IDW gets in on the blind-box with a HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS mystery box

IDW Publishing is bringing the blind-box boom to the graphic novel shelf, and Hello Kitty is leading the charge. The publisher and Sanrio have announced the Hello Kitty and Friends: Hello World! Supercute Mystery Box, a first-of-its-kind collectible set arriving June 2027. The news was first reported by ICv2.

Each box packs the complete Hello Kitty and Friends: Hello World! trade paperback (collecting issues #1–4) with four character trading cards, a keychain figurine, and a sticker sheet. The catch? You don't pick your box. Each one features Hello Kitty, Kuromi, or Cinnamoroll, so the chase is on to complete the trio.

"In the comics world, blind bags turned collecting into an event, with fans tearing them open together and sharing every surprise. Now we're bringing that energy to the book market," said Tara McCrillis, President Operations / Associate Publisher at IDW Publishing. "Our goal is simple: make the love of reading feel as exciting as the hunt for a rare variant."

It's a limited play, too. The mystery box is a one-time print run with no reprints planned—a squeeze that puts the pressure on retailers to order big on the first go. Per ICv2, it's IDW's first blind box and the first mystery book box for Hello Kitty.

The book inside is the opening arc of IDW's licensed Hello Kitty and Friends comics, which launched in July 2026 after the publisher announced the license at ComicsPRO. Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer, Zatanna: Bring Down the House), an Eisner Award winner, writes the story, with Cody Lemieux (Despite, Despite, Despite; Gnome Granny) doing the artwork. The story finds Hello Kitty playing super-sleuth when My Melody's bow—and then her friends' other signature accessories—go missing, threatening to tear the whole town apart.

Pricing and formats:

• Hello Kitty and Friends: Hello World! softcover: $9.99 (ISBN 979-8-88724-571-3), wherever books are sold

• Supercute Mystery Box: $29.99 each (ISBN 979-8-88724-664-2), at retailers

• Hardcover edition: $24.99, exclusive to the IDW Publishing website

The mystery box goes on sale on Wednesday, June 16, 2027; preorders are open now.

Check out promotional images below:

Source: IDW PR