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Does Hello Kitty Wine Encourage Underage Drinking?
Many parents struggle with the issue of alcohol and when to let their children have their first taste. Some parents believe that letting teenagers have a small glass of wine with dinner will help them develop a healthy attitude toward a potentially dangerous substance. Others believe that parents who do that are playing with fire and sending the wrong message to their kids.
Then there are the parents who host drinking parties at their homes. It’s illegal for sure. But some believe that by encouraging underage drinking at home, they will prevent it from happening elsewhere.
Regardless of where you come down on the drinking debate, you probably agree that alcoholic beverages should not be marketed to children. There’s just no reason to go there. But some might argue that is exactly what Sanrio is doing by allowing their insanely popular Hello Kitty character to grace a collection of Italian wines.
The new Hello Kitty wine is being produced by Torti Tenimenti Castelrotto Italian winery and marketed in the U.S. by Innovation Spirits. Drew Hibbert, CEO of Innovation Spirits, tells LA Weekly that while he wasn’t personally involved in the Hello Kitty licensing negotiations with Sanrio, he believes the move reflects the fact that Hello Kitty has crossed over from a children’s brand to one that is popular with both children and adults.
As evidenced by my 27-year-old and her Hello Kitty shower curtain, the iconic feline certainly has fans who are of legal drinking age. However, she was first attracted to Hello Kitty as a grade schooler and maintained that affection throughout her teen years. I am sure if there had been a Hello Kitty wine available back then, she would have been intrigued.
The tagline on the Hello Kitty wine bottles read “Our favorite girl has grown up.” While it’s true that Hello Kitty’s original fans have grown up, she’s still very popular among young girls. I’m sure Barbie wouldn’t lend her name to an alcoholic beverage. Should Hello Kitty?
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6 Comments
[...] Does Hello Kitty Wine Encourage Underage Drinking? [...]
Dolls Going the Way of the Dinosaur? | Strollerderby commented on Mar 31 10 at 1:02 pmRi-chan commented on Mar 30 10 at 3:49 pmI think to understand why Sanrio would put Hello Kitty on wine you have to understand at least a little about Japanese culture. In Japan Hello Kitty is most popular with adult women, especially those in their 20′s.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Mar 30 10 at 4:22 pmKids who are trying to get their hands on booze aren’t typically going for a $20+ bottle of wine.
jenny tries too hard commented on Mar 30 10 at 6:51 pmGotta agree with Scorpio…however, if you realize that a guy you’re dating has a bottle of Hello Kitty wine in his house, it’s probably a good idea to reconsider him and whether he actually “volunteers” at the middle school…I’m just sayin’
PlumbLucky commented on Mar 31 10 at 8:43 amAgree with Mistress_Scorpio, I seem to remember the booze budget being more along the lines of MD-20. @jenny – funny but true!!!
Marj commented on May 06 10 at 11:02 amlol
All the Hello Kitty fans I know are 25-45 years old.
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