By Elise Ong, September 16, 2025
The Bronco Bookstore launched new products to kick off the fall 2025 semester, with designs including Hello Kitty, hibiscus flowers, palm trees and plaid pajama pants.
The Hello Kitty products have been especially popular and have sold out multiple restocks, according to Keith Grissom, the Bronco Bookstore’s general merchandise manager.
“We can’t keep it on the shelf,” Grissom said.
The merch consists of a few different T-shirts and a crewneck, along with a variety of Hello Kitty plushies in different costumes including a shark, a panda, a dinosaur and a rainbow bear.
The crewneck is priced at $64.99 and comes in a cream color with dark green lettering that reads “Cal Poly Pomona,” “Broncos” and “Hello Kitty.” It also has cute details like flowers and Hello Kitty’s signature bow.
Hello Kitty, created by Yuko Shimizu, is a character with whiskers, cat-like ears and a bow who often wears overalls. For college students, the appeal of this character can be derived from nostalgia. Criminology student Ashley Tapia has been a fan for many years.
“I feel like a lot of people just really relate to Hello Kitty, especially young adults and kids,” Tapia said. “Growing up, I loved Hello Kitty. Ever since I was a kid, (it was) Hello Kitty this, Hello Kitty that, clothes, my room, sweaters. Even to this day, as a 19-year-old, I still like Hello Kitty.”
Because of the high demand for these products, there is now an option on the Bronco Bookstore website for customers to preorder and pick up in-store. This strategy also provides insight into how much more product needs to be ordered. As of right now, the Hello Kitty merch will sell out in a day or two, according to Bronco Bookstore Director Clint Aase.
“That’s extraordinarily fast,” Aase said. “A highly successful (brand collaboration) will sell out within two weeks. This is two days.”
Aside from the Hello Kitty merch, new hibiscus flower and palm tree designs are available in two colors of T-shirts priced at $22.99, as well as hibiscus crewnecks and hoodies priced from $44.99 to $54.99.
Another element seen in these newer products is the cultural symbols they sport.
Hello Kitty, for instance, is commonly recognized by many for her “kawaii” — meaning cute in Japanese culture — nature. According to a Japan House article, Hello Kitty is “an emblem of creativity, community, and yes, cuteness, that has joined the pantheon of global pop culture.”
Hibiscus flowers also have significant cultural meaning, which varies depending on the region. According to Windflower, “the flower’s association with love and vitality reflects Hawaiian culture’s warmth and welcoming spirit.” Hibiscus flowers also represent “honor and respect” in some Asian cultures.
Although not native to California, palm trees have become a symbolic aspect of the Southern California lifestyle and the Los Angeles area in particular, according to the LAist.
“You can hardly go anywhere in Los Angeles without seeing a palm tree,” the article read. “They line our streets from the boulevards of Beverly Hills to the foothills of the San Gabriels. These ubiquitous palms have become an intrinsic part of L.A.’s identity.”
According to Grissom, Bronco Bookstore employees connect with students to understand current trends, and students often ask for specific products. From those interactions, they learn what may be relevant to their next merch collection.
“The demand is kind of what drives what we carry in the store, what students want to purchase,” Aase said.