You Mean She's JUST NOW Becoming a Happy Meal Toy?

Hello Kitty is the ultimate licensing whore. Her oblong, be-ribboned visage has been plastered onto everything from toasters to credit cards to vibrators -- er, massagers -- to brassiere.

Now you can find the world's most ubiquitous cat in your Happy Meal. Through February 26th, McDonald's is stuffing them with one of eight Sanrio watches.

Most sport the Hello Kitty facade, but if you're (un)lucky(?) you might get one with Chococat, a somewhat depressed feline who joined Team Sanrio some years ago; My Melody, who I'm fairly sure is a bunny; or The Little Twin Stars, which I thought fell off the face of the earth in the early '90s.

Sanrio characters will also appear in McWorld, where kids can interact with Hello Kitty or download screensavers, avatars and coloring sheets in her likeness.

Requisite soundbyte: "Sanrio was built on the concept that small gifts can bring big smiles. These watches are sure to bring smiles to McDonald's customers and SANRIO's young fans," gushed President Janet Hsu of Sanrio Global Consumer Products.

Cradle to grave, baby. Cradle -- to -- grave.

by Angela Natividad    Feb- 6-09   Comments (3)   
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Packaging, Sponsorship, Strange, Trends and Culture