Singaporeans riot for Hello Kitty
McDonald's promotion proves catnip to customers.
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By J.A. Getzlaff
Jan. 20, 2000 | Things are getting out of hand in strait-laced
Singapore lately, and it's all because of Hello Kitty, the
round-faced cartoon cat with no mouth. On New Year's Day, the
city-state's 113 McDonald's outlets began a six-week promotion that
offers customers a different pair of Hello Kitty characters each
week when they purchase an Extra Value Meal.
Since then, passionate consumers -- mostly teenagers -- have
stormed the chain's outlets, offering to pay as much as S$200-$300
(U.S. $119-$179) for each set of the limited-edition dolls,
according to Singapore's the Straits Times. Arguments and
fistfights have broken out in the long lines, and on Jan. 13, seven
people were injured when a mob pressed against one franchise's
plate-glass door and shattered it.
In an Associated Press report, McDonald's marketing director Fanny
Lai pleaded with Hello Kitty fans to "keep calm" and "follow the
directions of our staff on the scene." To make sure they do, the
burger chain has brought in police to watch over things -- which
means Hello Kitty fanatics had better control themselves. In
Singapore, gum chewing and public drunkenness are illegal, caning
is a common punishment and possession of narcotics carries a
mandatory death sentence.
Hello Kitty and her round-faced friends -- Monkichi, Pippo and
Spottie Dottie -- have become a worldwide phenomenon since they
were created by Japan's Sanrio Company 25 years ago. Today they
adorn everything from purses to waffle irons.
salon.com | Jan. 20, 2000
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remember this? so where are the toys now?
