GOOD Kitty!

Picture from NYDailyNews.com

I know I wasn’t alone in my Hello Kitty fantasies and obsessions. How could I be, when the whole world recognizes Hello Kitty as an International Icon of Cuteness?

Few characters have had such a distinguished career as this furry feline. Even without a mouth, Hello Kitty crosses the barriers of age, gender, and nationality with such ease that you’d think this cat that weighed no more than three apples was bestowed with her very own manifest destiny.

Consider this: In 1984, Hello Kitty was named UNICEF Ambassador in the US. Ten years later, Japan’s UNICEF office also awarded her the same post. And in 2008, she was hailed as Japan’s offical Ambassador for Tourism, a post highly coveted by humans and nonhumans (fictional or otherwise) alike.

At 38 years old and nearing midlife, Hello Kitty seems to show no signs of aging as she continues her domination across the globe.

Few of us have ever gone to Japan’s Sanrio Puroland and Sanrio Park Harmonyland, or even Malaysia’s very new Hello Kitty Town in Johor. For many Filipinos in love with Hello Kitty, these will remain part of their bucket list, probably unchecked for years, because of soaring ticket prices and travel costs.

Still, there is a Hello Kitty glimmer in the horizon, and it comes perfectly on time for this holiday season, as SM City North EDSA, the largest mall in the country, teams up with Sanrio and Gift Gate to bring Hello Kitty to her many fans in the country.

Yes, my friends, Hello Kitty will be here soon.

Hello, Hello Kitty!

At SM City’s North EDSA The Block Atrium, from November 10 to January 6, Hello Kitty will be featured in one of the most animated, interactive events of the supermall’s history.

Hungry for Hello Kitty treats? There will be a Hello Kitty Cake Shop where kitty treats are more than just catnip!

A coffee lover, are you? Then head on to the Hello Kitty Coffee Shop to get your caffeine fix with just the right amount of Kitty sweetness!

The Hello Kitty House is perfect for photo ops with you and favorite Kitty friends, so bring them all and wear your finest Hello Kitty oufits! (I know I will!)

Looking for a romantic date? The Skygarden has Hello Kitty lanterns for a most unique experience!

And everywhere in the Activity Hall, you will find exciting activities that are sure to whet your Hello Kitty appetites for more, including but not limited to the following:

• face painting sessions, from November 10 to December 24, from 2 to 4pm, with Hello Kitty up, close, and personal
• Hello Kitty fashion show on December 8, 4pm, where the latest and trendiest Hello Kitty fashion and accessories will be shown off

Still not convinced this is the BIGGEST Christmas extravaganza this season? Check out the Hello Kitty Luxe Collection at the 3rd floor of The Block from November 10 to January 6 and prepared to be amazed!

Now, if you think Hello Kitty will exempt the normally calming oasis of the elegant Interior Zone, think again! Also from November 10 to January 6, longtime collectors and Interior Zone tenants will team up with some of the the country’s best designers from the Philippine School of Interior Design to present to you Kittified room exhibits.

Wait, there’s also a Hello Kitty car display collection to make you drool! Can you absolutely believe it? Hello Kitty will be everywhere at the SM City North EDSA! *faints*

Of course, SMNE outdoes itself by adding more events in this season of merriment!

• There’s the Santa Meet and Greet at the City Center (main bulding) 3rd floor, on December 9,16,24,and 25 from 3 to 5pm.
• The Mr. Men and Little Miss Misterland opens on December 1 at the Annex 4th floor, with free storytelling sessions on December 2,14,22,and 23.
• Be serenaded with the most enchanting carols on December 2 and 16 by SM’s Grand Chorale.
• Shop till you drop at the All-4-Kids Sale at the City Center 3rd floor from November 14 to 18 and December 10 to 16.
• And if you haven’t had your fill yet from toy sales, the latest being Toy Kingdom’s very successful Warehouse Sale at SM Megamall, SM City North follows it up with a Holiday Bazaar at the Skydome on Novemver 30, December 1 and 2.

Truly, there is no limit to our holiday merrymaking this Christmas!

See you at SM City North EDSA! Kittymama won’t miss this for the world!

~0~ ♥ ~0~

And now for some sponsor acknowledgements:

SM City North EDSA

Sanrio and Gift Gate

With the special participation of the following:

HP, Samsung, Firefly, Uniqlo, Toy Kingdom, SM Department Store, The Philippine School of Interior Design, Color & Life, Eglo, Linden Teak, Market Square, Space & Style, Urban Concepts, Breadtalk, Jamba Juice, Papa John’s Pizza, and Tender Bob’s, Forever 21, National Bookstore, Pink Parlor, Van’s, Shell Canvas, Cakes R Us, MSI Notebook.

The Gift Gate Big Sale 2012

Up till last night, I wasn’t really sure I’d be able to make it to today’s much-awaited event.  When my friends Gracie and Cynch sent me text messages last night to arrange our date, I couldn’t even give a firm answer. This, after we had planned more than a month ago, to meet up there. Bad, I know. 😦

Then again, things that were happening just seemed to be out of my control. Our family car had been in the shop for more than a week and the service vehicle that was generously lent to us was being pulled out. Also, Alex had Saturday class, which meant he had to be in school earlier than usual if I wanted to make it early halfway across the city. I crossed my fingers and conditioned myself mentally to accept the possibility that I was missing one of the biggest sales of the season.

And then, at the last moment, everything just worked out perfectly. We got another service unit on loan! (Thank you, Toyota!) And Alex, good old Alex, said he didn’t mind going to school early. Woohoo! 🙂

And so, at half past seven this morning, we found ourselves at Bonifacio Global City two and a half hours early for The Gift Gate Big Sale! Talk about excited!

There’s never been a sale like this before, at least not in the history of Gift Gate and Sanrio in the Philippines. Sanrio products have always carried high price tags and this has been its weakness in the frustrating fight against pirated Hello Kitty and other pseudo-Sanrio products. And with times being hard, even those who love Hello Kitty (like me!) have had to go on Kitty rehab for the sake of their financial (and mental) health.

To be fair, Gift Gate Philippines has done much to make the products affordable to many. They’ve introduced tie-ups with local manufacturers. They’ve brought in imported items from lower price ranges to entice more shoppers. They’ve also held a series of special events where items can be purchased at a discount. Today’s sale, however, was the biggest one yet, and it promised a wide variety of products all in one roof. Prices would be significantly slashed on many items and even regular and new products get a 30% discount. It was an event that no sane Kittyholic would dare miss!

Here are pictures from today’s event. If some pictures are blurry, please forgive my camera techniques. I was shooting (pics) and grabbing, shooting and scampering, shooting and shopping, heehee.

At 9 in the morning (we took breakfast at a nearby cafe first), there were people already in line. As soon as I stepped in line, some kind Gift Gate people said hello and welcomed me personally.  One thing I could always commend about Gift Gate is that its people always, always make sure you feel like you are special (even if you are really not, heehee). It’s great customer service, I tell you.

A sneak peek before the venue was opened to the public. I called it “the calm before the storm, este, the crowds.”

And then the shopping began! There were people everywhere! The airconditioning, which was operating well in the beginning, was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people. And even when people were sweating buckets, no one seemed to mind. They were all busy… shopping!

Is this a Crocs sale? Am I in a Create-your-own Havianas event?  Ooops, my mistake! This is the area where Hello Kitty flipflops went for as low as PhP50 a pair! Goodness!

Pillows galore! I wish I had grabbed more!

Because we came early, we were able to take advantage of the sale. I had hoped to sweet talk A♥ into buying me more HK luggage but alas, mine are still almost brand new. Maybe next year then.  After letting me go crazy, he took my purchases and lined up for me. He was in a hurry to leave because Alex was going to be fetched at noon. Also, we were almost out of money, heehee.

Here is Kittymama with friends Cynch and Gracie. Are those tears of joy running down Kittymama’s cheeks? (Actually, it was sweat, haha!)

My favorite family- Gracie with her husband and kids and Cynch!

And of course, what is shopping without the haul? I got a lovely tarpaulin ecoback, an umbrella, a pillow (why, oh why, didn’t I get more?), an eyeglass case (thanks, Cynch, for sharing this with me), file folders, an earphone winder, and a necklace. My bestest buy was the HK golf bag rain cover! Woohoo!

P.S. I didn’t take pictures of the rest of my loot because they were meant to be gifts for special people. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise. 🙂

Did I tell you I didn’t forget my lovely nannies? I just wished they had bigger sizes. I couldn’t fit into them. 😦 Still, I was happy I was able to bring home something for my girls here at home.

These are A♥’s favorite buys of the day- lightbulbs at 3 for PhP100! And because we really do patronize the brand, getting these at a bargain (he got a dozen) was his gift to himself. 🙂

This is Kittymama pretending it was raining inside the bedroom and singing Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” ♪♫

(Ella ella, eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella, eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella, eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella, eh eh eh, eh eh eh)

And then this is Kittymama, flat out tired from a whole morning’s adventure, and dreaming of Gift Gate’s Big Sale 2012.

Thank you, Gift Gate Philippines, for a wonderful day! I hope you make this a yearly event! 🙂

Now 16, Forever Sweet

Today, Alphonse turns sixteen.

It never ceases to amaze me when I look at him, now almost grown up. He stands three inches taller than me, fits into men’s clothing, and sports a slightly disheveled moustache which matches the smattering of hair in his armpits. Everywhere I look, I no longer see a trace of the baby or the child he once was. All I see is a man.

The truth is, I miss my baby. I miss the sweetness of his breath in the morning. I miss the softness of his unblemished skin. I miss being able to carry  him in the crook of my arm to sing him to sleep.

 I miss the way he fits in the side of my body when he curls up in bed with me.

I miss his chubby cheeks and his round, heavy body. I miss the hibernating porkchop and his pouty lips.

I miss his childlike smile, the one that erases all my fears away. 

But even as I miss those mementoes of his childhood, I marvel at who he has become today. Almost a man, but not quite. Loud, quirky, opinionated, determined. Headstrong and bullish. Sweet and trusting. 

It has been a long journey from then to now. There were many days of pain and heartache, and of grief and despair, but for each one of those miserable days, our lives were blessed a millionfold by what we have learned living with and loving him. Alphonse has taught us patience and tolerance, forgiveness and acceptance, gratitude and surrender. Most of all, he has taught us how to love without hope or thought of reciprocity. We love him because we do, and not because of anything he does to make us love him. It’s as simple as that.

Happy birthday, our dear sweet child, our Alphonse.  Papa, Mama, and Kuya Alex love you so much.

~0~

While on the subject of birthday celebrations, this blog also turns a year older this month. Happy 3rd birthday to Okasaneko Chronicles!

In 2007, when I started blogging, I was lucky to get even just ten people a day to read my blog. Three years later, despite the lack of promotion (I’ve never really been very big at that) and the freedom to express myself, those numbers have multiplied exponentially. In this little corner of the Internet I call Kittymama’s home, I have made many friends. I have also become part of a larger community of people I would never have met were it not for this wonderful experience. Thank you to all those who have come, visited, read, lingered, commented, returned, or even just glanced at the pages of my life. I am humbled by your kindness and love.

The Okasaneko Chronicles’ 3rd Blog Birthday Giveaway starts today so please be sure to leave a comment in this blog post to join. You can read the mechanics here for the full details on the giveaway. Many, many thanks to all those who have helped make this giveaway a reality: Sanrio Gift Gate Philippines, Ban Kee Trading, Inc., BusinessWorld/HerWord.com, Autism Society Philippines, The Fairy Godmother, and Alphie (who is none other than Alphonse, the birthday boy who wishes to share his birthday blessings with his Mama).

 

D-6 and Counting

Late yesterday afternoon, I received three email messages confirming the pick-up places for the giveaways. Woohoo! This was all coming along so well, I thought to myself as I half-ran, half-skipped all the way to the bathroom to get ready.  I wanted to do at least one pick-up last night and depending on the state of traffic, maybe add another one. When Alphonse saw me getting ready, he started flashing his dizzyingly gorgeous smiles at me, which was a very convincing plea to bring him along.

I was excited but control freak that I really am, I had this script planned in my head already. I would bring along Alphonse, and with his dad taking our picture, he and I would pose with some store personnel in the act of receiving the donated gift items. More bloggable moments, I figured.  Our first stop would be the Sanrio Store at SM North EDSA Annex, where Ms. Isabel Lopez, marketing manager of Gift Gate- Sanrio Philippines (Great Gifts sales & Licensing International Corp.) had sent the giveways for pick-up. If traffic cooperated, maybe we’d have time to drop by Toytown Eastwood Mall where Mr. Joseph de Leon of Ban Kee Trading, exclusive distributor of Sylvanian Families in the country, had dropped off the SF giveaways.

I’m not a very vain person but when I know I’d be posing for pictures, I try to look better than I normally do. (The script in my head demanded for that, too.) Rummaging through my Kitty-inspired clothing, I fancied upon this super comfy gray Kitty shirt from Torrid, matched it with some black leggings, and finished the outfit off with my Hello Kitty Crocs McCall. Sorry for the creases in the shirt, folks. By the time I thought to take the pictures, Alphonse had been sitting on my lap for a while. 🙂

Kittymama in leggings- who knew?

In love with my Kitty Crocs

Traffic, as usual, was bad last night, so poof! I moved the second destination to another date. We would have gone back home were it not for Alphonse, who was so excited to be out again that he was literally squealing in glee. But nothing in the script, it seemed, was going to go as planned. The ride to SM North EDSA which normally takes just fifteen minutes stretched to an hour last night. Alphonse was in such a great mood, though,  that we didn’t worry too much about him getting bored. I prepped him with the plan again and elicited a pinky promise from him to behave very well.

I think he meant to keep his promise, really, he did. From the fourth level where we were parked down to the upper ground floor where the Sanrio Store is located, Alphonse held our hands and walked calmly, all the while flashing his silly grins. When we reached the store, I made him pose for a picture before we went in to get the giveaways. He smiled shyly, stood still for all of three seconds, and bolted away! I managed to click the shutter once before he ran straight to the Pizza Hut kiosk across the floor! I almost dropped the camera as we started running after him but he was determined and fast. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Poof! Another planned moment gone in a few seconds.

The good news is that even without the camera documenting our every move, I did receive the Sanrio giveaways. I am very grateful to Ms. Isabel Lopez and the Gift Gate family for their gifts, which we will raffle off to three lucky readers of this blog. Inside each of the bags is a charming yet functional Hello Kitty star card case/coin purse in canvas, a 35th Anniversary plastic file folder to organize your documents, a Hello Kitty magnet sheet (I’m a sucker for magnets, heehee), a mini-memo pad which is perfect for stashing in your bag, and a unique sticker sheet featuring all the official designs of Hello Kitty from 1974 to 2008. This is a great gift any Hello Kitty fan would love to have and it’s FREE!!! What could be better than that?  

I’m getting ready to publish the mechanics of the contest so please be sure to watch out for it. The contest will start on November 3 and end on November 14. I will pick the winners via this cool raffle drum on loan to me by the very kind folks at BusinessWorld. 🙂

Thanks for staying tune, friends! I will take more pictures of the giveaways as I receive them and post them up too. I hope these whet your appetite for The OC 3rd Blog Birthday Giveway. See you soon!

Countdown to November

As November approaches, Alphonse senses something special is coming up and acts giddy and excited. It doesn’t hurt that another long break is overdue, what with the All Saints’ Day/All Souls’ Day holidays coinciding with most schools’ semestral break. Despite Alphonse’s lack of knowledge and concern about dates, he gets a lot of cues from the people around him and instinctively anticipates the coming days.

I can’t help but feel giddy as well. The OC (short for Okasaneko Chronicles, but funny how it simply dawned on me now that another form of OC is perfectly apt for me- obssessive compulsive, heehee) 3rd Blog Birthday Giveaways will be starting on November 3  and all the people I’ve asked for support has responded very favorably. Even HerWord.com, BusinessWorld’s e-zine for women, is sending a gift for giveaway! Yippee!  The mechanics will be up very soon so please watch out this week for more news on the giveaway.

To get Alphonse prepped for his birthday road trip, we started him on short trips again. His behavior looks very promising. He has been very well behaved on our short trips and save for some minor shouting (he does love his verbal stims), there have been no major problems with grabbing or running away. Two weeks ago, at the grocery store, Alphonse wanted to ride the shopping cart the way he used to when he was a small child. I can’t help but smile when I remember how he took off his size 8 shoes and tried to lift one leg to put inside the large shopping cart. He’s almost five feet five inches now so the sight of him inside one can’t be considered cute anymore. Good thing he’s very pliable these days and we were able to convince him to walk with us instead.

Yesterday was another holiday because of the local barangay elections. Taking advantage of another free day, we decided to start Alphonse’s day with a visit to Granny Flower’s ossuary (Granny Flower is A’s mom).

Then it was off to  my Mom and Dad’s house for a visit. We didn’t stay too long, though. We wanted to give him an hour or two at the mall before it was overrun with people.  We also wanted to tire him out by walking the stretch of the SM North EDSA Sky Garden’s 400-meter covered walk way.

Alphonse was met with a lot of curious stares as his dad and big brother held his hands while walking. He didn’t seem to mind the gawking; in fact, he had a ready smile for everyone he crossed paths with.

He fell in love with this overgrown pumpkin decoration and sat down and fiddled with it before we could entice him to walk again. He even laid down a few seconds on the grass right beside it.

But we made sure to keep our promise of afternoon merienda (snack). Food is always a highlight of any trip for him and he loves Ineng’s succulent pork barbecue on a stick. He had one while sitting, another one while walking back to the car, and a third one inside the car. When we got home, he ate two more! This boy can definitely eat!

It doesn’t take much to make him happy, as you can see.  We didn’t even have to spend for anything other than food. At yet, at the end of the day,  you can tell by his smiles and kisses that he absolutely loves these mini-dates. Here’s crossing our fingers he’ll love our birthday surprise for him!

Sanrio and YKL Promotion

On October 15, 2010, Friday, Sanrio Philippines launches its newest partnership and promotion with YKL Color, the Philippines’ exclusive distributor of Fujifilm digital products. For a limited time only (until supplies last, that is), a free Hello Kitty camera case and a 2GB SD card will be given free with purchase of a Finepix Z700 EXR or a Finepix Z33 WP from the following branches of Fujifilm Digital Imaging (FDI) shops: SM Fairview, SM Manila, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa Annex and Southgate Mall.

The promotion also includes a free 4R (4″x6″) print for every purchase of PhP1000 at selected Gift Gate branches (Gift Gate SM Mega Mall/Gift Gate Trinoma/Gift Gate Greenhills/Gift Gate Robinsons Ermita/Gift Gate Alabang Town Center).  This promotion runs from October 15 to November 15, 2010.

I like promotions that offer extra products or services, particularly when Sanrio Philippines gets in the picture. (Remember BreadTalk? That was one yummy tie-up that I loved! Nom nom nom nom nom. ) Being a Sony camera fan myself, I find myself oddly drooling at the thought of a really cute camera case (free! Hello Kitty!) for the Fujifilm Finepix. If you’re on the lookout for a new digital camera, consider Fujifilm’s Finepix models and give it a try. I like the Z700 and its good reviews on the Net make it an instant favorite.  

The free print promo is not new but is always a welcome treat. If you can get a free print for buying things you normally would buy even without freebies, then that is simply a lot of sweet icing on the cake.  (Notice how I like metaphors that involve cake?)

Now, if I can only get them to clean up their horrible ad. “Are you vouge* or the adventurous**?” simply smacks of bad spelling and wrong grammar. For a country that prides itself on having English as our second language, it makes me wince to look at it. Please, Sanrio Philippines and YKL Color! Take this down and change this before it’s too late!

Then again, perhaps, I should be more forgiving of bad English; it’s not as if we Filipinos have a monopoly of it. Need proof? Go to Engrish.com or Engrish.com on Facebook  and try happy***!  🙂

~0~

* wrong spelling, should be vogue

** should be “or adventurous” or “are you adventurous”

***” Try happy” was Engrish.com’s status message in Facebook on October 1, 2010. It could mean “try to be happy”or simply “be happy.” Whatever.

Update on BreadTalk + Sanrio

I received an e-mail reply today to my inquiry from Ms. Cathy Albano, Marketing Assistant of BreadTalk and here is what she wrote:

All Sanrio whole cakes are priced at P800 and size is 8-inch diameter. We usually take orders in advance so that we can prepare the cakes in time for pick-up at any of the following cake stores: Glorietta 4, Robinsons Place, SM Mall of Asia, Rockwell, Megamall, Landmark TriNoma, Alabang Town Center and Gateway.

As to the flavor, here is a selection for you to choose from:

· chocolate chiffon filled with chocolate ganache or

· vanilla chiffon with your choice of filling: strawberry or mango

I made a follow-up inquiry on the lead time for orders and once I get my reply, I am definitely decided on my anniversary cake. 🙂

If you have inquiries or would like to order any of these beautiful Sanrio cakes, you may email breadtalk+sanrio@breadtalk.com.ph.

More Than Just Breads at BreadTalk

If you’re a carbohydrate fiend like me, then you know that BreadTalk has some of the yummiest sweet and savory breads and cakes in the market.  Now, BreadTalk Philippines ties up with Sanrio to produce the sweetest looking cakes in all of cakedom! And just in time for a coming anniversary too! 🙂

You can see the cakes here at BreadTalk Philippines’official website, but I just couldn’t wait to show you these beauties! Hello Kitty is obviously my choice for an anniversary cake; it truly is a gorgeous piece of cake art  (hint!hint!). But as the pictures below show us, they are all just as beautiful. GiftGate Philippines (in their Multiply site) answered my query for prices (PhP800/cake) but they also advised me to email the site directly for order instructions. I tried to find BreadTalk’s store numbers online but none of those I found were right. This week, I guess I will be heading off to the branch nearest me to inquire. And if all else fails, I will try the email on BreadTalk Philippines’s site to order.  

Happy eating!

  

Guess Who Has Come to Sylvania?

Dedicated to P-Angel and Joanna and our common fascination for Hello Kitty and Sylvanian Families. With special thanks to sis Allen for the lovely Sylvanian-sized kitties.

Two caravans pulled up near the edge of Sylvanian City. Sylvania has its share of tourists and visitors each year so this wasn’t totally out of the ordinary. And yet, the Badger Police Force seemed on the edge and tensed that particular day.

“It must be someone special,” they whispered in hushed tones. “The police don’t come out for ordinary visitors,” others said. But who could it be?

A large crowd gathered near the caravans, eager to see the new arrivals. The police kept people at bay, wanting to control the inflow of more critters. 

“Mama! I see her! I see her!” a little rabbit baby shrieked.

“Who? Who do you see?” the parents asked in confusion.

“There she is! Do you see the ribbon?” Shelley Keats shouted back. 

“It’s  HELLO KITTY,” the girls screamed in unison. “And DEAR DANIEL!!!”

“Hello, everyone,” Kitty and Daniel said. “We’re very pleased to visit your town and we hope to stay here for a while. Thank you for coming out to welcome us. We appreciate it! Arigatō gozai masu.”

Who would have thought Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel would find their way to this small town?

More exciting times are ahead, I tell you.

 

Dress Me Up Before You Go-Go

Boohoo! I haven’t been able to locate my camera’s program CD. I’ve been looking for a few days now and I can’t find it in any of the logical hiding places around the room. It’s not in the closets, not underneath the bed, not in the camera bag, not in dresser, and not in the bedside table. I’m sure it’s just here somewhere; problem is, I can’t remember where I kept it or even where I saw it last. These senior moments have been happening more often now, as we move things around in an effort to hide things from Alphonse’s curious eyes and prying hands.  Instead of having a fixed place for our things, we play “musical spaces” (our version of “musical chairs”) with them. Just last week, it took us three days to locate the ear thermometer. By the time we found it stashed underneath A’s old shirts (this was where one of the nannies hid it but forgot about it until three days later), we no longer needed it. Alphonse’s fever was all gone.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that unless I can get the picture utility program in this laptop, many of my personal pictures will have to wait for when the desktop computer comes home. Consequently, many of my stories will simply be retelling of things I have found while surfing the Net. Have I looked for an online download of my program? Well, duh, of course I have but I haven’t met with success yet. So, as I give this desperate search mission a final chance, I guess I’ll have to content myself with sharing the things I have found interesting  on the Net.

Today, as I surfed my Multiply account, I was drawn to a contact’s pre-order page for Hello Kitty plushes. I haven’t gotten any new dolls lately (the last one is the most recent 35th anniversary Hello Kitty Build-A-Bear) but I do enjoy looking at albums of new arrivals. This, however, was what caught my attention. Did you know that you could own a Hello Kitty Dress Me Doll that comes in its own case? I didn’t even know that until today.

I would have preferred it if my own Dress Me dolls (I have three of them) came in cases. This way, I would not worry about keeping them clean and dust-free. The Dress Me dolls tend to get dirtier than BAB dolls, I’ve noticed, so I don’t play with them as often. The case also works as a wonderful storage for the doll’s clothes and shoes, and having them all in one place helps keep things tidy.

At PhP6899, however, this is a little too steep for me. The doll retails for only US$14; here in the country, most online sellers peg them from PhP1350 to around PhP1500. Add the value of the dress, say roughly another thousand bucks, and the value of the case, and I still don’t think PhP6899 is worth it. I do understand, however, that prices from where this doll and case come from may be highly inflated, thus, the corresponding increase in the cost for this item.

Still, were I awash with dough at this moment (not the edible one, silly), I probably would not have second thoughts about this. If you’re interested and would love to own this, head on to Smay168Fashion Onine Boutique. I love Hello Kitty Dress Me dolls and this seems like a perfect way to package it- doll and handy case in one so get one if you can afford it.

And while we’re at it, check out these outfits currently available at Sanrio.com.  Just think of these cool outfits hanging in that equally cool case and it just about makes me squeak in delight.  The clothes sell for US$20 at the Sanrio site. I think I’ll wait till the local Gift Gate carries these before I bust the Kitty bank again, though. 🙂 

In the meantime, I’m bringing out my dolls for a spell. Enjoy these Dress Me dolls, folks!