Happy Meal “Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary”! Scheduled for 4 Weeks, Sold Out in About a Week!
In Japan, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty, McDonald’s Japan launched a special Happy Meal “Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary” on December 15, 2023. This set included 50 types of Hello Kitty plush toys, including four limited edition designs. The campaign garnered popularity beyond expectations, leading to an early sell-out in almost all stores, despite an initial sales period of about four weeks. McDonald’s Japan deeply apologized for not meeting customer expectations and expressed gratitude for the significant support from customers. This case demonstrates the international popularity and influence of Japanese anime and character merchandise.
What is the Happy Meal “Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary”?
In Japan, to celebrate Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary, McDonald’s Japan released a special Happy Meal “Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary”. The set, designed to enrich children’s social skills, emotions, and imagination, offered the joy of collecting various Hello Kitty plush toys. These toys could be played with in combination with other toys and could also be used as accessories, as they come with straps.
The campaign was conducted in three phases, each featuring different designs of Hello Kitty plush toys. The first phase, from December 15 to 21, introduced 25 types of plush toys, including designs based on Kitty’s original 1974 “Milk” Kitty, the 1987 “Shiro & Kuro” Kitty, and the 1996 “Pearl” Kitty.
The second phase, from December 22 to 28, introduced another 25 types of plush toys, including the 2005 “Mitsubachi Bear” Kitty from the Hachi Bear Kitty series and a special “50th Anniversary Limited” Kitty.
The third phase, starting December 29, offered a random selection from all 50 types of toys introduced in the first and second phases. This campaign, celebrating the history and evolution of Hello Kitty, is highly attractive as a collector’s item. It symbolizes Japanese anime and character merchandise culture and has garnered significant attention from anime fans both in Japan and abroad.
Happy Meal “Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary”! Official Statement from McDonald’s Website!
Following the overwhelming popularity of the McDonald’s collaboration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty, the Happy Meal sold out on the first day in many stores, leading to the following statement from McDonald’s.
Happy Meal® “Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary” Early Sales Termination Notice 2023.12.22
Thank you for your continued patronage of McDonald’s Japan.
The Happy Meal “Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary,” which started selling on December 15, 2023, has been extremely popular, with sales far exceeding expectations.
As a result, although we initially planned to sell it from December 15 for about four weeks, it has sold out in almost all stores.
We deeply apologize for not being able to meet the expectations of our customers due to the early end of sales and sincerely thank the many customers who have supported us.
We ask for your understanding and look forward to continuing to offer attractive products unique to McDonald’s.
Sincerely,
McDonald’s Japan
https://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/company/info/2023/1222a/
At the time of the sell-out, it was expected that additional toys for the third phase would be added, but according to McDonald’s, only the toys left over from the first and second phases were carried over to the third phase. With the toys sold out in the first and second phases, the third phase could not be implemented. The popularity of Hello Kitty in Japan is indeed formidable.
Check out “Hello Kitty” at Anime Treasures jp eBay Store →
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