Hello Kitty fans storm Tokyo National Museum exhibit to grab limited edition merch (VIDEO)

TOKYO, Nov 2 — Hello Kitty, Sanrio’s beloved mascot celebrates its 50th birthday this year and one of the events in conjunction with it was a special Tokyo National Museum exhibit.

According to the Tokyo Art Beat website, the event had the following things to look forward to:

• The largest collection of Hello Kitty merchandise ever displayed

• Collaborative works with uniquely creative artists

• Original video content

• Various other sections to explore and unravel the uniqueness of Hello Kitty

On social media, pictures and videos emerged of long lines at the museum to the point staffers struggled to contain the crowd with some visitors rushing into the venue.

Viral videos of the first day of the Tokyo National Museum's special Hello Kitty exhibit show staff losing control of the line. Netizens claim that many people in the line were Chinese resellers who wanted to buy large quantities of special edition merch. pic.twitter.com/hBvNLiiWzC https://t.co/RJEvwmoukh

— Jeffrey J. Hall (@mrjeffu) November 2, 2024
@yokopii

ハローキティ展、最高の空間でした...。‍ #ハローキティ展#ハローキティ50周年#東京国立博物館#サンリオ#展示会#グッズ#レトロ#sanrio#hellokitty#hellokitty50th#hellokittyexhibition#tokyo

Popcorn!! (intro version) - MAISONdes

The exhibition is currently running from November 1 until February 24,2025 so there’s still a chance for you to enjoy the event should you be visiting Japan during that period.

Just remember there will be tickets you will need to purchase to enter.

@browngirlghibli

I was out of Tokyo for 1 week and forgot how much we need to line up #hellokitty #japantiktok #japanliving #tokyonationalmuseum #hellokitty50thanniversary #japanlife #livingabroad #browngirltiktok

Dreamy Girl - Headphone Chill Girl

Let’s hope that Sanrio can keep up with the demand for Hello Kitty merch if only so visitors won’t leave emptyhanded due to the merch being snapped up by resellers.

For information on ticketing, you can visit the website. https://hellokittyexhibition.com/tickets/