The first ever Hello Kitty fan convention is being held at Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles. Around 25,000 fans are expected to join the Hello Kitty-craze over its four day-run.

The beloved character is turning 40 on November 1.

The conference, held at Thursday at the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art, is showcasing exclusive products of the mouthless cat, lectures about why the character is so popular and the implications of this popularity on culture as well as, a tattoo booth where fanatics can get themselves permanently inked with her image.

Like Us on Facebook

Tattoo artist Mario Desa, who is one of the ink artists in the convention, has designed around 100 Hello Kitty-themed tattoos for the event.

Around 50 attendees will be receiving free inks from five artists at "HK Ink."

Even Frank Clow, a 51-year old married man and, avid collector of all things Hello Kitty, waited patiently in line to get a permanent Hello Kitty mermaid tattoo while his better half shopped limited-edition merchandise.

Hello Kitty fans Elena Ramirez and Janet Tongtip decided to use their vacation days to take in all the cuteness from the convention. The two shared that the event certainly brought back a lot of memories for them, saying, "Since we were little, we've been big fans. We're getting sentimental looking at all the old bags and things we used to have."

Sanrio spokesman Dave Marchi shared that the Los Angeles convention and 40^th anniversary celebration of Hello Kitty is "the only one happening anywhere in the world."

Hordes of fans wearing Hello Kitty wardrobes, ears and the signature Hello Kitty bow enjoyed taking photos with vintage items including the 1975 Hello Kitty coin purse that launched the character's popularity.

Yuko Yamaguchi, Sanrio's lead Hello Kitty designer since the 80s, also drew personalized sketches for fans.