Up Close With Hello Kitty
JOHOR BAHRU, MALAYSIA - Theme parks boomed in the past few years in this little corner of Johor Bahru. Unknown to some, it now also houses two other theme parks, located in Puteri Harbour, that you might enjoy too. The 4-level family theme park near the water is now housing The Little Big Club and the Sanrio Hello Kitty Town. We, on the other hand, only had our eyes set on Hello Kitty Town because, let us face it, who does not like and does not know Hello Kitty? Something as cute as that deserves all the love in the world!
The moment we passed through the door, we were immediately welcomed by a vast, spacious, bright room with high ceiling. Head on right ahead to the Red Bow Cafe for a cup of coffee finished with some froth in the shape of Hello Kitty's face. Art infused in coffee is such a perfect medium for a mind boost and energy boost for the activities and sleepy afternoon waiting ahead! So go on get one and complement it with some tasty slice of cake from the selection.
After sipping all the coffee out from your cup and licking the last of the crumbs of your chosen cake slice, you may now head on to the ticketing counter to buy a ticket to this little world filled with nothing but adorableness and cuteness. Other than ticket, you will also be given a Daily Activity Card which will act as your pass in entering rooms and joining activities inside the theme park, so do not ever lose it!
KITTY'S HOUSE
If there is one thing in the theme park that you should not miss, it would definitely be Kitty's house that she shares with her sister Mimmy. Take a tour of her house and take in the yummy-candy cuteness all around you! Starting from the lobby with that humongous sofa outlined with Hello Kitty's face down to the bathroom occupied by a big Hello Kitty-shaped bath tub that can comfortably hold 4 people, everything you will see from start to end will surely be a feast for your eyes (that is if you have not been bothered at all by how narcissistic Hello Kitty can get - just kidding!). Other than this, you may also complete simple tasks to get a stamp on the Daily Activity Card given to you earlier.
BLACK WONDER
After indulging on some bright, light and delicious colors, head on afterwards to the dimly lit dungeon dominated by grays and blacks to help Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel escape from the evil hands of Kuromi. A huge contrast from the previous room, you will now be submerged in a challenge that even adults would find a little bit hard to get acquainted to at onset. Do not fret as you will get it along the way! If not, you can ask the beautiful ladies there to give you some clues on how to go about the challenge. And if you did get the answer to it in the end, you can now brag in the future that you once saved the cutie couple from the hands of some bad guys! You will be remembered as the hero who saved the cuteness for the future generations to witness!
WISHFUL STUDIO
We are not done yet! There are still a lot of activities that you can still enjoy while you are waiting for the performances in the Purrfect Stage prepared by Hello Kitty and her friends or while you are just passing time by. The Wishful Studio presents three interactive rooms that feature different activities. You can customize your own jewelry by getting the pendant of your choice and take a picture of it afterwards in the adjacent room complete with adorable costumes you may wear, perfect for that souvenir photo you plan to have to help you remember about the good times you had here. After which, hop on to the other room to make some Hello Kitty badges or decorate your own cookie and eat it too!
All good things will come to an end, and whether you like it or not Hello Kitty Town will close at exactly 6 PM. But that is fine! As long as you had fun and carved some wonderful memories in there, saying goodbye would not be that hard. Enjoy, be open, be a kid and be in the moment for once for goodness sake, as you will never like to not remember anything when you try to recall what happened on this very same day. You will never know when you can experience something like this again in the future, so seize every moment and be happy and gay whenever you can! And of course, buy some plush toys and cute memorabilia before you walk out that door and finally bid Hello Kitty Town goodbye.
For non-Malaysian citizens, ticket price for Hello Kitty Town is MYR 75 for both adults and kids. You may also get a two-ticket pass to the Hello Kitty Town and Little Big Club for only MYR 110.
