Hello Kitty Cafe, which attracts thousands, is returning to Fresno. Here’s where it will be

The Hello Kitty Cafe van, which sells a variety of merchandise and edible goodies, is set to make its Fresno return 10 a.m to 7 p.m. Saturday at Fashion Fair Mall.

According to the van’s Facebook page, it will be at the mall’s Outdoor Village near Michael Kors. Previous appearances by the van in Fresno have drawn almost 4,000 people..

The van has a window on the side that props open. On prior visits it has sold Hello Kitty-shaped cookies, mini cakes and a set of dainty macaron cookies. Water bottles shaped like her bow, mugs and other merchandise were available, too.

Her image is pop culture phenomenon, but she is not a cat, according to parent company Sanrio. She is a little girl – a girl who’s well over 40 years old.

The character has attracted young and old alike over the years. It stays relevant, in part, because Sanrio licenses the image to other entities. They create limited-edition merchandise often only available for about a month, giving shoppers an incentive to snap them up.

That’s how Hello Kitty’s face has ended up on a car exhaust pipe, a quesadilla maker than imprints her face on every slice, urinal cakes and a series of merchandise that blends Hello Kitty with KISS, the hard rock band known for its dramatic face makeup.

If Fresno event is anything like previous events, people will start lining up around 7 a.m. The mall does not allow overnight camping.

”Fresno Bee reporter Bethany Clough contributed to this report.

This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 2:32 PM.