Hello Kitty! MakerBot and Sanrio Team to Bring the Japanese Kitty to Life via 3D Printing

Hello Kitty® is a brand recognized by just about everyone, especially parents of young children. In honor of their 40th anniversary, Sanrio, maker of Hello Kitty and her friends, has teamed with MakerBot to bring to life 3D printable Hello Kitty figurines. No Hello Kitty figure would be complete without a wide range of interchangeable outfits. So thanks to MakerBot, there will also be five different outfits available that can be printed out and then mixed and matched to create the perfect combination.  This announcement comes just in time for this weekend’s Hello Kitty Con. Hello Kitty Con is the first official Hello Kitty convention, taking place in Los Angeles, California.

These 3D printable Hello Kitty collectibles and accessories are now available to download via the MakerBot PrintShop app, as well as on the MakerBot Digital Store. The figurine design, which can be printed on any MakerBot Replicator line of 3D printer, will cost $5.99. This 27 piece 3D printed object takes approximately 11 hours to print, and the final dimensions measure 89mm X 118mm X 156mm. Printing of this item is only available using MakerBot’s secure streaming technology. This ensures that the design files can not be infringed upon, and that there is no piracy involved.

On top of this, the additional five Hello Kitty outfits can be purchased for $3.99, and they feature 25 separate pieces, allowing for quite the customization options for the biggest Hello Kitty fans.

“We are so excited to be able to bring Sanrio’s iconic characters into the world of 3D printing and to our MakerBot community through the MakerBot Digital Store and the MakerBot PrintShop app,” explained Jenny Lawton, acting CEO of MakerBot and a long-time fan of Hello Kitty. “This addition of Hello Kitty content to the MakerBot 3D Ecosystem helps extend the attraction of 3D printing to a whole new audience and showcases that 3D printing can be easy and accessible to everyone. We also love Sanrio’s commitment to delivering ‘big smiles in small gifts’ and look to continue the tradition with a new generation of makers.”

This isn’t all though. With the MakerBot PrintShop app, designers and fans of the brand can create their own unique Hello Kitty rings, starting at just $0.09. In addition, there is more coming at a future date. There will be additional accessories added to the MakerBot Digital Store sometime next month, including a stencil, comb, barrette, and more.

While this probably won’t entice most people to go out and purchase a 3D printer, it does provide for some family fun, and a way to teach the kids a little about the technology that will most certainly provide many more relevant uses as they grow older. What do you think about this latest addition to the MakerBot Digital Store? Have you printed any of these designs yet? Discuss in the MakerBot Hello Kitty forum thread on 3DPB.com.