Hello Kitty’s Bling Bike
Here’s a photo taken at the 109 Building in Shibuya Tokyo of a blinged-out foldable bike for move you in Hello Kitty style thanks to gruntzooki’s flickr photostream…
Full-size photo on flickr.
An odd Tokyo factoid:
Maybe 15% of all bicycles in Tokyo are foldable bikes–However, I have NEVER seen one folded. Looking at the frames of foldable bikes parked on the street, it is obvious that the folding mechanisms have never been used (and often are rusted shut). Pedaling these small clown bicycles is would seem more difficult and there is not much practical advantage to having a such bicycle if the folding feature is never used.
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January 29th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
TRIVIA…
Folding bike once folded are either in the trunk of cars or in closet. THUS… you never see them… it’s like sleeping vampires. They are in coffin… so you don’t see them…
January 29th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
The the West, folding bikes do go in car trunks, RV storage areas, etc. (or folded and stashed behind the front door of an apartment).
A few years I started to make it my habit to check the folding mechanisms as I walk by parked folding bikes jamming the sidewalk in front of my station. Here in Tokyo, the folding mechanisms on the silly clown bikes are ALWAYS unused. Weird.
March 4th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
I really like your blog friend. I like how you write and express through your post… ;)
May 14th, 2009 at 2:37 am
Does anyone know how I can order this bike from the States? I want it soooo bad and can’t find it online anywhere
May 14th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
That Hello Kitty bike was a one-off, custom job that was created for publicity and an attractive window display. It is no longer for sale in the Shibuya 109 building.
If you want such a bike, I would suggest to commission an art student to create one for you. Alternatively, you could purchase a white or pink bike and use clear epoxy glue for outdoor glass to attach a couple hundred rhinestones and a Hello Kitty sticker.
Yet another option is search online for businesses, automotive paint shops ant other people involved in creating “Art Cars” and “Art Bikes “. Many art cars are created by epoxy gluing thousands of odd items such as tiny plastic Godzillas or Hello Kitty dolls onto the body of a car.
In Japan, art bikes are called “Dekochari” (DECOration CHARIot).
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_bike
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_car
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_car#Construction_and_Decoration_Techniques
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekochari