HELLO KITTY’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY IS COMING!  And She’s Planning on Rocking It In Style With Her Fans   
Kuala Lumpur, 26 August 2014 - SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN Nusajaya, the first official Hello Kitty Town experience outside Japan, is proud to present Hello Kitty Friends Forever, a party celebrating Hello Kitty’s 40th Anniversary in festive style!  
This celebration of the enduring popularity of Hello Kitty is scheduled from 31 October 2014 to 2 November 2014 at SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN Nusajaya and will be a fun filled three-day carnival with activities for all Hello Kitty fans. This will be an immersive experience for fans who will be able to enjoy Hello Kitty exclusive opportunities and limited edition merchandise.  
This beloved icon will share her 40th Anniversary celebration with devoted fans and will be an interactive experience that will feature four major highlights consisting of the Hello Kitty Friends Gathering, Hello Kitty Friends Fiesta, Hello Kitty Friends Catwalk and Hello Kitty Friends Rock Music Festival.   
“Hello Kitty has brought so much happiness and her motto ‘you can never have too many friends’ has taught us that friendships endures and transcends, irrespective of who we are and where we come from. It is our hope that as we celebrate her 40th Anniversary at SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN at Nusajaya, we are able to spread her infectious happiness and to give her fans the ultimate Hello Kitty experience”, said Philip Whittaker, Chief Marketing Officer, Themed Attractions and Resorts Sdn Bhd.  
The Hello Kitty Friends Gathering event will play host to the first and largest Hello Kitty fan gathering in South East Asia and is expected to be a record-breaking gathering as thousands of fans come together in an attempt to create a record of the largest Hello Kitty fan gathering outside Japan. Attempting to make record history over this 40th Anniversary milestone, Hello Kitty fans from all over South East Asia are expected to make their way to SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN Nusajaya to celebrate with Hello Kitty herself.   
The Hello Kitty Friends Fiesta promises the largest and most exciting Hello Kitty-themed Street Fiesta that offers a little something for everyone. Fans of Hello Kitty will be able to get
their hands on limited edition merchandise and exchange and showcase memorabilia as well as mingle with other ardent Hello Kitty fans. Street shows, magicians and performers will be on the streets and there will be plenty of things to do for the whole family like minute-to-win-it games and a food bazaar. There will even be a Hello Kitty birthday party parade specially organised by Hello Kitty’s host of friends.    
Hello Kitty will turn glamorous at the Hello Kitty Friends Catwalk Grand Finale, the culmination of the Hello Kitty’s 40th Anniversary Fashion Design Competition for emerging young Malaysian designers to showcase their talent in fashion design. Under the creative eye of Ms Gillian Hung, President of Malaysia Official Designer’s Association (“MODA”), the designers will be mentored to create a 2-piece Hello Kitty inspired collection. The top 10 designers will then compete on the grand stage at the Hello Kitty Friends Catwalk Finale set for November 1st in the heart of SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN Nusajaya.  The winner will be announced on the spot and given a RM 5,000 cash prize along with an opportunity to meet, greet and be merry with Hello Kitty herself at SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN Nusajaya.   
In the Hello Kitty Friends Rock music festival, Hello Kitty will be rocking it with several of her idol friends coming together from near and far just to make her birthday party an occasion not to be missed. Popular Malaysian J-Rock band Fly1ng Pan and Malaysian Pop Punk band BunkFace are slated to perform at the festival.   
As the only official Hello Kitty experience outside Japan, this three day 40th Anniversary celebration promises to be the focal point for the celebrations in South East Asia and will be the place for fans to meet, share and bond with one another.    
SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN tickets can be purchased on www.playtime.com.my. However, Hello Kitty fans can purchase a special Hello Kitty 40th Anniversary Package of “Buy 3 Free 1 ticket to SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN” for only RM165 at the upcoming MATTA Fair from 5 – 7 September 2014.   
The Hello Kitty 40th Anniversary Celebration is SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN, Nusajaya and supported by event partners CLEO Magazine, Hong Leong Bank, Petron Berhad, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, pictureAir, The Little Red Cube, Traders Hotel and Spritzer.  
For more information on Hello Kitty’s 40th Anniversary Celebration at SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN, Nusajaya, please visit www.kittyfriendsforever.com. Information on the Hello Kitty Friends Catwalk Fashion Design Competition, please visit www.kittyfriendscatwalk.com. To keep the celebration mood going, fans are also invited to upload photos on social media with the hashtag #hellokitty40thmy.    

 
About Themed Attractions Malaysia Themed Attractions and Resorts Sdn. Bhd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Malaysian Government’s investment arm, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, was incorporated in June 2009 to develop, manage and operate theme parks and attractions in Malaysia, serving as a catalyst for the leisure and tourism industry and bringing premier international theme parks and attractions to the region. The theme parks include KidZania Kuala Lumpur, an indoor family education and entertainment centre, which offers an interactive learning and entertainment experience; SANRIO HELLO KITTY TOWN, the first of its kind outside of Japan; The Little Big Club, a single themed attraction that is home to five popular global characters; and LAT’s Place, a themed restaurant with live animation based on the popular Kampung Boy (Village Boy) character by famous local cartoonist, LAT. While LEGOLAND® Malaysia - the sixth LEGOLAND in the world and the very first in Asia is owned by Themed Attractions & Resorts Sdn Bhd, Iskandar Investment Berhad and Merlin Entertainments Group through IDR Resorts Sdn Bhd, is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group. Themed Attractions will also develop, manage and operate KidZania Singapore.

 
For further information, please visit www.tar.com.my.    
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FAITH ROWENA LABUNDA  M. +6019 699 6419 faith.labunda@tar.com.my   
MELISSA ANANTHRAJ  M. +6017 473 7897 MAnanthraj@bell-pottinger.com