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LUJ Dean Emeritus Dr. Alan Brender Publishes New Book
Dr. Alan Brender has published a new book, available now from HeadPress Books, titled Pink Tsunami: The Hello Kitty Kawaii Wave That Has Swept The World.
Dr. Brender was instrumental in bringing Lakeland University Japan to where it is today. From 2006 to 2022, Dr. Brender served as Dean of LUJ, directing its transformation from a 2-year college in Shinjuku to an established 4-year university now in Ryogoku.
No stranger to the world of publishing, Dr. Brender is the author of over 20 books, but Pink Tsunami might be his most ambitious. The serendipitous dean and global traveler compiled hundreds of sources and completed interviews to deliver a comprehensive narrative history about the cultural legacy of Hello Kitty, a character now over a half-century old. “I wrote the book,” Dr. Brender explains in its preface, “because I am interested in the character as a cultural phenomenon that originated in Japan, but gained international fame.”
In Chapter 1 of the book, Dr. Brender is quick to place Hello Kitty in the pantheon of cartoon legend greats. “She’s probably the most popular female cartoon character in the world. Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck and Peppa Pig, an anthropomorphic British piglet, don’t hold a candle to her. She’s neck and neck, sometimes slightly ahead, and sometimes slightly behind Mickey Mouse as the most popular global cartoon animal.”
The book can also be purchased on Amazon.
In July, Dr. Brender spoke with Rebekah Buchanan for New Books Network about Pink Tsunami.
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