Hello Kitty® Kicks Off First-Ever LIVE Tour in North America This Week!

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May 27, 2015, 09:40 ET

TORRANCE, Calif., May 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Hello Kitty, the beloved pop icon created to inspire happiness around the world, is hitting the road this week, with her first-ever live North American tour: Hello Kitty's Supercute Friendship Festival. Sanrio^®, the global lifestyle brand best known for Hello Kitty, and international tour producer VEE Corporation, have partnered to create, design and produce this inaugural tour event. Going beyond a traditional live stage show, the event will offer a unique multi-component, walk around family-friendly festival atmosphere for Sanrio fans of all ages.

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For the first time in North America, Hello Kitty and her supercute friends Dear Daniel^®, My Melody^®, Badtz-Maru^®, Keroppi^®, Chococat^® and Purin™ will appear in this unique celebration of fun, friendship and Sanrio surprises! Each event will feature Hello Kitty and her friends in multi-stage live performances and DJ-driven dance sequences, as well as interactive exhibits, animation, art, fashion, photo opportunities, event-exclusive merchandise and much more, all in one immersive festival environment! Hello Kitty's Supercute Friendship Festival will make its debut at Target Center in Minneapolis, MN on May 29, 2015 (running through May 31); before moving onto Denver, CO (June 5 - 7); Los Angeles, CA (June 12 - 14); San Diego, CA (June 19 - 21) and over 35 cities across the country. Tickets for Hello Kitty's Supercute Friendship Festival are on sale now; for the full show schedule and ticket information, please visit www.hellokittyfestival.com.

"Hello Kitty's Supercute Friendship Festival offers a new Sanrio experience to fans across the country," said Janet Hsu, President and COO of Sanrio, Inc. "Our first-ever live tour goes beyond a traditional sit-down show format and brings the world of Sanrio to life with a unique combination of stage performances, interactive exhibits and more surprises for fans of all ages, unlike anything seen before."

"The collaboration between VEE Corporation and Sanrio will invite fans to step inside a Hello Kitty wonderland in their hometown," said Jim Waters, Senior Vice President of Production for VEE Corporation. "Together we've created an experience that Sanrio fans of all ages will enjoy."

Join the fun, friendship and festivities as Hello Kitty's Supercute Friendship Festival makes a supercute stop in your city soon. For more information please visit www.hellokittyfestival.com and www.Facebook.com/HelloKittyFestival. Download the Hello Kitty Events App to stay updated with event information, connect with fans and earn supercute badges. Visit Sanrio.com/HelloKittyEventsApp or search for Hello Kitty Events in the App Store or Google Play.

High resolution images available upon request

About Sanrio^®Sanrio is the global lifestyle brand best known for pop icon Hello Kitty^®, who recently celebrated her 40^th Anniversary. Home to many endearing characters including Chococat^® My Melody^®, Badtz-Maru^® and Keroppi^®, Sanrio was founded on the 'small gift, big smile^®' philosophy – that a small gift can bring happiness and friendship to people of all ages. Since 1960, this philosophy has served as the inspiration for the broad spectrum of unique products and experiences. Today, more than 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are available in over 130 countries and upwards of 15,000 U.S. retail locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over 80 Sanrio boutiques. For more information please visit www.sanrio.com and www.facebook.com/hellokitty.

About VEE Corporation
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, VEE Corporation is one of the most experienced and respected names in family-friendly entertainment. VEE Corporation has delighted millions of children around the world with live touring stage shows since Sesame Street Live's debut performance in 1980. VEE also provides entertainment, promotion and event marketing services for the world's most respected brands and agencies. Clients and partners in the corporate, sports, museum and event marketing sector come to VEE for imaginative solutions to capture the undivided attention of their customers and audiences through custom designed/built interactive environments. For more information, please visit www.vee.com.

Sanrio Contact: Orsi Public Relations
Dyann Hawkins/Racine Diaz (323) 874-4073
Email; Email

VEE Contact: Elyse Bauchle
(612) 852-2365
Email

SOURCE Sanrio