Sanrio and Universal Parks & Resorts have announced a partnership to develop Hello Kitty interactive retail experience shops at Universal Orlando Resort this year and in the future at Universal Studios Hollywood.

This will mark Hello Kitty’s official retail debut at theme parks in North America and offer specialty merchandise including stationery, home goods, apparel, accessories and collectibles. The majority of merchandise will be devoted to Hello Kitty; Sanrio properties Chococat, My Melody, Badtz-Maru, Purin and Keroppi will also have a presence. Hello Kitty confectionery and specialty co-branded Hello Kitty Universal park-exclusive products will also be available.

The Hello Kitty stores at Universal will also offer enhanced interactive retail experiences. Customers can shop for custom designed merchandise, enjoy photo opportunities with Sanrio properties, create souvenir versions of Hello Kitty’s signature bow, and even meet Hello Kitty herself.

“Our partnership with Universal brings Sanrio’s experiential entertainment presence to a new level,” said Janet Hsu, President and COO of Sanrio, Inc. “We look forward to this introduction into Universal theme parks to offer new connection points to Sanrio fans of all ages.”

There is no word on where the new retail experience will go. Currently there is a Hello Kitty merchandise cart located in Universal CityWalk (pictured above).

For more information, visit Sanrio.com.

Photo by @MagicCityMayhem on Twitter