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Some of the diehard fans at the first day of the Hello Kitty convention showed their permanent devotion to the cat cartoon character with ink. Some showed up this afternoon with some pretty rad sleeves and full-back coverage—and they had interesting stories to share.
The second place winner of the tattoo competition Amethyst Juknavorian had tattoos that covered her chest. The first grade teacher explained to judges that each of the Hello Kitties represented different family members, including her daughter and her mother who showed up to the contest in support. The third place winner says she got a full Hello Kitty sleeve to commemorate 10 years of sobriety.
But fans who didn't yet have ink were in luck. HK Ink set up shop inside the convention. We caught up with some people grimacing as they got new tats. Here's an attendee getting a pretty rad-looking Hello Kitty skull just in time for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos:
Hello Kitty skull tattoo \m/ by laistvideos
And another:
Hello Kitty foot tattoo by laistvideos
Hello Kitty Con, the first ever convention dedicated to Hello Kitty, will be continuing through November 2 at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. The cartoon cat is officially over the hill, so there is a lot of celebration going on around town to commemorate the big 4-0.
UPDATE 11/3, 10:50 a.m.: Even Katy Perry got herself some Hello Kitty ink at Hello Kitty Con on opening day. The pop singer Instagrammed a snapshot of her new tattoo of a cute and tiny Hello Kitty head on the side of her middle finger, and captioned it, "Does this make my gang signs look soft now?"
A Hello Kitty mascot posing next to Katy Perry as she's getting inked (Photo courtesy of Orsi PR/Sanrio)
Katy Perry and her new tattoo (Photo courtesy of Orsi PR/Sanrio)
A close up of Katy Perry's tattoo (Photo courtesy of Orsi PR/Sanrio)
LAist writer Jean Trinh contributed to this post from the field
Related:
Photos: A Look Inside The World's Largest Hello Kitty Retrospective
Sanrio's Shocking Reveal: Hello Kitty Is NOT A Cat
Photos: Inside The Super Kawaii Hello Kitty Hotel Rooms At The Line
Photos: Los Angeles' Hello Kitty Food Scavenger Hunt Is Now In Full Swing
