As I browsed through Target last Friday afternoon, I saw many Big Country families shopping for school supplies, hoping to beat the rush before the Tax-Holiday. Watching these families made me think of my own when my brother and I was still in school, but as I walked through the endless aisles of school supplies… one thing was certain…
Despite the absence of “Yikes” pencils and “Lisa Frank” Stationery… kids today have a MUCH cuter (and cooler) selection to choose from than Bryan and I did when we were in school! Being a nerdy kid growing up… I think I liked shopping for notebooks and highlighters more than I liked shopping for clothes. Okay… sometimes I still do… As I marveled at the vast selection of “designer” pencil cases and lunch boxes, something triggered immediate flashbacks to my first day of kindergarten…
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the vast selection of HELLO KITTY. It made me think back to the days when Mom and I would make our special trip to the Sanrio store in San Francisco to get ready for the first day of school. Sanrio never came cheap back then, so we would always have to save up for it… but even 20 years after rocking the pink Hello Kitty backpack, I still remember how happy I was as I clutched my matching notebook and lunchbox on the first day of school.
When I checked the price tag on the Hello Kitty items at Target, it was considerably less than what it was at Sanrio, and still has the same adorable cat that’s brought smiles to little girls’ faces for generations. I’ve always been a big fan of Target and all the folks recruited to design special lines for them, like Anna Sui and Todd Oldham… and I think it’s awesome to have an icon, like Hello Kitty, on the style team for the little ones.
Well… make that for the young, and young at heart… My mother visiting from Vietnam still hasn’t forgotten about her daughter’s love for Hello Kitty! Thanks Mom :).
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Priscilla Luong was serious about her last tweet on Twitter… hugs and pink thumbprint cookies from McKays to all the little girls in Abilene rocking the Hello Kitty backpack this year. Show off your Hello Kitty gear! Send her pictures at pluong@ktab.tv.
