Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based product design studio Retrospekt has partnered with Sanrio to release a limited-edition Hello Kitty Tomatoes-themed FC-11 35mm film camera.
Retrospekt made a name for itself by refurbishing antique Polaroids but in recent years has expanded to its own line of compact film cameras that it often pairs with pop culture artwork. It’s featured Howard Schultz’s Peanuts, the work of Even Weslmann, the look of Santa Cruz’s Killer Acid, and even Sanrio in the past. This time, the partnership is not just limited in availability though, but also in scope. While previous partnerships have featured multiple cameras and accessories, this time it’s a single camera offering.
The camera’s design features a red and white gingham pattern that is meant to look like a classic picnic tablecloth that is then covered in Hello Kitty Tomato artwork. It’s one of four new Sanrio items that are tomato-themed, including two t-shirts and a glass tumbler.
“Inescapably fun, the new illustrations—produced specifically for this camera as part of a joint effort by the teams at Sanrio and Retrospekt—show Hello Kitty wearing a jaunty tomato costume, surrounded by juicy tomatoes,” Retrospekt explains. “The camera’s packaging maintains this theme, integrating the same gingham pattern and tomato-themed Hello Kitty artwork.”
“They said ‘how about something with tomatoes’ and then let us put Hello Kitty in a tomato hat,” Retrospekt Creative Director Michael Kempen explains. “Sanrio has this crazy deep fan base that really understands the potential for quirkiness in that world. What could seem odd for a different character or brand seemed incredibly natural here. Like, of course Hello Kitty has a tomato costume in her closet! All we had to do was decide what it looked like.”
The camera behind the berry-themed artwork is no different from other FC-11 cameras Retrospect has released in the past. It features a fixed 31mm f/9 fixed-focus lens at a fixed 1/120 of a second exposure. It’s a pretty standard 35mm point-and-shoot film camera that takes either ISO 200 or 400 film.
The Hello Kitty Tomatoes camera will be available for purchase starting June 14 through Sanrio.com and Retrospekt’s website for $59.
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