Blog

Gui Gui makes two Sanrio slimes, both sold in the UAE at Colorland Toys: a named Cinnamoroll Slime, where you know the character before you buy, and a Hello Kitty and Friends Surprise Pack, where the character is random. Both are marked for ages 6 and up. Buy the named pack for a child with a favourite, and the blind pack for a collector.

Sanrio has a particular kind of fan. Not a child who likes Hello Kitty, a child who has a Hello Kitty pencil case, a Cinnamoroll keyring and strong opinions about which character is best. If that is who you are buying for, this is a short guide.

The two Sanrio slimes

Gui Gui makes two, at similar prices, and the difference between them is whether you get to choose.

Cinnamoroll Slime

A named character pack. You know what is in it before you buy, which matters if your child has a favourite and it is Cinnamoroll. Single pack format with a surprise unboxing moment, designed as a collectible as much as a slime.

See the Cinnamoroll Slime

Hello Kitty and Friends Surprise Pack

A blind pack. Each one holds a randomly selected Hello Kitty and Friends character, so the reveal is the product. Better for a child who collects, worse for a child who wants one specific face.

See the Hello Kitty and Friends Surprise Pack

Which to buy

One question decides it. Does your child have a favourite character?

If yes, and it is Cinnamoroll, buy the named pack. If yes and it is someone else, the blind pack is a gamble and you should know that going in. If they collect rather than favour, buy the blind pack and enjoy it.

Buying a second blind pack to correct the first one is how one present becomes three. Decide before, not after.

The rest of the Hello Kitty range

Slime is not the only route in, and for a younger child it may not be the right one.

• Hello Kitty & Friends Little Plush Squishmallows, 5 inch
• Sanrio Squishmallows, 8 inch
• Hello Kitty & Friends Plush, 8 inch
• LOL Surprise Loves Hello Kitty & Friends Tots
• Hello Kitty Microphone Speaker Set
• Reig Hello Kitty Microphone and Guitar Set
• Hello Kitty Cozy Time Home Dollhouse Playset

The 5-inch Squishmallows sit in the sweet spot for most people: cheap enough to be a small gift, and they cross over with the squish plush a lot of children are already collecting.

Why Sanrio outlasts almost everything else

Most character licences have a run of two or three years and then a child moves on. Sanrio does not behave that way, and it is worth understanding if you are deciding how much to spend.

Three reasons. The characters are designs rather than personalities, so there is no story to grow out of. The range spans a pencil case to a dollhouse, so a child can stay inside it as they get older. And it crosses generations, which means the parent buying it often has their own history with it.

Practically, that means a Sanrio purchase is a safer bet than a purchase tied to whatever is currently on a streaming service. The Cozy Time Home Dollhouse Playset is the clearest example on this list of something that will still be out on a shelf in two years.

Buying for a Sanrio fan who has everything

The usual problem with a committed collector. Four angles that tend to work.

• A different category, same character. If they have the plush, buy the slime. If they have both, buy the microphone set.
• A crossover. The LOL Surprise Loves Hello Kitty & Friends Tots sits in two collections at once, which is usually a gap.
• A supporting character. Everyone buys Hello Kitty. Cinnamoroll, Kuromi and My Melody fans are frequently under-served, which is what makes the Cinnamoroll Slime a better gift than it looks.
• Something they will use daily. A microphone speaker set gets used every evening in a house with a performer in it, which is more than most gifts manage.

Pairing slime with plush

If you are buying a birthday present rather than a small gift, the pairing that works is one slime and one plush of the same character. It stays a moderate spend and reads as a set rather than two separate things.

That combination also covers both kinds of play: the twenty-minute activity, and the thing that stays on the bed afterwards.

What to expect from a blind pack

One practical point before a first purchase. A blind pack is a small event, and the event lasts about a minute. Whatever is inside, the reveal is the same either way, and a child who was hoping for one particular character will feel that minute go the wrong way.

The way round it is expectation rather than money. Say out loud, before it is opened, that it could be any of them and that duplicates get swapped with friends. Set that up once and blind packs stay fun. Skip it, and every pack is a coin toss with a disappointed child at one end.

Age and safety

Slime kits are usually marked for six and up because of the small decoration pieces. Check the pack. For under fives in a Sanrio household, the plush is the answer, not the slime. Gui Gui slime is made with non-toxic ingredients, and the complete slime guide covers safety, storage and textures.

Shop the Hello Kitty collection or browse the full Gui Gui slime range.

Related reading: Meet Gui Gui and Squishmallows in the UAE.

Common questions

Is there Hello Kitty slime in the UAE?

Yes. Colorland Toys stocks the Gui Gui Hello Kitty and Friends Surprise Slime pack and the Gui Gui Sanrio Cinnamoroll Slime, online and in store.

Can I choose which Hello Kitty character I get?

Only with the Cinnamoroll Slime, which is a named pack. The Hello Kitty and Friends Surprise Pack is a blind pack with a randomly selected character.

What age is Sanrio slime for?

Both packs are marked for ages 6 and up because of the small decoration pieces. For younger Sanrio fans, plush is the better choice.

What is a good Hello Kitty gift that is not slime?

A 5-inch Hello Kitty and Friends Squishmallow is the easy small gift, and the Hello Kitty Cozy Time Home Dollhouse Playset is the bigger one. The Hello Kitty collection has the full range.

Why do children stay with Sanrio for so long?

The characters are designs rather than storylines, so there is nothing to grow out of, and the range spans small plush to playsets, so a child can stay with it as they get older.