LONDON – 17 JUNE 2014 –Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA, in partnership with DC Entertainment, continues to build on the success of the brand collaboration between Sanrio’s Hello Kitty and DC Comics by today unveiling strong new creative artwork based on some of DC Entertainment’s most iconic female comic book Super-Villains.

The new DC Comics Super-Villains series, featuring Hello Kitty styled as Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, will target girls, women and collectors through a range of licensed merchandise including apparel, accessories and footwear, stationery, publishing, personal care, branded food products and promotions. The full character style guide will be showcased to partners at the upcoming Licensing EXPO to attract best-in-class licensees and retailers for EMEA distribution.

Pilar Zulueta, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA, said, “We received an incredible response to the first Hello Kitty DC Comics Super Heroes artwork when we launched the partnership last year and for our follow up style guide we were keen to mine the rich gallery of Super-Villains that can further enhance the ‘cool’ factor of this brand collaboration. The Super-Villains style guide has great potential to inspire a fresh new wave of licensed merchandise that will resonate with consumers.”

About Warner Bros. Consumer Products:
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

About DC Entertainment:            
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner.  DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.

About Sanrio:               
Shintaro Tsuji founded Sanrio Company Ltd. in Japan in 1960 with the motto “Small Gift, Big Smile” and the aim of bringing happiness to people’s lives through inexpensive goods. His Company is today not only home to superstar Hello Kitty, but a Global brand concentrated on developing significant marketing strategies for classic Sanrio Characters like My Melody, Kerokerokeroppi, Bad Badtz-Maru, Little Twin Stars, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Sugarbunnies, Chococat, Tuxedo Sam, Jewelpet, Kuromi, Charmmykitty and acquisitions like the British icons Mr. Men and Little Miss.

About Hello Kitty:     
Created in Japan in 1974 and launched the following year, Hello Kitty is Sanrio’s most iconic brand. In 1976, Hello Kitty expanded outside Japan.
and eventually ventured out to the entertainment domain when Sanrio’s indoor themed park Sanrio Puroland opened in 1990. Sanrio’s Yuko Yamaguchi, who became the designated Hello Kitty designer in 1980, continuously created new designs over 30 years and nurtured Hello Kitty into her global popularity today. The mid-1990′s represent a turning point.   Hello Kitty’s fan base increased to women of all ages.

Currently Hello Kitty products are sold in 109 countries and regions. Thanks to her brand values – happiness and affection, fashionable for all ages, always popular, never stale, never out of date, simplicity and flexibility – Hello Kitty is today one of the coolest lifestyle brands, joining forces with the most respected Companies in fashion, cosmetics, hi-tech, toys, food and more for co-branded products that typically sell out within a few days.

POISON IVY, HARLEY QUINN and CATWOMANand all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.

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