Limited edition Hello Kitty toys go on sale at Singapore’s McDonald’s this week. The expectation: a possible cat-tastrophe amid voracious demand and a limited supply.


SINGAPORE—Fourteen years ago, a Hello Kitty sales promotion here spiraled out of control, threatening to disrupt the peace in this order-obsessed Asian city-state. Historians called what happened a “fever,” while lawmakers debated what should be done to end the plushy pussy mayhem.


Now a new set of the famous Japanese cartoon characters are coming—and Singapore’s ability to play nice with its Hello Kitty toys is about to be put to the test.







A large crowd of Singaporeans line up outside a McDonalds restaurant to purchase Hello Kitty dolls sold with set meals in Singapore January 13.
Reuters


Starting Monday, customers ordering food at McDonald’s restaurants here will have the chance to buy limited-edition Hello Kitty toys dolled up in various costumes. The stuffed choices include “Bad Badtz-Maru,” a “mischievous little penguin who doesn’t like anything but himself,” according to promotional materials, and “PomPomPurin,” a boy golden retriever with a brown beret who “loves milk, anything soft and his mama’s cream caramel puddings.”


Yet already the offer is unsettling some Singaporeans, who remember what happened when a similar deal was unveiled in 2000.


At the time, tens of thousands of people swarmed restaurant outlets to get their hands on the mouthless mascot kitten, which was paired in the promotion with her boyfriend Daniel. Both were attired in wedding outfits.


Schoolchildren skipped class and parents ditched work to get in line. Profiteers scooped up supplies and promptly resold them for a quick buck.



Hello Kitty dolls shown in the back of a man’s car.
Reuters


Fist fights broke out while frustrated patrons threatened store managers, damaged restaurant property and compelled the fast-food outlets to hire private security firms to police crowds. At one outlet, at least seven people were injured after a glass door they were leaning on shattered.


Singapore, which keeps tight curbs on public speech and famously bans most sales of chewing gum to keep its streets clean, was caught by surprise. While public demand was heated for similar promotions in Hong Kong and Taiwan, few expected law-abiding Singaporeans to turn so catty—or for the issue to claw its way to the top ranks of power.


“We should not get too carried away,” said then-Deputy Prime Minister


Lee Hsien Loong,


who later became prime minister. “Even if you want the Kitty, there is no need to fight fiercely to try and get one,” he told local media at a public event.


In Parliament, a lawmaker asked the environment minister if he planned to stop McDonald’s from selling Hello Kitty dolls. “It’s not under my purview,” the minister replied.



Experts struggled to explain the phenomenon. In an academic study titled “The Hello Kitty Craze in Singapore: A Cultural and Comparative Analysis,” Benjamin Ng Wai-Ming, an associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, described the frenzy as a “fever” and noted that many Singaporeans believed the dolls had investment value.


Last year, things got heated again when McDonald’s rolled out a so-called “Fairy Tales” Hello Kitty set, featuring six versions designed after popular folklore. The last one—a black kitten sporting a skeletal motif—sparked mayhem as security personnel were called in to deal with heated squabbles caused by widespread line-jumping. McDonald’s wrote a letter to a local newspaper apologizing for the chaos and promised to do better next time.


For better or worse, such drama over the years has seared the Hello Kitty brand—created some 40 years ago by



Sanrio Co.




8136.TO -1.50%



Sanrio Co. Ltd.


Japan: Tokyo


¥3290


-50
-1.50%




April 25, 2014 3:00 pm


Volume :
295,400







P/E Ratio
21.60


Market Cap

¥293.02 Billion





Dividend Yield
1.82%


Rev. per Employee
¥59,183,800










04/26/14 Fries With That Cat? Singapore…
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, a Japanese merchandising firm—into Singaporeans’ minds. Ang Swee Hoon, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, says she frequently regales her students with marketing wisdom gleaned from the promotions.


“Despite all the chaos, McDonald’s still generated more sales,” Ms. Ang said. “Even bad publicity pays.”


In a written statement, Yvonne Low, senior director of marketing, for McDonald’s Singapore, said the chain is bringing out the popular toys again as a way of celebrating the 40th anniversary of Hello Kitty and that “customer service has always been our priority.”


Still, Singaporeans fret about the possible consequences.


“Brace yourself!” read a message posted by a user named Hans Chen on McDonald’s local Facebook page. “The Hello Kitty are coming!”


This year, the fast-food chain is selling six new versions of the mascot cat, each designed after famous characters created by Sanrio. The toys, which McDonald’s is offering under a license agreement, include one that lives in a big house “on the edge of Donut Pond.”


Pledging to prevent a repeat of ugly scenes that plagued past promotions, McDonald’s says it has engaged private-security firms to provide crowd control and prepared line-management plans for its staff. It is also boosting its toy supplies by roughly 50% compared with last year.


To improve buyers’ experience and curb black-market sales, the company also is offering online sales for a collector’s set featuring all six toys, Ms. Low said.


But the online sales drive was overwhelmed by the weight of orders, forcing the fast-food chain to temporarily suspend sales after less than two hours.


Hundreds of disgruntled Kitty-lovers hurled abuse on McDonald’s Facebook page, accusing the fast-food chain of sloppy customer service.



A woman takes a break after spending more than six hours lining up for Hello Kitty dolls.
Reuters


“This is the worst online marketing I have ever seen,” a person using the name Jimmy Oh wrote. “All we want is a set of Hello Kitty toys! Damn it!”


“Are you selling Sanrio plush toys or disappointment?” asked a poster using the name Jasmine See, an accountant in her 30s, who said she wanted the toys for herself and her nieces and nephews. She said she successfully placed orders after McDonald’s resumed online sales hours later.


At least some Kitty-lovers—the ones who secured orders—were grateful for being spared agonizing overnight queues when physical sales start in stores on Monday.


McDonald’s Ms. Low noted that “to deter profiteering, we have limited the number of plush toys to four per store visit for each customer, while stocks last.”


But the announcement of a ramped-up supply has also triggered other kinds of cat-fighting, with some collectors fretting over the potential for depressed resale values.


“They caused an uproar of hype and let everyone assume it’s limited,” said Aileen Tan, an administrative assistant in her 30s, who owns complete sets of all Hello Kitty plushies ever sold by McDonald’s Singapore. “I’m totally upset this year.”


Write to Chun Han Wong at chunhan.wong@wsj.com