Here's an idea, Hello Kitty used minimalism
to build a consumer empire.
With her itty bitty bow and ginormous noggin,
Hello Kitty is one of the world's most recognized icons.
Ever since her birth date in 1974,
Kitty White-- as is her given name--
has been shilling for Sanrio.
Both her and her products are adored the world over,
from pens coin purses and hats to toasters, condoms, M16s,
sausages, tampons, and of course, coffins.
I mean, people buy stuff just because her face is on it.
[GIGGLING]
What is it that makes this kitty so likable?
Is it that she's totally kawaii?
Probably.
Is it that she's frequently well dressed?
I bet.
Is it that you can project your innermost secretest
emotions, desires, and ambitions onto Hello Kitty,
thus making her a kind of token for your hopes and dreams?
Could be.
When Hello Kitty creator Yuko Shimizu first made Kitty
she left her without a mouth, providing no clues
as to her disposition.
Whatever the consumer is feeling, Kitty is also feeling.
She's actually saying more by saying less.
Adding a mouth to Hello Kitty would give something away.
It's actually a nonessential element.
And in this way, Kitty actually has
something in common with minimalism,
an artistic style that is all about essential elements.
Can you take anything away from the normal Hello Kitty
representation and still have it be our beloved Kitty?
Let's see what happens.
No bow, she's just a cat cartoon.
No whiskers, she's not a cat anymore.
No ears and she's a weird oval thingy.
Though Kitty does say more with less,
it's hard to call her a piece of minimalist artwork.
She's more of a piece of consumer culture
that borrows from minimalism's bag of tricks.
Some of minimalism's most respected practitioners
like Barnett Newman, Donald Judd, and Sol LeWitt
were working with simple and often repetitive
shapes, sometimes very colorful but-- and this is important--
lacking signification.
A kitty contains way too much meaning.
But if she's not really minimalism, then what is she?
To answer this question, we turn to superflat.
Japanese artist Takashi Murakami coined
superflat to describe a kind of art and culture
based upon product and fantasy, on obsessive collection
and otaku.
This is the same mentality that birthed Pokemon's gotta
catch them all mentality and that
supports the collection of anime and manga everything.
And though she was born 20 years prior,
Hello Kitty seems to make a perfect minimalism inspired
example of superflat's art ideals,
a predecessor to modern geek chic collecting attitudes.
She is the world's best sales girl, assuming everything
and representing nothing.
An artfully executed image acting as a bridge
to a universe of objects.
And maybe it's all because she's missing a mouth.
What do you guys think?
Are minimalist ideas responsible for Hello
Kitty's worldwide success?
Let me know in the comments.
And if you like us, you should really consider subscribing,
because we're going to keep making these so, you know.
Yeah.
Man, the Instagram conversation was contentious.
Let's see what you guys had to say.
megamoneybags thinks that everybody
who downloads Instagram considers themselves
a professional photographer.
That might not be true, megamoneybags.
AMMalik911 questions whether or not
Instagram is even photography, but Gtr1510
seems to think the opposite and makes an over 9,000
joke in the process.
Point Gtr1510.
Yes.
sexybeastfareast makes a really great comparison
between Instagram and things like Meme Generator.
Patience is a virtue, TheLomise.
Not quick enough, Samy134, maybe next time.