admire the 40-year reign of this captivating cat, then to pay respect to the icon Sanrio has created for millions to enjoy for years and years to come.

The exhibit runs until April 25, 2015. For more information or to purchase tickets click here.

Reach Staff Reporter Margaux Farrell here or follow her on Twitter here.