Hello Kitty de melón de #Furano en #Hokkaido (キティちゃんの富良野メロン) pic.twitter.com/8To36ZilG9
— tofulu (@tofulu) July 25, 2015
What's better than a cantaloupe? A cantaloupe with Hello Kitty's face branded into the side, of course. Three hundred of these rare cat fruits are slowly ripening in Hokkaido, Japan, in advance of their July harvest date, Rocket News 24reported this morning.
As the outlet explains, "the Hello Kitty melons are created by carving the image on the surface of the fruit approximately one month before harvest. During the final weeks of growth, the hollow grooves take on the same color and appearance as the fruit’s natural netting, creating a seamless, organic-looking image."
Hello Kitty melons have joined us before. According to the reluctant experts at Hello Kitty Hell, they first appeared in 2010, in a package that looked a bit like an iPhone speaker. They came back for an encore in 2013. By 2014, the public needed, and got, something new—a special 40th anniversary edition, in a fancy red box. 2015's crop was back to normal.
This year's melon comes in a relatively demure green and white package, weighs about four pounds, and costs 5,500 yen, or around $51. If that seems a little steep, remember that other melons from Hokkaido go for tens of thousand of dollars, and those generally don't even have cats on them.
Only 300 will be sold, so if you're in the market, make sure you're ready to pounce when they go on sale in early July. Reminds me of a joke: Why didn't the Hello Kitty Melons run away and get married? Because you bought them and sliced them up and ate them with yogurt, you monster.
Every day, we track down a fleeting wonder—something amazing that's only happening right now. Have a tip for us? Tell us about it! Send your temporary miracles to cara@atlasobscura.com.