25K Expected at Hello Kitty Convention

Los Angeles is hosting the first Hello Kitty convention, and some 25,000 fans are expected to swarm the event over the next four days. Long lines snaked through the sold-out event at the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art, where conventioneers could pose for photos with Hello Kitty, get permanently inked with the mouthless character’s image, hear lectures about her popularity, and shop for exclusive products created for her 40th birthday, which falls on Nov. 1. Organizers expect about 50 fans a day will receive free tattoos from artists who created about 100 Hello Kitty-inspired designs.