There are a few things you need to know about me, and one of them is definitely that if there is a Sanrio x m o t o r c y c l e collaboration, I'm probably going to have no choice but to tell you about it. Why? Because I'm here for it, and I suspect very strongly that I'm not the only one. After all, you don't get to be 50 years old like Hello Kitty if you don't have a substantial fanbase, right? Right.
Anyway, Honda kicked off what seems to have been the start of a long-running collaboration with Sanrio with some cute Hello Kitty limited editions. There was the aforementioned 50th Anniversary Super Cub, and before that, there was this super-cute Hello Kitty edition Scoopy scooter (a Honda model you'll see everywhere in Southeast Asia and also frequently in Europe, but that isn't sold in the US).
And now, Honda is back at it again with one of its newer characters, Kuromi. For those unfamiliar, she's the mischievous doppelganger (for real; it's canon, you guys) of My Melody. My only real question is, how didn't Kuromi end up on a motorbike earlier in her life?
Anyway, tangential mysteries of Sanrio canon aside, to celebrate the collab, there's also a six-part short animated series that appears to depict Kuromi deciding she wants to get her motorcycle license, and then going through the steps to get it so she can roll out of her nearest Honda dealership on her dream bike.
The first episode is up here (in Japanese, but you can use the auto-translate subtitle option to get the gist if you only speak another language)
But it's not only stopping with anime. There are some Honda x Kuromi public appearances also planned to take place in Japan, beginning with a debut Honda x Kuromi booth at the Black Festival (that's Kuro Fest; 'kuro' means black) Black and White Song Battle, hosted by Japanese living legend Shigeru Matsuzaki. There's a ton of deep lore here that's well outside the scope of this piece, but if you're a fan of the Katamari Damacy video game series, you know Matsuzaki's musical stylings.
At this event, Honda plans to display a special Kuro Fest (and yes, it's no coincidence that 'kuro' is the first part of Kuromi's name) Dax 125, as well as a CT 125 (sold in the US as the Trail 125) with Kuromi graphics. Special Honda x Kuromi merchandise will also be available, though no details or designs have yet been provided to show what any of it will be, or look like. There may also be someone dressed up in a Kuromi mascot costume at the event, which is absolutely not at all surprising if you're at all familiar with Japanese pop culture.
Are you excited to see this Honda x Kuromi collaboration come to life? And if so, are you (like me) hoping to get your hands on some of the merch at some point in the future? I would definitely enjoy some cute stickers I can put on things. Doesn't everybody?
