Hello Kitty Expansion Rumors

[UNIrd]

Well, if this is for a full Hello Kitty land, I don't think anything Universal could announce could possibly interest me less. And I like Hello Kitty. She's a cute and iconic character. But in no way does she support a full land at all.

Hello Kitty doesn't even support a full land in Japan. She literally has 1 flat ride, a meet-and-greet, and a store there. I don't see her getting much more in the U.S.

 

[ChrisFL]

Hello Kitty doesn't even support a full land in Japan. She literally has 1 flat ride, a meet-and-greet, and a store there. I don't see her getting much more in the U.S.

Well actually that may be because Hello Kitty has its own full theme park:

Sanrio Puroland | Sanrio Puroland Meet Hello Kitty and her friends!

 

[quinnmac000]

I mean at with Sanrio they will allow Hello Kitty a sanctioned HHN Overlay, I mean they even made a Chucky Hello Kitty last HHN.

 

[chewbacca1995]

Something like Storybook Canals, Sinbad at TDS or IASW themed to Hello Kitty could be a fun addition for families. I think they might need to add something a tad more adventurous for a 5-8 minute ride, though.

It could be worse than a Hello Kitty mini-land, though. Universal might decide to throw Barbie, MLP, Monster High and Care Bears in for good measure

 

[quinnmac000]

Something like Storybook Canals, Sinbad at TDS or IASW themed to Hello Kitty could be a fun addition for families. I think they might need to add something a tad more adventurous for a 5-8 minute ride, though.

I think the level of "kawaii" will literally ostracize a large group of males and potentially females as well. They would need to do something more adventurous and dark while remaining cute. Your idea has already been made that's how I know it won't go over well because i think i would rather be stuck on a small world for ten hours than deal with the cute level of the ride.

 

[jrn14]

I might be incredibly naive but I don't think Hello Kitty is more iconic than The Simpsons in the United States nor do I think she will be in the year 2027. I don't even think it would be close. Maybe something like this could thrive in Hollywood but Orlando really doesn't pull a lot of tourists from Asia in my experience. A lot of my friends are huge pop culture nerds and none of them seem to be into Hello Kitty at all.

 

[Nick]

I might be incredibly naive but I don't think Hello Kitty is more iconic than The Simpsons in the United States nor do I think she will be in the year 2027. I don't even think it would be close. Maybe something like this could thrive in Hollywood but Orlando really doesn't pull a lot of tourists from Asia in my experience. A lot of my friends are huge pop culture nerds and none of them seem to be into Hello Kitty at all.

1.) I agree
2.) It's not going to matter who is more iconic.... Universal isn't going to retain the Simpsons rights past their expiration date if the Fox-Disney merger goes though

 

[Legacy]

I think the level of "kawaii" will literally ostracize a large group of males and potentially females as well. They would need to do something more adventurous and dark while remaining cute. Your idea has already been made that's how I know it won't go over well because i think i would rather be stuck on a small world for ten hours than deal with the cute level of the ride.

Obviously, the only thing this ride needs is for something to go wrong.

I think what we're going to start seeing, and what the adult fans are going to have to start coping with, is Universal's efforts to broaden its demographic. KidZone, as it is, is a combination of woefully dated and narrowly focused. Barney and Curious George start becoming actively unappealing once kids turn 6-7, and few people under 15 know anything about Fievel or Woody Woodpecker. More importantly, there's no actual RIDES for kids in the Studios. Even the simulators have height restrictions. The only tame "kid's" ride in the park is themed to aliens from a adult cartoon who want to take over the planet.

I can totally understand the fans on here not wanting Hello Kitty, especially at the expense of Simpsons. But Nintendo is going to drastically increase the amount of families, with kids, at the park. Yoshi and the playground, though kid-centric, aren't going to be "enough." Even if Hello Kitty is hyper-cute to the point it induces sickness, kids (especially young girls) will likely love it. And that pushes merch.

Yoshi, Sanrio, Secret Life of Pets, the writings on the wall everyone. Universal is actively looking at ways to engage children... you know, the markets Disney has owned for decades. P4rk will likely be more of the same.

 

[jrn14]

:fist:

I love Springfield! I know it's a decade away but this would be a huge bummer for me ha ha. I guess there is no sense fretting about it for the next 10 years. I just hope Simpsons can stick around as long as possible. I would love if they could keep investing in the area, but I really like it as is, and even if something has to replace it I have a feeling it wouldn't be a strictly "Hello Kitty" world. There could be a new hot IP by then they want to capitalize on, but if not I would think a mixed IP Japan theme makes more sense thank HK. Just curious when... if ever does the Marvel contract expire?

 

[zg44]

:fist:

I love Springfield! I know it's a decade away but this would be a huge bummer for me ha ha. I guess there is no sense fretting about it for the next 10 years. I just hope Simpsons can stick around as long as possible. I would love if they could keep investing in the area, but I really like it as is, and even if something has to replace it I have a feeling it wouldn't be a strictly "Hello Kitty" world. There could be a new hot IP by then they want to capitalize on, but if not I would think a mixed IP Japan theme makes more sense thank HK. Just curious when... if ever does the Marvel contract expire?

Marvel was forced to sell most of their rights in perpetuity (forever) models back when they were near bankruptcy and literally scrounging for cash. So Universal holds the Orlando rights as long as it wants.

That's really the difference. Most theme parks rights agreements last for roughly 20-25 years including extensions.

Then you need a new contract when you near the last extension on the previous one.

Harry Potter agreement has 2 extensions and expires in 2029 after second extension as an example.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Everyone, please remember this is a rumor. Don’t jump on this as if this is happening tomorrow or even a few years from now.

The attraction could be located somewhere else than Simpsons, end up becoming something else, and more. This thread is about an expansion of Hello Kitty, not Hello Kitty replacing Springfield.

 

[Legacy]

Everyone, please remember this is a rumor. Don’t jump on this as if this is happening tomorrow or even a few years from now.

The attraction could be located somewhere else than Simpsons, end up becoming something else, and more. This thread is about an expansion of Hello Kitty, not Hello Kitty replacing Springfield.

I was actually just considering that too. Putting Sanrio into Shrek, and then building a new building for Secret Life of Pets (Library Façade?) would actually make a lot of sense. It keeps Sanrio contained to a "single" attraction and puts SLoP in New York where it ostensibly belongs. With all the backstage construction, it could be viable to build a new "Soundstage 33" closer to Diagon.

 

[JoeCamel]

I was actually just considering that too. Putting Sanrio into Shrek, and then building a new building for Secret Life of Pets (Library Façade?) would actually make a lot of sense. It keeps Sanrio contained to a "single" attraction and puts SLoP in New York where it ostensibly belongs. With all the backstage construction, it could be viable to build a new "Soundstage 33" closer to Diagon.

Ohhhh, if it went in Shrek you could.............exit through the gift shop

 

[Legacy]

Ohhhh, if it went in Shrek you could.............exit through the gift shop

Exactly!

All that's immediately behind the façade is a credit union, and Soundstage 33 is roughly the same size as Shrek. Building a new "meeting" space... I don't know... where Wardrobe currently is, would actually work remarkably well. It would be immediately accessible for guest drop-offs (limiting backstage traffic from guests) and it would put them right by Diagon for immediate, backstage access.

 

[captainmoch]

Obviously, the only thing this ride needs is for something to go wrong.

I think what we're going to start seeing, and what the adult fans are going to have to start coping with, is Universal's efforts to broaden its demographic. KidZone, as it is, is a combination of woefully dated and narrowly focused. Barney and Curious George start becoming actively unappealing once kids turn 6-7, and few people under 15 know anything about Fievel or Woody Woodpecker. More importantly, there's no actual RIDES for kids in the Studios. Even the simulators have height restrictions. The only tame "kid's" ride in the park is themed to aliens from a adult cartoon who want to take over the planet.

I can totally understand the fans on here not wanting Hello Kitty, especially at the expense of Simpsons. But Nintendo is going to drastically increase the amount of families, with kids, at the park. Yoshi and the playground, though kid-centric, aren't going to be "enough." Even if Hello Kitty is hyper-cute to the point it induces sickness, kids (especially young girls) will likely love it. And that pushes merch.

Yoshi, Sanrio, Secret Life of Pets, the writings on the wall everyone. Universal is actively looking at ways to engage children... you know, the markets Disney has owned for decades. P4rk will likely be more of the same.

I agree that Universal needs to broaden their demographic appeal. But replacing Springfield with Hello Kitty is the wrong way to go.

Is it bad that I think Hello Kitty would actually be a much better fit for T2's replacement?

 

[Mad Dog]

Everyone, please remember this is a rumor. Don’t jump on this as if this is happening tomorrow or even a few years from now.

The attraction could be located somewhere else than Simpsons, end up becoming something else, and more. This thread is about an expansion of Hello Kitty, not Hello Kitty replacing Springfield.

This.:thumbsup:

 

[GadgetGuru]

If a Hello Kitty land ever became a thing, I'd be shocked if it didn't come to USJ first. USJ has less Hello Kitty than I would expect. I would think USJ would be the testbed for a possible state-side Hello Kitty land.

 

[Magic-Man]

Don't forget about Cartoon Network or Dreamworks in all of this

 

[Frogki]

Don't forget about Cartoon Network or Dreamworks in all of this

Where did Cartoon Network come into play? I love some of their IPs but I didn't think Universal had anything with them at this time...

 

[Viator]

Don't forget about Cartoon Network or Dreamworks in all of this

For just making sure, Universal doesn't own Cartoon Network. And from what it seems, DWA may have bigger plans for down south if rumors pan out.

If Hello Kitty comes in a larger format, I would assume that it'd be more on the larger Sanrio brand as opposed to one character.