COLL 176: HELLO KITTY AND POLITICS
Spring 2027 · Section 001 · CRN 26929
In 1974, at just a mere 5 apples tall and 3 apples heavy, Hello Kitty took the world by storm with her cuteness. Through countless plushies and stickers, she has become an world-wide symbol for friendship and happiness, and this shows through the way she functions in international diplomacy. In 2008, she was appointed as a goodwill tourism ambassador to China and Hong Kong, and in 2016 she had an official campaign for presidency under the “Friendship Party”, among other things. Hello Kitty has been a symbol of cuteness to many, but she is also a tool for Japan’s international relationships. In this course, students will be inspired to critically think about topics such as "soft power", consumerism, and propaganda. They will examine how cute figures such as Hello Kitty have partly been promoted to change the image of Japan post-World War II, as well as gain a profit through merchandise. This course will be discussion-based for the most part, with students being expected to read the assigned articles and media for the course before class and actively contribute to in-class discussion.
- Credits
- 1
- Instructors
- Carissa Zimmerman, Sarai Abram