Hello Kitty Con 2014 in Los Angeles marks 40 years of you-know-who

Hello Kitty is having a milestone birthday. The Japanese cartoon-turned-icon turns 40 this year with her very first fan fest. Toy maker Sanrio will hold Hello Kitty Con 2014 to celebrate every Kitty thing this fall at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in downtown Los Angeles.

Hello Kitty head designer Yuko Yamaguchi as well as tokidoki brand designer Simone Legno will appear on a panel and answer questions during the convention that runs from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2. Yamaguchi will be available for daily signings too.

Fans will be able to see the first Hello Kitty item ever made, a coin purse, in a retrospective show that features vintage products of the big-headed white feline who brings in about $7 billion a year for Sanrio.

Collectible items, a Hello Kitty house designed inside and out with the cat character, workshops on scrapbooking and cookie decorating, lectures and art classes are some of the highlights. There also will be a booth where fans can get a tattoo (a real one) of Hello Kitty for free.

“Hello Kitty Con 2014 is a testament to Hello Kitty’s remarkable ability to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds in many ways, on many levels,” Janet Hsu, Sanrio president and chief operating officer, said in a statement about the event.

Fans who attend Hello Kitty Con also gain free admission to “Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty” at the Japanese American National Museum across the street from the Geffen. It features 40 works by artists who have interpreted the image in their own way. It opens Oct. 11 and runs through April 2015.

Tickets went on sale today and cost $30 per day for those 13 and older, $20 a day for children 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and younger. Workshops on different themes cost $10 per person.

Info: Hello Kitty Con 2014