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.
