Life

Alert: There's Hello Kitty Ice Cream Now

by Megan Shepherd
Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images News/Getty Images

I had a friend in high school who was certifiably obsessed with Hello Kitty: she had a Hello Kitty backpack, all the Hello Kitty t-shirts, a Hello Kitty headband, and she'd even mastered the winged Hello Kitty eyeliner look so she could sport her cat pride all day everyday. And I think it’s pretty safe to say that the most recent development in the world of ice cream would probably send her through the roof. Brace yourself, Hello Kitty fans: there's Hello Kitty ice cream now, and it's literally what dreams are made of.

First things first: Hello Kitty fans seem like a pretty dedicated bunch, so an ice cream collab based around the beloved cartoon makes perfect sense. While I never got into the Hello Kitty fad myself, I’m not above a themed pop-up shop, and the folks at Afters Ice Cream in Southern California have created one that’s guaranteed to have Kitty fans showing up in herds. The ice cream company is known for off-the-wall flavors, like Cookie Butter, Milk and Cereal, and Jasmine Milk Tea, and the Hello Kitty takeover falls right in line with these kitschy theatrics. As part of the pop-up, they created two signature Hello Kitty-inspired flavors for fans to enjoy: Yummy Strawberry Cake, and Mama’s Apple Pie. The flavors will officially be available beginning Jun. 29 in locations across Southern California, with Hello Kitty herself making an appearance at the Irvine location to commemorate the occasion.

According to O.C. Weekly, the Yummy Strawberry Cake flavor features a mix of fresh strawberries and shortcake in vanilla ice cream. Mama’s Apple Pie is a bit spicier, with apple sauce, apple pie filling, and cinnamon in vanilla ice cream. It looks like both Afters X Hello Kitty flavors are available in both cones and festive Hello Kitty cups, but let’s be real: nothing says summer like a beautiful ice cream cone. But if you want to get really real with your Hello Kitty love, order yours in the Afters’ signature Milky Bun (ice cream inside a doughnut), and let it transport you back to the good ol’ days of Hello Kitty pajamas and Saturday morning cartoons.

Fans interested in trying the flavors should make their way to shops soon, as they collab flavors are only available until Aug. 13.