The Chaos Of Hello Kitty Returns, Promised MyDonald

BUKIT TIMAH, SINGAPORE -- Hello Kitty mania is hitting Singapore again. MyDonald's Restaurants says it is confident that there will be more pandemonium compared to what had

happened during its last Hello Kitty promotion. 

The fast-food chain's director of marketing, Ms Morning Sun, said the company would keep even less toys in stock to increase panic buying. It is also hiring part-time actors and actresses to fake shortage outcries, and a mobile squads of paparazzi to go around McDonald's restaurants island-wide to interview the crowds. "The idea is to create as much hype as possible. We have done it and we will do it again. Besides generating a lot of revenue for the company, we can also take the opportunity to force all the competitors out of the market." said Ms Sun.

When MyDonald's launched its first Hello Kitty promotion in January last year, thousands queued up, some overnight, for the plush toys dressed in wedding garb from different countries. Not only did these customers leave lots of litter, but they also made shopkeepers in the vicinity unhappy because the queues disrupted their business. The rush for the toys also caused fans to get into trouble with the law. Four men were jailed for instigating a riot. During that period, the SCDF reported receiving thousands of calls about people murdered over the dolls or fainting in queues.

Ms Sun said the restaurant chain had learnt much from that experience. The restaurants will put up an auction web site this time to jack-up the market price of the dolls. Ms Sun added, "The response to our Wedding Design Hello Kitty was indeed unprecedented and a learning experience. Based on our experience and estimates of incremental demand because of the more elaborate costumes, this time, we have decided to create a cult around it. This will

During the last promotion, 2.8 million toys were sold, of which 1.2 millions were sold through black market. The new collection shows the Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel soft toys dressed in very sexy outfits from around the world. There are sixty designs in all. Each toy costs $49.50 with a minimum purchase of $100. Ms Sun said the chain's emphasis on hype and the competition should ensure that things get worst this time. "We expect to see a riot in Singapore for the first time in more than 40 years. And at the end of the promotion, we will also expect to see MyDonald's Restaurant the only fast-food restaurant around." claimed Ms Sun.

"We expect to see a riot in Singapore for the first time in more than 40 years. And at the end of the promotion, we will also expect to see MyDonald's Restaurant the only fast-food restaurant around." claimed Ms Sun.