This post was originally entitled…
I normally don’t care for anything pink, with the exception of Hello Kitty items.
By the way, “assault” is the legal term for a criminal act; no need to use the proggies’ vocabulary here!
[photo of semiautomatic Hello Kitty rifle deleted]
For those who require a concealable weapon with a more subdued appearance:
[photo of .45 caliber handgun engraved with Hello Kitty deleted]
For when the balloon goes up:
[photos of Hello Kitty machine gun and battle rifle deleted]
So why did I take the pictures down?
From: Dyann Hawkins Dyann@ORSIPR.com
To: 1389 Blog Mailbox
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2013 3:05 PM
Subject: Statement from Sanrio Inc re: fake Hello Kitty guns
Please find the attached statement from Sanrio Inc, parent company of Hello Kitty, regarding the post on your blog over the weekend. We would appreciate all changes be made to that post based on the information provided by Sanrio in their statement.
Please let us know if you have any questions and when you plan to make the edits.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.Dyann Hawkins
Orsi Public Relations1158 Greenacre Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046 | p. 323.874.4073 | c. 323.719.6474
w. orsipr.com | f. Facebook.com/OrsiPR | t. Twitter.com/OrsiPR
Statement from Sanrio
Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, P.C.
March 25, 2013
Sanrio, the owner of the Hello Kitty property, writes to correct the misconceptions cast by your March 23, 2013, blog post titled, “#Caturday: Let’s call it a Hello Kitty battle rifle, okay?”
This post falsely suggests that we are involved in the manufacture or sale of so-called Hello Kitty guns. Sanrio is not a purveyor of arms. Sanrio has never authorized the manufacture or sale of any firearm or weapon and does not and will not condone the use of its Hello Kitty character, or any of its characters, for the purposes of marketing such merchandise.
The guns referenced and pictured in your article were customized by an individual without authorization to include Sanrio’s Hello Kitty copyrighted image and trademark. Such actions constitute copyright infringement, trademark infringement and dilution. Sanrio’s attorneys will take appropriate legal action against anyone who manufactures, sells or displays such products. The pictures in your article falsely suggest that the gun depicted was authorized by Sanrio.
We ask that you:
1. Remove the misleading photographs of the unauthorized guns bearing the Hello Kitty image.
Thank you.
That obviously required an answer:
From: 1389 Blog Mailbox
To: Dyann Hawkins Dyann@ORSIPR.com
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2013 4:21 PM
Subject: Re: Statement from Sanrio Inc re: fake Hello Kitty guns
Dear Ms. Hawkins,
I’ve always been a fan of Hello Kitty products and of Sanrio Inc. I never intended to create confusion or cause any problems for Sanrio or the fan base. I was very surprised to read that there are concerns that someone might think Sanrio Inc. to be a firearms manufacturer.
I have already taken the pictures down. As far as I know, those pictures were of “fan art” – one-off decorative effects that handicrafters applied to firearms that they own for personal enjoyment or display. It’s also possible that somebody used Photoshop to apply the Hello Kitty image to a photograph for humorous purposes. To the best of my knowledge, no one at all is making a business practice of decorating and selling actual firearms with Hello Kitty imagery.
However, if Sanrio, Inc. should ever decide to manufacture firearms, I would be happy to give you a discounted advertising rate on 1389 Blog.
Thanks very much,
1389AD, admin of 1389 Blog
To which I got a very nice reply:
From: Dyann Hawkins Dyann@ORSIPR.com
To: 1389 Blog Mailbox
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2013 4:26 PM
Subject: Re: Statement from Sanrio Inc re: fake Hello Kitty guns
Thank you for deleting the photos and for your support of the brand. Have a good day!
Dyann Hawkins
orsi public relations
323.874.4073
dyann@orsipr.com
