index

Index

addiction to Hello Kitty, 154, 155, 220 advertising. See marketing affect aliens, 164, 165 affective labor, 61, 70, 82–83, 162 African Americans, marketing to, 124 Ah Map. See Fan Man-yee Ahmed, Sara, 20, 164 Akiyama, Leika, 233, 243–46, 250 Allison, Anne, 11, 37, 62, 252, 253 All Things Kawaii (website), 124 Alsworth, Sarah, 113–14 amae. See dependency ambiguity, 36–37, 48, 50, 57, 192, 227–29, 266 Americanization, 13 Angry Little Girls, 123 anime, 7, 258, 262–63 Anime News (magazine), 262–63 anniversary celebrations: fiftieth, 252–53; narratives, 80–82; Sanrio strategies, 233–38; thirtieth, 233–34; thirty-fifth, 47, 76–80, 82, 85, 100, 233, 236–37, 238, 252 Anpanman, 263 anthropometry, 288n47 Aoki Misako, 258 Appadurai, Arjun, 12 Arden, Elizabeth, 33 Armstrong, Robert Plant, 19–20 art and aesthetics: edginess in, 109, 230–31, 235–37, 249; Hello Kitty as artisanal product, 40, 87–92, 248–49; kitsch and, 231–32, 249–50; patronage by Sanrio, 233–38, 249, 266–67; play and, 231–32, 235–37, 249–50; self-censorship in, 240; sentimentality in, 230–32, 243–44, 249–50 Artemis Records, 96 Asian American counterculture, 125–26 Asian American women: consumerism of, 138–39; critiques by, 170–72; identity of, 9, 170–71; marketing to, 122–24; sex workers, 225–27, 227; stereotyping of, 171–74, 176–77, 181, 226, 228 Asians and Friends, 215 AsianWhite.Org (website), 172 Asian women: consumerism of, 138–39; stereotyping of, 168, 171–74, 226 asobi. See play Austin Powers in Goldmember (film), 100 authenticity, 21, 64, 73, 93–94, 110 avant-garde, 168, 209, 230, 231, 244, 250

bad boys, 241–43, 254–57 Badtz-Maru, 108, 139, 141 Band X Japan, 267

Banet-Weiser, Sarah, 31, 81 Bank Gallery, 182 Barbie dolls, 3–4, 23, 35, 79, 107, 112, 265 Baudrillard, Jean, 20, 23, 129, 140, 161 Baunsu Kogyaru (film), 54 Belson, Ken, 87 Berlant, Lauren, 31 Big Bad Chinese Mama, 172, 224 biography of Hello Kitty, 77–80 blushing, 34–35 bondage. See sadomasochistic bondage Bourdieu, Pierre, 24 bow, meanings of, 76–77, 219 Boycott the Kitty! (online church), 163 branding: extensions, 100; of Japan, 28–29, 259–61, 264, 266 Bremner, Brian, 87 Britain, 17, 19, 83, 91–92, 235 Bronze Collection (Sachs artwork), 242–43 Bruna, Dick, 43 “Bubbles Bubblicious” (Akiyama art series), 246 Burlesque Hour, The, 168 “Butoh Cabaret,” 168–69 buzz. See marketing

Campbell’s soup cans, 232 Candy Kids, 152–53 Carey, Mariah, 80, 95, 194 Carpasso, Nick, 230, 243–44, 250 celebrity outreach, 95–101 cell phone straps, Hello Kitty, 62, 70, 72, 74, 285n21 censorship, 36–37, 234, 240 Character Databank, 263 child labor, 165–66 children: nostalgia for childhood, 10–11, 57, 66, 104; as target audiences, 10–11, 29–32 Chin, Elizabeth, 121 Chinese American consumerism, 138–39 Choi, Angela, 163, 173–81, 233 Christianity, 193–95, 241–42 Chua Beng-Huat, 38 Chung, Geraldine, 171 Coach, 136 Coca-Cola, 13–14; Coca-colonization, 12; as pop icon, 232 collectors, 128; desire of, 161; interviews, 148–55, 204–13, 217–24; lifestyle of, 160; of McDonald’s premiums, 126; mirroring by, 20; on product details, 93–94. See also fandom commodity fetishism, 10, 23, 120–21, 167, 197–98, 242, 266, 267 consumerism: Asian American, 138–39; children’s, 10, 11, 29–32; citizenship and, 31; excess in, 45, 121; geographies of, 121–26; global, 13–14; life cycle of Hello Kitty, 103–12; modes of, 8; normalized, 45; practices since 1980s, 30; shōjo, 48, 52; symbolism of, 44–45; in urban Japan, 45 Cook, Daniel, 29–30, 48 Cool Japan, 105, 257–63 coolness, 5, 26–29, 30, 62, 237. See also

Japanese Cute-Cool Coontz, Stephanie, 35 copyright infringement, 262, 279n9 Cracker Jack prizes, 287n37 crea (magazine), 55 crime. See “Hello Kitty Murder” cuteness: aspects of, 47; as cool, 26–29, 62; critique of, 167–70; emotion and, 8; as global cultural capital, 6; innocence and, 109, 197; intimacy of, 253–54; as kitsch, 24–26, 250–51; marketing of, 7; mitate and, 66; mouthless, 195–98; overload, 1; pink as, 76; pornography and, 232; sexuality and, 36; transformation and, 56; transformation of culture of, 296n5; world political economy of, 9. See also Japanese Cute-Cool; kawaii Cutie for Independent Girls (magazine), 50

314 • index

Daliot-Bul, Michal, 257, 260 DasSHOKU Horal!, 168–70 David and Goliath, 163, 190 Davila, Arlene, 147 Dean, James, 27 Dear Daniel, 17 deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park (Lincoln, Mass.), 243–45 dependency, 28, 35, 43–44, 56, 162 dhe. See Hollywood Digital Entertainment Corporation Diaz, Cameron, 80 Disney, Walt, 15–16, 195–96 Doane, Mary Ann, 56–57 Doi, Takeo, 56 dolls, 66–67, 79, 284n15 Doraemon, 258 Dora the Explorer, 297n7 Dreamkitty, 124

eBay, 126, 149, 155 economics, Japanese: in 1990s and 2000s, 69; in 1970s and 1980s, 46; in 1960s and 1970s, 16 Ecstasy, 153 edginess: of art world, 109, 230–31, 235–37, 249; in Asian Americans, 126; femininity and, 204–6, 208 Eisenhower, Mamie, 33 emergent authenticity, 21, 64 England. See Britain enjo kōsai, 6, 36, 53–54 eva Airways, 38, 75 Evers, Izumi, 1–3 Evil Princess Chikako, 186–87 excess: appreciation for, 199, 204–5, 208–9, 245–46; commodity fetishism and, 23, 266, 267; in consumerism, 45, 121; critique of, 187, 189, 190, 193, 197; cuteness and, 5–6; kitsch and, 24–26; kyarakutā and, 65, 67; repulsion of, 260 Facebook, 185 Fairey, Shepard, 125 family culture, 116, 147–48 fancy goods. See fanshii guzzu fandom: Asian American, 138–39; caring and, 56–57; consumer life cycle of, 103–12; customer loyalty, 102–3, 161; desire of, 161; endorsements and, 86; femininity and, 162, 211; gay, 149, 210, 214–16; hardcore, 224–26; Hispanic, 147–48; intergenerational, 160; interviews, 129–37, 139–47, 156–59, 204–13, 217–24; in Latin America, 39; lesbian, 201, 211, 214–16, 224; male, 155–56; multigenerational, 44; punk, 201–4, 292n3; seduction of, 119–20, 160–61, 194; sociality and, 160. See also collectors; consumerism Fan Man-yee, 166–67, 193 fanshii guzzu: defined, 46; girl culture and, 48–55; kawaii and, 70–71;

Sanrio on, 15, 17 fao Schwarz, 120, 150 Featherstone, Mike, 195 femininity: cuteness and, 8; edginess and, 204–6, 208; of fans, 162, 211; in girl culture, 52; gotōchi and, 73; iconography of, 202; Latina, 147; lesbians and, 211; obedience and, 43; performative, 214, 215–16; pink, 33, 35; pink power and, 37; subversion of

Hello Kitty and, 216 feminism: critique of Hello Kitty, 171–74, 247; critique of mouthlessness, 172, 196–97; on Hello Kitty iconography, 202–3 Feminism and Riot Grrrl (website), 202–3 Fender guitar, Hello Kitty, 62, 205 Filipino consumerism, 139 Fiske, John, 1 Franek, Valerie, 124 Frank, Paul, 22–23

index • 315

friendship: bow color and, 76; celebrity outreach and, 95–101; as Sanrio value, 84–87, 114, 120, 139, 164 FRUiTS, 3 Fuck Hello Kitty (Facebook group), 163, 205 Fujioka Shizuka, 258 Fujita Den, 13 Fukunaga Shuri, 7 Fuyushiba Tetsuzo, 75

Gastaldi, Peter, 93, 147 gay fandom, 149, 210, 214–16; interview, 217–24 Giant Robot, 125 gifting: culture of, 47; family size and, 52; as female practice, 69–70; generative, 68–71, 83; intergenerational fandom and, 160; of miyage, 72–75; as Sanrio trademark, 75, 76, 77; by shōjo, 70–71; “small gift, big smile” philosophy, 45, 70–71, 81, 83, 86, 108, 118, 147, 252, 258; surprise, 71; transnational, 138–39 girl culture: consumerism in, 10, 52; creation of, 48–55; femininity in, 52; global, 4, 32–38; kawaii in, 55–60; radical, 202–4; wide age range of, 4.

See also shōjo global girl culture. See under girl culture globalization, 12–13, 12–15, 29–32, 126, 261–64 Goldman, Todd, 190 Good, Cynthia, 37 Goodbye Kitty (product line), 163, 190–91, 192 Goodbyekitty.net (website), 191 gotōchi product line, 73–74, 248 Greenberg, Clement, 24

Handler, Ruth, 35 Hannerz, Ulf, 12 Hanpanda (Nagi artwork), 235

316 • index

happiness, 20; Hello Kitty message of, 114–15, 119, 139, 162, 178; as Sanrio value, 84–85, 112–18, 120, 139, 164–65 Harada Masato, 54 Harajuku Lovers, 123 Harris, Daniel, 27–28 Hatoyama, Ray, 240 headlines, 1, 38, 192; crime, 165–66; global, 254, 266; Hello Kitty photo shoot, 98; Hello Kitty sightings, 9; on subversive activities, 201, 242 Hell Kitty (website), 186–87 Hello Dali (Holt artwork), 247 Hello De Milo (Scott sculpture), 235 Hell of Kitty (website), 194 Hello Kitty 35th Anniversary Book, 76, 77 Hello Kitty Gets a Mouth (Scholnick performance), 182 Hello Kitty Hell (blog), 163, 186–89, 188, 192 Hello Kitty Is Dead (mini-dvd), 171–72 “Hello Kitty Kat” (rock song), 164 Hello Kitty Memories, 76, 81 “Hello Kitty Murder,” 166–67, 192 Hello Kitty Must Die (Choi), 163, 173, 175 Hello Kitty Perversions (website), 187 Hello Kitty’s Dream Light Fantasy (musical), 39 Hello Kitty Shinto Shrine (Akiyama artwork), 245, 246 Hello Masterpiece (Holt artwork), 246–48 Hello (Sex) Kitty (Uyehara performance), 170–71, 171 Hensley, Bill, 84, 93–95, 101–2, 103, 104, 148, 262–63 Henster Productions, 190 Hibino Katsuhiko, 235, 236 hikime-kagihana in emaki, 21 Hilton, Nicky, 80 Hilton, Paris, 80, 111–12 Hispanics: fandom, 147–48; marketing to, 124

hkh (blog). See Hello Kitty Hell (blog) hkid. See Hello Kitty Is Dead (mini-dvd) Hollywood Digital Entertainment

Corporation (dhe), 234 hologram glasses, Hello Kitty, 62 Holt, Leslie, 233, 246–48 homogenization, 13, 14, 46 Hot Topic, 120, 137, 212 Howes, David, 11–12 Hughes, Mark, 187 Hui, Becky, 119, 139–47 Hutcheon, Linda, 200

Ichigo Shimbun (newsletter), 87 iconography of Hello Kitty: art subgenre of, 237, 245–46; aspects of, 16–17; femininity in, 202; Japanese

Cute-Cool and, 8, 23, 25, 47; multigenerational fan base of, 44; play and, 239; shock and, 267–68 identity: Asian American female, 9, 170–71; gay male, 214; gendered, 30, 248; kyarakutā-based, 62; multiple categories, 54–55; national, 14, 259; objects and construction of, 20, 31; regional, 73–74; Sanrio employees and, 114–15. See also branding of

Japan innocence: commodified, 26, 29, 197;

Hello Kitty message of, 109, 114–15, 156, 162, 197, 206, 250; kawaii and, 59; kitsch and, 36; of pink, 34, 117; sexualized, 227–28; shōjo, 49, 50, 55 Interact, W. K., 235, 236 intimacy: of cuteness, 253–54; familiarity and, 67, 254; kawaii gaze and, 57; pink globalization and, 9, 119; pocket, 62, 65; retro-, 83; serial, 139, 161 irony, 106, 113, 210, 248; kitsch and, 197, 232; kogyaru and, 53; lesbians and, 211; play and, 28, 186, 200, 250; in punk culture, 203 Ivy, Marilyn, 256 Iwabuchi, Koichi, 14, 16, 259

Jackson, Daniel, 235 Japanese Americans, 9–10, 138, 170 Japanese Cultural Agency, 257 Japanese Cute-Cool: aspects of, 6–7;

Cool Japan and, 105, 263; defined, 3; exhibit of, 255; expanding culture of, 201, 253; Hello Kitty iconography and, 8, 23, 25, 47; Hello Kitty wink and, 26–29, 227–28; irresistibility of, 32–38; kawaii as, 266; marketing in 2000s, 15, 18, 123; as national branding, 28–29, 259, 261, 264; Peters on, 105–7; pink globalization and, 5–6, 9, 47–48, 117, 243; political undercurrents of, 256–57; as revenge of otaku nation, 256; as spectacle, 3; subversion of, 226–28 Japanese Neo Pop, 254, 256–57 Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno (mockumentary), 1–3, 2 Japan Society, 255 Japan Times, 6, 88, 165, 181, 260–61 J-Box/J-List (online shopping sites), 124–25 Jenkins, Henry, 266 Joy Luck Club, The (Tan), 176–77 J-pop, 252 Juicy Couture, 131, 136

Kahara Tomomi, 87 Kaiser, Henry J., 34 Kaiser, Susan, 30 Karpen, Fritz, 24 kawaii: contrasting aspects of, 25; critique of, 187; defined, 43; etymology of term, 56; fanshii guzzu and, 70–71; gaze, 57; in girl culture, 55–60; global commodities of, 6–9; as Japanese

Cute-Cool, 266; kyarakutā and, 60–62, 70–71; marketing of, 7;

index • 317

kawaii (c0ntinued): muteness and, 119–20; pink globalization and, 227–28; sdk, 58; sexy, 224; shōjo on, 55–56, 59–60, 65–66; taishi, 258–59 Kelsky, Karen, 17 Kelts, Roland, 260 Keroppi, 130, 139, 141–42 Kido, Kandice, 138 kimono, 75, 78, 79, 258 Kimura Yu, 258 Kinkade, Thomas, 244 Kinsella, Sharon, 55 kitsch: art and, 231–32, 249–50; Asian, 216; cute as, 24–26, 250–51; described, 212–13; innocence and, 26;

Japanese, 6, 18; pinkness and, 28, 34; transgressive, 197 Kitty Ex. Perfect Guide Book (exhibit/ book), 233–34, 236–37, 249 kitty ex. x erikonail*, 235 Kitty Goods Collection (magazine), 59–60, 60 KittyHell.com (blog). See Hello Kitty

Hell (blog) Kitty Kit Spy (Interact collaboration), 235, 236 Kitty Mama. See Yamaguchi Yūko Kitty Stone (Hibino artwork), 235 Klein, Naomi, 100–101 kogyaru, 52–54 Koizumi Jun’ichiro, 63–65, 257, 258 Komura Masahiko, 258 Kondo Seiichi, 261 Kopytoff, Igor, 25, 77–78 Kulka, Tomas, 231 Kurosaki Eriko, 235 kyarakutā: as comforting, 67; defined, 11, 47; flexibility of, 62; frame of play and, 60; Hello Kitty as, 30, 44; kawaii and, 60–62; mitate and, 66; in 1980s, 61; in 1970s, 61; oversaturation of, 63, 65–66, 67, 221; shōjo and, 60–61; transformation of real into, 63 labor. See child labor Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Lawrence), 232 Lady Gaga, 80, 98–100, 99, 223, 236 LaMarre, Thomas, 119, 256 “Landed” (crop circle), 235, 236 Landover Baptist Church (website), 163, 193–94 Lawrence, D. H., 232 Lebra, Takie, 64 Lee, Bianca, 225 Lee, Leela, 123 LeGuin, Ursula K., 119–20, 162 Lennon, Sean, 235 Leonardo, Kathia, 194 lesbian fandom, 201, 211, 214–16, 224 Lévi-Strauss, Claude, 19 Liberal Democratic Party, 63 License! Global (magazine), 252 Licensing Industry Awards, 253 licensing of Hello Kitty: brand protection and, 114, 243; marketing in 2000s and, 10, 22; offices, 39, 85; product fatigue and, 263–64; Sanrio’s process, 62 Lilly Pulitzer, 136 Lin, Vivian Wenli, 171 Lipinski, Tara, 96 Little Boy (exhibit), 255–57 Little Twin Stars, 141 Loeb, Lisa, 96–97, 97, 206 logo: anniversary theme, 77; Hello

Kitty as, 58, 59, 248, 268; of Riot

Grrrls, 203; transferable, 54, 59, 62–63 Lolita complex. See rorikon Louis Vuitton, 54, 136, 255

MacAdams, Lewis, 26 MacArthur, Douglas, 297n6 MacCannell, Dean, 72, 73 Macias, Patrick, 1–3 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, 3 Madame Alexander dolls, 292n3

318 • index

maneki neko, 126, 127 manga, 7, 49, 167, 262, 283n11 Mansfield, Jayne, 33–34 Marchi, Dave, 97–98, 100, 112, 115–17, 163–64, 191–92, 238–41 marketing: of cuteness, 7; friendly strategies, 92–94; geographies of, 121–26; global, 253; guerrilla tactics, 97–98; if Japanese Cute-Cool, 18, 123; mediascape of Hello Kitty, 9; in 1970s and 1980s, 10–11; of nostalgia, 80–83; race in, 123–24; research, 101–3; strategies, 92–94; in 2000s, 10–11, 18, 22, 123; in the United

States, 120 Marling, Karal Ann, 33–34 masculinity, 27–28, 65, 132, 155–56, 259 Matsui, Midori, 254, 296n5 Mattel Corporation, 35, 79 Mauss, Marcel, 68 McDonald’s, 13–14, 38, 54, 126, 165–66, 195–96, 241 McGray, Douglas, 5, 257, 260 McLaren, Malcolm, 235 McRobbie, Angela, 36 McVeigh, Brian, 70 meaning: 1970s global markets and, 16; play and, 59–60; shifting, 18–24; signifiers and, 8, 19 Medicom, 220 Mehta, Rajan, 235 memory work, 82–83, 244 Merish, Lori, 56–57 Mickey Mouse, 194, 228–29, 236, 265 Miller, Laura, 61 mirroring, 20–21, 67, 129, 261 Miss Piggy, 236 mitate, 66 miyage, 72–75 modernity: Asian-inflected, 14–15, 256;

Coca-Cola as, 13; consumerism and, 44–45; coolness and, 30; as Euro-

American, 12, 14, 16, 228, 265; healing from, 69; symbolism of, 229 Monji Kenjirō, 261–62 Monroe, Marilyn, 232 Mookychick (website), 202–3 mouthlessness: as blank slate, 58–59, 67, 91, 264; codification and, 66; critique of, 172, 181–85, 196–97; cuteness and, 195–98; global recognition of, 10; historical precedents, 21; shock and, 267–68; as stereotype of Asian women, 173–74, 181, 226.

See also muteness mukokuseki, 16–18 Murakami Takashi, 6, 125, 251, 254–58, 262 Murase Miyeko, 21 muteness: amorality of, 166–67; as blank slate, 20–21, 162; charm of, 119–20, 160; consumerism and, 197; passivity and, 226. See also mouthlessness Myers, Mike, 101 My Melody, 141, 142

nail art, 235 Naito Chizuko, 50, 64 Nakajima USA, 93, 122–23 Nakamura, Eric, 125 Nara Yoshitomo, 58, 125 national branding. See branding Neiman Marcus, 134–35 Nemitz, Barbara, 34 Newitz, Annalee, 167 New York Stock Exchange (nyse), 252 Ngai, Sianne, 58 Nickelodeon, 81 Nintendo, 158 No Logo (Klein), 100 Noda Nagi, 235 nostalgia, 17; evoking, 244; for idealized childhood, 10–11, 57, 66, 104; marketing of, 80–83

index • 319

Nye, Joseph, 5, 257, 261 nyse. See New York Stock Exchange

objects: dependency and, 162; happy, 20; identity construction and, 20, 31; meaning and, 1, 18–24; transformation and, 56; transnational, 67, 229 omiyage. See miyage omoide no o-shigoto. See memory work Orenstein, Peggy, 35–36 Otsuka Eiji, 64 Owens, Tim, 188

Pablo, Juan, 194 parody, 28, 192, 203, 231, 250 Passion, Mariko, 225–26 Patrick, Tera, 100, 225 Paul Frank, 31 Peiss, Kathy, 33 People (magazine), 95 Peters, Dan, 105–7, 117 Phelan, Peggy, 17 Pink (magazine), 7 pink globalization, 32–38; edginess and, 230; elements of, 253; intimacy and, 9, 119; Japanese Cute-Cool and, 5–6, 9, 47–48, 117, 243; kawaii and, 6–9, 227–28; as mirror, 261; national identity and, 14; overview, 38–40; as play, 200, 253; shōjo and, 227–28; wink of, 227–28, 264–68 pinkness: associative derivations of, 33–35; critique of, 197; as cuteness, 76; as deceptive, 175; film genre, 36–37; global girl culture and, 32–38; as happiness, 113; as innocence, 34, 117; kitsch and, 28, 34; pink-as-black power, 28–29, 37, 202, 265–66; postfeminism on, 7; sexiness and, 36–37 play, frame of: art and, 231–32, 235–37, 249–50; boundaries and, 249; branding of Japan and, 259, 266; controversy and, 254; in criticism,

186; iconography and, 237; irony and, 200; juxtaposition in, 235–36, 254; meaning and, 59–60; rock and roll, 199; subversion and, 199–200, 216, 226–29; wink and, 28, 200, 227, 265 Pokémon, 10, 45, 102, 167 Poochareon, Ann, 171 Pop Art movement, 230–31 Popcorn, Faith, 7–8, 26, 104 pornography, 36, 50, 125, 225, 232 postfeminism on girl culture, 37–38 Pountain, Dick, 27 Precious Moments, 27, 159, 212–13 Presley, Elvis, 33–34, 232 Pretty Sweet (exhibition catalogue), 230, 231, 243 Puffy AmiYumi, 258 punk fandom, 201–4, 292n3; interview, 204–13. See also Riot Grrrl movement Purorando, 63, 75, 86

Rainbow Bright, 152–53 rave culture, 152–53, 167, 194 Riot Grrrl movement, 202–3, 226 Rivadeneira, Jamie, 236, 238 Robertson, Jennifer, 63 Rogers, David, 27 rorikon, 6, 36, 50 Royal Hawaiian Hotel, 34 Rutherford, Paul, 13

Sachs, Tom, 191, 233, 241–43, 246, 250 sadomasochistic bondage, 50–51, 51, 54, 225 San Francisco Bay Guardian (newspaper), 167 Sanrio: American operations, 92–94; as art patron, 233–38, 249, 266–67; celebrity outreach, 95–101; company philosophy, 84–87, 112–18, 163–64; on consumer life cycle, 103–12; on fan subversions, 200–201, 225;

320 • index

founding of, 15; friendly marketing strategies, 92–94; gotōchi line, 73–74, 248; guerrilla marketing tactics, 97–98; on Hello Kitty biography, 77–80; marketing research, 101–3; marketing strategies in 21st century, 253; nostalgia marketing by, 80–83; phases of, 38; “small gift, big smile” philosophy, 45, 70–71, 81, 83, 86, 108, 118, 147, 252, 258; sociality ethos of, 68–69, 113; stores, 122; theme park, 63, 75, 86. See also licensing of

Hello Kitty Savigliano, Marta, 8–9 Sawaragi Noi, 256–57 Schattschneider, Ellen, 66–67 Schiaparelli, Elsa, 33 Scholnick, Jaime, 182, 183–84, 233 schoolgirl uniforms, 6, 50, 53, 54, 258–59 Schor, Juliet, 32 Scott, Jeremy, 235, 236 sdk (superdeformed kawaii), 58 sentimentality: in art, 230–32, 243–44, 249–50; cuteness and, 8, 25, 26, 56; of kitsch, 24, 197 sexuality: lesbian porn, 225; pinkness and, 36–37; shōjo, 55; stereotyped, 224 Shimizu Yuko, 87–88 Shishiro, 63–65, 67 shōjo: eternal youth and, 81–82; gift giving by, 70–71; as girl-child/ sex-child, 49–55; on kawaii, 55–56, 59–60, 65–66; kyarakutā and, 60–61, 65–66; manga, 283n11; in 1960s–1970s, 48–50; pink globalization and, 227–28; schoolgirl uniforms, 6, 50, 53, 54, 258–59; stereotyping of, 53–54; as target market, 68, 69, 77. See also kogyaru Shoot a Mouth on Hello Kitty (Scholnick performance), 182–84, 183–84 signifiers, 8, 19, 189, 201, 203 “small gift, big smile.” See under gifting Smashing Pumpkins (rock band), 164 Smith, Joe, 155 sociality, 47, 61, 68–71, 83, 113, 114–15, 139. See also gifting soft power, 5–6, 28–29, 31, 252, 257–61, 262, 265 Spears, Britney, 80, 236 SpongeBob SquarePants, 297n7 Stallybrass, Peter, 197 Starbucks, 14, 195–96 Stearns, Peter, 27 Stefani, Gwen, 123 Steinberg, Marc, 63 stereotyping: of Asian American women, 171–74, 176–77, 181, 226, 228; of Asian culture, 167, 198; of

Asian women, 168, 171–74, 226; of female domesticity, 30; of gay males, 214; gender-based, 165; Hello Kitty clientele and, 155–57; of Latinas, 147; orientalist, 160, 171–72; Riot Grrrls and, 202; sexualized, 224; of shōjo, 53–54; souvenirs and, 86 Stewart, Susan, 25, 73, 161 Strawberry King, 87 Stupid Factory, 190 Sturken, Marita, 25–26, 82 Sugiura Tsutomu, 260 Superflat movement, 254–57, 262–63 Super Mario Brothers, 153 Surface to Air, 235, 236 Susumu Emori, 264

Tafolla, Adeline (Ady), 148–55 Takashi Murakami. See Murakami

Takashi Takayuki Tatsumi, 16 Tamagotchi, 102 Tan, Amy, 176 Taoyuan International Airport, 75 Tarantino, Tarina, 210

index • 321

Target, 111, 120 target audiences: children, 10–11, 29–32; mothers, 10–11; shōjo, 68, 69, 77 tattoos, 134, 188, 217, 220–21 Teletubbies, 153 thingness, 19–23 Thomas, Nicholas, 18–19 Thompson, Robert Farris, 27 Three Apples (exhibition), 76, 236, 237, 238–41, 249 Tiffany and Company, 136 Time (magazine), 91 Tisch School of the Arts (New York

University), 171–72 Tohmatsu Kazuo, 234 tourism, 258–59 Toys R Us, 150 true believers, 115–16, 118, 147 Tsuji Kunihiko, 86, 252 Tsuji Shintarō, 15, 16–17, 75, 84–87, 111, 163 Tsung-ji Tsai, 38 Tsutomu Sugiura, 260

Umiumare, Yumi, 168–70, 233 Uncyclopedia (website), 189 Undercover, 220 unicef, 165 unmarked culture, 18 urban Japan: consumer culture of, 45; kogyaru and, 77; kyarakutā in, 63, 65; mockumentary on, 1–3; social life in, 69; youth culture, 3, 278n1 US Weekly (magazine), 95 Uyehara, Denise, 170–71, 171, 233

vibrators, Hello Kitty, 10, 55, 137, 182, 186, 194, 224–25 Victoria’s Secret Pink line, 7, 131 Wagner, Billy, 155 “Walk Through Hell, A” (Owens image), 188 Walmart, 111, 120, 138 Walsworth, Sarah, 84, 113–17 Watson, James L., 13–14 websites, anti-Hello Kitty, 185–89 wet/dry Japan, 70, 286n29 White, Allon, 197 Wilson, Edmund, 232 Wilson, Marika, 3 wink: as cute/cool, 62; as friendship, 160–62; and Japanese Cute-Cool, 28, 227–28; as oxymoron, 26–29; pink globalization and, 264–68; as play, 28, 200, 227, 265; subversion and, 226–29; wink on pink, use of term, 7–8, 26 Wise, Brownie, 33 Wong, Martin, 125 World Trade Organization protests (1999), 13, 264 Wu, Kiko, 225

Yamaguchi Masao, 66 Yamaguchi Yūko, 1, 85–86, 87, 89–92, 117, 118, 162, 266 Yamanashi Silk Center Co., Ltd., 15, 46 Yasukuni Shrine bride dolls, 66 yellow expression, 18, 19 Yellow Kitties, 214–15 “Yokoso! Japan” campaign, 258–59 Yonekubo Setsuko, 87–88 youth culture, Japanese, 3, 5, 123, 244, 278n1 YouTube, 189–90, 225 Yuki (singer), 50–51, 51

Zhejiang Yinrun Leisure Development, 38

322 • index