Hello Kitty goes sexy; will her Baby Boomer cult follow?

Feel the love? Adora Penn with her favorite anime doll. Photos by Elton Lugay

By Elton Lugay

There is a Filipina in D.C. whose home is almost a shrine to Hello Kitty. One room in her house is devoted entirely to her obsessive collection of stuffed dolls and pillows, a pink Kitty phone and a Kitty chair – all stamped with the face of the red-ribboned feline.

Even her personal accessories are Hello Kitty-branded – from her purse, her pen, her towels and her PJs. And this kid-hearted woman is in her 50s.

In New York, there’s Adora Penn. The 41-year-old pastry maker has been a fan of the Japanese doll since she got her first Hello Kitty gift as a kid. “I will always remember my very first Kitty item was a stationery set,” she told The FilAm. “I’ve been hooked since.”

Lingerie designer Hanky Panky and Hello Kitty creator Sanrio collaborated on an intimate apparel collection that will become available in stores on May 25. The creators are hoping the products can appeal to wide demographics that include young girls, teens and an entire generation of Baby Boomer moms – many are Filipino women.

“Hello Kitty is a cult brand,” said Hanky Panky glam guru John David Breen. “The girls are very loyal to the products that they love.”

“The girls grow up with the Kitty, and when you put them together with the Hanky Panky fans, it’s crazy,” said Hanky Panky founder Gale Epstein.

Adora picked up a pair of lacy thong with the usual Kitty trademark and was over the moon.

Femininity can be sexy, exulted “Desperate Housewives” actress Emily Bergyl, a Kitty fan since she was 5. “Just because she’s innocent doesn’t mean that she can’t enjoy nice lingerie.”

Check out hankypanky.com and sanrio.com for the complete collection that includes bralettes, boyshorts, panty sets and sleepwear.