You might have seen them on handphone cases, children’s school bags, keychains or even as plush toys. Now, it’s time to meet them in person.
Hello Kitty, Gudetama and other well-loved characters from Japanese company Sanrio are making their way to Singapore’s shores, joining a growing list of their fellow counterparts who have already set up shop here.
If you’re a Sanrio fan, or just love anything cute, here are 3 places where you can get up close and personal with your favourite characters without flying all the way to Japan!
1. Hang out with Hello Kitty and friends at Changi Airport
Hello Kitty and her friends, including lazy egg Gudetama, the Little Twin Stars and My Melody, will be touching down at Changi Airport next Friday (May 26).
The adorable mascots will be kicking off the opening of a month-long “Nordic Adventures with Sanrio Characters” showcase with a song and dance ceremony at Changi Airport Terminal 3’s departure hall.
Besides meet-and-greet sessions with the Sanrio characters every weekend from May 26 to June 26, visitors can also buy exclusive Sanrio merchandise and take photos with 3-D displays of the characters in Nordic garb.
Best of all? Take part in the Sanrio character ranking poll and stand a chance to win four tickets to popular Japanese indoor theme park Sanrio Puroland!
When:
7pm, Friday, 26 May 2017
Where:
Changi Airport Terminal 3 Departure Hall
2. Check out the Cinnamoroll Cafe
For his fifteenth birthday, the white fluffy puppy Cinnamoroll has floated his way into Singapore to celebrate with a pop-up cafe at Kumoya, the first halal-certified Japanese cafe here.
The most iconic part of this puppy, aside from his long ears and blue eyes, is without a doubt his tail, which is shaped like a cinnamon roll.
He will be featured on all dishes on the special limited-time menu, which was curated and styled in collaboration with blogger Little Miss Bento. One particularly endearing cup of hot chocolate is even topped off with Cinnamoroll’s curly tail!
But as Cinnamoroll will only be here until August 13, we urge all fans of this sweet puppy to hurry down to Kumoya before he whisks off for his next adventure!
Where:
Kumoya @ 8 Jalan Klapa, Singapore 199320
Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Thursday, Sunday: 12pm – 9.30pm
Friday and Saturday: 12pm – 10.30pm
(last order 30 minutes before closing)
3. Pop by the Pompompurin Cafe
The puppy with a sweet tooth, Pompompurin, or simply Purin, is a Golden Retriever who dons a brown beret atop his head. He loves drinking milk and eating cream caramel, and his best friends are a hamster named Muffin, a mouse named Scone and a bird called Custard.
As a lover of all things sweet, it hence comes as no surprise that Purin has set up home in Orchard Central, where he has dwelled since April 2016.
The 78-seater Pompompurin Cafe serves both sweet and savoury dishes, all of which feature Purin.
The Mother’s Day exclusive, Pompompurin’s Love Parfait, is currently available at the cafe, but only until the end of May.
Where:
181 Orchard Road, Orchard Central, #04-08, Singapore 238896
Opening Hours:
11am – 10.30pm daily
4. Take off with Gudetama
The laziest of all eggs, the embodiment of our tired-est selves. Gudetama, the notoriously low-energy egg character that everyone empathises with, has taken flight with Taiwanese airline EVA Air.
Now, when you’re tired on board the plane, you can lie back on a Gudetama pillow and have him soothe you to sleep.
While flights featuring Gudetama currently ply the Cebu-Taipei route only, we’re still holding out for him to come to Singapore someday!
But if you really want a piece of Gudetama, you can head down to the Gudetama Cafe at Suntec City Mall and chill with him to your heart’s content.
pariel@sph.com.sg
