Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and Little Big Club, Johor Bahru

I joined a 1-day tour with WTS Travel for SGD$63.   This price is for Sundays-Fridays.  Prices differ for Saturdays and Public Holidays.  Included in the price is two-way coach transfer from Singapore Flyer (situated near Suntec/ Millenia Walk/ Ritz Carlton Singapore and within walking distance from Promenade subway station) and entrance tickets to Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and Little Big Club Town.  There are multiple coaches leaving for Hello Kitty Town and Little Big Club and coming back as well.  You can choose your preferred coach timing for both journeys.  To depart from Singapore, drive to immigration, go through immigration, is probably a journey of 45 mins to 1 hour.  There is no toilet on the coach.   

Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and Little Big Club Town are housed in a 4-storey building. Each level is probably the size of an average supermarket in any downtown metropolitan area (not the hypermarts in the suburbs).  As you can imagine, this is a very small place.  I don’t think it really qualifies as a theme park.  It’s more like a game arcade in a shopping mall. 

Level 1 is the ticket sale area as well as the merchandise shop.  Level 2 is Sanrio Hello Kitty Town. Level 3 is dedicated to Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Barney and Pingu.  Level 4 is filled with Thomas and friends. 

All the rides are for kids.  Nothing exciting nor heart-stopping.  For thrills, you can probably go to the merchandise shop and shock yourself with the prices they charge for melamine eating utensils.  Once again, this place is more a mall arcade than a theme park.  In Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, you are also given an activity card.  You can visit the various rooms and participating in the various activities – touring Hello Kitty’s house, painting a Hello Kitty biscuit (and eating it), painting your nails (I’m not joking), dressing up in costumes etc.  Hello Kitty’s house was boring, cheap and plasticky. 

As with theme park food, food here is expensive and absolutely mediocre.  Fried Noodles with a chicken wing costs RM$11 (all taxes and services charge included).  A latte costs RM$6 (all taxes and services charge included).  It is not made by a barista but rather comes straight out of a machine, just like a vending machine.  A muffin RM$7.50 (all taxes and services charge included)- very, very ordinary.  Other food includes fried chicken, burgers, sandwiches.  For more adult food option near Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, please see this.

I went on a Thursday.  The building is largely empty.  There is a certain sadness/ lameness/ cheapness to this place, even though it is only a few months old.  Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel’s costumes are dirty.  Though the characters are Japanese, their gestures are distinctly Malay.  On the plus side, all the staff is very friendly and enthusiastic. 

2 hours is more than enough for the entire building, though kids will probably want to go on the rides again and again and again.