Vol 4 Pink Hello Kitty x Secret Base

Sanrio, best known for its globally beloved characters like Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Cinnamoroll, has also made a significant impact in the art toy world by blending its signature kawaii aesthetic with designer toy culture. While primarily a mass-market brand, Sanrio has collaborated with various artists, toy designers, and streetwear brands to create limited-edition, collectible figures that appeal to both casual fans and serious art toy collectors. Sanrio has worked with brands like Medicom Toy (BE@RBRICK), Kidrobot, and Mighty Jaxx, as well as artists like Jason Freeny, who has reimagined characters like Hello Kitty in his signature anatomical dissection style. By partnering with brands like BAPE, UNIQLO, and Nike, Sanrio has merged fashion, street culture, and art toys, making its characters more appealing to collectors beyond traditional fans. While Sanrio remains rooted in cute and mainstream appeal, its willingness to explore the art toy space through collaborations and reimaginings has made it a versatile and collectible presence in the designer toy scene. Secret Base is a Japanese art toy company known for its highly collectible soft vinyl figures, often inspired by classic kaiju, horror, and pop culture icons. Founded in the early 2000s, Secret Base became a key player in the designer toy movement, creating limited-edition figures that appeal to both toy collectors and art enthusiasts. Their toys frequently feature collaborations with artists, brands, and even musicians, blending underground aesthetics with nostalgic elements. Many of their figures have a punk or DIY sensibility, often incorporating transparent or glow-in-the-dark materials, skeletal designs, and mashups of iconic characters. Japanese horror punk band named Balzac, formed in 1992, known for their distinctive merchandise, including vinyl toys. Their mascot, Skullman, designed by the band’s lead vocalist Hirosuke Nishiyama, has been featured in various collectible figures. In 2000, they opened a store called Shocker, offering a range of products from clothing to records and vinyl toys. Hello Kitty is a globally recognized character created by the Japanese company Sanrio in 1974. Designed by Yuko Shimizu, Hello Kitty (known in Japan as “Kitty White”) is a white anthropomorphic cat with a red bow on her left ear and a simple, cute design that has made her an icon of kawaii culture (the Japanese concept of “cute”). Over the years, Hello Kitty has become one of the most iconic and enduring characters in pop culture, representing not only childhood innocence but also a lifestyle brand that extends across multiple industries.