Description
You may have seen the Hello Kitty “Toaster” commercials. At first, I didn’t think much of them, but then I realized that almost all of the people who were cooking with one of these toasters were women. These funny devices were being used by professional chefs and mothers alike. This struck me as odd because I’ve always assumed that ladies like to cook more than men. They seem to be able to look after themselves better than men and often make a good meal for everyone. But why would the women of the world be cooking with Hello Kitty? What did the Japanese popularizer of Hawaii have to do with the kitchen?
Hello, Kitty was popularized in Japan by Rina Inoue, who designed a series of adorable cat-shaped appliances. Inoue had become well known in the industry by creating small appliances like bread mixers, blenders, heaters, food processors, and other similar devices. She also came up with a toaster with a wide slot that she intended to use in baking bag cakes. She hoped this would appeal to people who wanted a toaster that would heat up the cake at the start of the process, leaving it hot for long enough to allow the cake to rise properly. This was the early 1980s, and there was no toaster like this one yet. Although there was a similar device manufactured by a company in the United States, it never went on sale.
A Hello Kitty toaster is simply a common toaster that uses a Hello Kitty image and name. The name is very popular because it represents a cute character very well. She’s known for her simple and bold designs, which is why most of the toasters featured this image in her most popular form. This is the problem with most of the products of this kind. They’re mass-produced because people assume that the appeal of such products will be quite universal. It doesn’t work like that.