The 9 Tragic Suicides of Hello Kitty - Part 9 of 9

Suicide #9
“Catgut”


On April 1st 2011, a tell-all book chronicling the shame, scandals, and failures of Hello Kitty was published, along with the premiere of a tabloid-style behind the scenes special on the E! Network. “Look What The Cat Dragged In. A tale of Money, Greed, Sex, Drugs, and Violence” was written by Ian Halperin and published in 18 different languages and sold over 73 million copies within 48 hours of it release, edging out “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” for a record. The television special, which featured interviews, videos and photographs from many of Hello Kitty’s former co-stars, lovers, staff, and drug dealers, was broadcast in 42 different countries was watched by an estimated 900 million viewers. Various parental and religious groups gathered around the Sanrio offices and retail stores in protest immediately following the broadcast. Sanrio was unable to do any PR damage control as they had in previous years, and their frustration with Hello Kitty had finally reached a boiling point. On April 4th, Sanrio rescinded Hello Kitty’s contract. She lost all of her stock options, 401k, royalties and residuals. She was escorted off and permanently banned from Sanrio property. Hello Kitty was unsuccessful in finding further work in retail merchandise or television. Retail chains such as Target, Wal-Mart, American Apparel, and Hot Topic turned her down. Virtually blacklisted in the industry, not even the David and Goliath clothing company, run by notorious hack artist, thief, and plagiarist, Todd Goldman, would produce any apparel with Hello Kitty. At this point, she knew her career was officially over. While she still had an estimated $700,000,000 in various bank accounts, and multiple homes across the globe, the shame of her failure became too much for her to bare. Hello Kitty was unable to find any solace in drugs and alcohol this time around. She had brought shame and dishonor to herself and her company, and she knew what she had to do. At dawn on April 13th 2001, Hello Kitty committed the ritualistic suicide act of Seppuku at her weekend home in Shimoda, Shizuoka, Japan dawn on April 13th 2001.Her body was discovered 3 weeks later and was cremated. There was no wake, memorial service, or funeral. It is unknown what became of her ashes, however the kimono she wore at the time of her death along with the ceremonial tanto she used to slice her abdomen were sold on eBay in 2013 for $750,000 to a private collector from San Francisco California USA.