McDonald's Hello Kitty promotion (2000) - Revision history

Dayana Rizal: /* Public reception */

2019-11-05T06:08:56Z

Public reception

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:08, 5 November 2019
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	==Public reception==		==Public reception==

			=== Hello Kitty "craze" ===
	[[File:McDonald's Hello Kitty queue.jpg\|thumb\|''A photograph depicting the queue outside a McDonald's branch on 6 January 2000.'']]		[[File:McDonald's Hello Kitty queue.jpg\|thumb\|''A photograph depicting the queue outside a McDonald's branch on 6 January 2000.'']]
	A report by McDonald’s on 2 January 2000 indicated that an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people queued for the promotion islandwide.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20000202-1.2.36.7 “McDonald’s explains its moves”]. ''The Straits Times.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref> According to a McDonald's spokesman, the exclusivity of the Wedding Design Hello Kitty sets meant that they had a high resale value. Based on their estimate, the complete line of the stuffed toys could have fetched as much as S$980 at the time.<ref>Wee, Lea. Lee, Lynn. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20000116-1.2.63.2 “Hello, what’s fuss all about?”]. ''The Straits Times''. January 16 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		A report by McDonald’s on 2 January 2000 indicated that an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people queued for the promotion islandwide.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20000202-1.2.36.7 “McDonald’s explains its moves”]. ''The Straits Times.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref> According to a McDonald's spokesman, the exclusivity of the Wedding Design Hello Kitty sets meant that they had a high resale value. Based on their estimate, the complete line of the stuffed toys could have fetched as much as S$980 at the time.<ref>Wee, Lea. Lee, Lynn. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20000116-1.2.63.2 “Hello, what’s fuss all about?”]. ''The Straits Times''. January 16 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>

Dayana Rizal: /* Details of promotion */

2019-07-11T08:17:17Z

Details of promotion

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:17, 11 July 2019
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	\|The sale of the Chinese wedding set used a voucher system in an effort to combat the queues.		\|The sale of the Chinese wedding set used a voucher system in an effort to combat the queues.
	\|}		\|}
	In an interview with The Straits Times published on 2 February 2000, McDonald’s clarified that 400,000 stuffed toys of each set were produced and that on average, each store in Singapore had 2,000 in stock.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20000202-1.2.36.7 “McDonald’s explains its moves”]. ''The Straits Times.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		In an interview with The Straits Times published on 2 February 2000, McDonald’s clarified that 400,000 stuffed toys of each set were produced and that on average, each store in Singapore had 2,000 of each set in stock.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20000202-1.2.36.7 “McDonald’s explains its moves”]. ''The Straits Times.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>

	==Public reception==		==Public reception==

Dayana Rizal: /* Details of promotion */

2019-07-11T08:15:58Z

Details of promotion

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:15, 11 July 2019
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	In order to ~~buy~~ a Wedding Design Hello Kitty set, patrons had to purchase an Extra Value Meal~~. Patrons had to~~ pay an ~~extra~~ S$4.50 for each Hello Kitty set ~~they purchased~~. Initially, there was no limit on the number of Hello Kitty sets a patron is able to purchase in one transaction.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19991230-1.2.12 “Buy for charity’s kitty”]. ''The New Paper.'' December 30, 1999. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref> ~~Each set was released weekly on Thursdays. The~~ sets were released in the following order:<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/newpaper20000202-1.1.12 “Hello! Now you don’t have to queue for Kitty dolls”]. ''The New Paper.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		In order to obtain a Wedding Design Hello Kitty set, patrons had to purchase an Extra Value Meal and pay an additional S$4.50 for each Hello Kitty set. Initially, there was no limit on the number of Hello Kitty sets a patron is able to purchase in one transaction.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19991230-1.2.12 “Buy for charity’s kitty”]. ''The New Paper.'' December 30, 1999. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref> Starting from 1 January 2000, the sets were released weekly every Thursday in the following order:<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/newpaper20000202-1.1.12 “Hello! Now you don’t have to queue for Kitty dolls”]. ''The New Paper.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>
	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	!Release date		!Release date

Dayana Rizal: /* Noteworthy incidents */

2019-07-11T07:58:24Z

Noteworthy incidents

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	===Traffic jams===		===Traffic jams===
	On 13 January 2000, a traffic jam had been caused by the massive number of drivers queueing up at a McDonald’s drive-thru ~~at King Albert Park~~.<ref>Hong, X. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper20000114-1.2.22.3 “Dear Miss Kitty I’m angry. I’m fed-up.”]. ''The New Paper.'' January 14, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref> The traffic jam spanned from Bukit Timah Road to Bukit Panjang Road and the congestion was so severe that the traffic police had to step in. The East Coast Parkway McDonald's drive-thru outlet had also reportedly caused traffic congestion.<ref>Hong, X. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper20000114-1.2.22.3 “Dear Miss Kitty I’m angry. I’m fed-up.”]. ''The New Paper.'' January 14, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		On 13 January 2000, a traffic jam had been caused by the massive number of drivers queueing up at the King Albert Park McDonald’s drive-thru.<ref>Hong, X. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper20000114-1.2.22.3 “Dear Miss Kitty I’m angry. I’m fed-up.”]. ''The New Paper.'' January 14, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref> The traffic jam spanned from Bukit Timah Road to Bukit Panjang Road and the congestion was so severe that the traffic police had to step in. The East Coast Parkway McDonald's drive-thru outlet had also reportedly caused traffic congestion.<ref>Hong, X. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper20000114-1.2.22.3 “Dear Miss Kitty I’m angry. I’m fed-up.”]. ''The New Paper.'' January 14, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>

	===Disorderly behaviour===		===Disorderly behaviour===

Dayana Rizal: /* Public reception */

2019-07-11T07:56:56Z

Public reception

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:56, 11 July 2019
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	However, some Singaporeans were adversely affected by the popularity of the promotion. As a great number of McDonald's outlets were located in or near housing estates, the long queues that spanned throughout the night created noise disturbances for those living around the area. Other inconveniences included the large amounts litter left in the area.<ref>Lim, Trudy. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper20000127-1.2.3.3 “Cute cat, ugly S’porean”]. ''The New Paper.'' January 27, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		However, some Singaporeans were adversely affected by the popularity of the promotion. As a great number of McDonald's outlets were located in or near housing estates, the long queues that spanned throughout the night created noise disturbances for those living around the area. Other inconveniences included the large amounts of litter left in the area.<ref>Lim, Trudy. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper20000127-1.2.3.3 “Cute cat, ugly S’porean”]. ''The New Paper.'' January 27, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>


	On 27 January 2000, the Ministry of Environment responded to this issue.15 ~~litterbugs had been~~ fined and McDonald’s was instructed to conduct a thorough clean-up at all its outlets. The Ministry of Environment also suggested that McDonald’s provided more litter bins at its outlets during the next release of the Wedding Design Hello Kitty sets.<ref>Teo, Laurel. Tshering, Palden. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20000128-1.2.6.4 “6 held as Hello Kitty queues turn ugly”]. ''The Straits Times.'' January 28, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		On 27 January 2000, the Ministry of Environment responded to this issue.15 individuals were fined for littering and McDonald’s was instructed to conduct a thorough clean-up at all its outlets. The Ministry of Environment also suggested that McDonald’s provided more litter bins at its outlets during the next release of the Wedding Design Hello Kitty sets.<ref>Teo, Laurel. Tshering, Palden. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20000128-1.2.6.4 “6 held as Hello Kitty queues turn ugly”]. ''The Straits Times.'' January 28, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>

	==Noteworthy incidents==		==Noteworthy incidents==

Dayana Rizal: /* Public reception */

2019-07-11T07:55:32Z

Public reception

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:55, 11 July 2019
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	==Public reception==		==Public reception==
	[[File:McDonald's Hello Kitty queue.jpg\|thumb\|''A photograph depicting the queue outside a McDonald's branch on 6 January 2000.'']]		[[File:McDonald's Hello Kitty queue.jpg\|thumb\|''A photograph depicting the queue outside a McDonald's branch on 6 January 2000.'']]
	A report by McDonald’s on 2 January 2000 indicated that an ~~estimate of~~ 250,000 to 300,000 people queued for the promotion islandwide.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20000202-1.2.36.7 “McDonald’s explains its moves”]. ''The Straits Times.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref> According to a McDonald's spokesman, the exclusivity of the Wedding Design Hello Kitty sets meant that they had a high resale value. Based on their estimate, the complete line of the stuffed toys could have fetched as much as S$980 at the time.<ref>Wee, Lea. Lee, Lynn. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20000116-1.2.63.2 “Hello, what’s fuss all about?”]. ''The Straits Times''. January 16 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		A report by McDonald’s on 2 January 2000 indicated that an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people queued for the promotion islandwide.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20000202-1.2.36.7 “McDonald’s explains its moves”]. ''The Straits Times.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref> According to a McDonald's spokesman, the exclusivity of the Wedding Design Hello Kitty sets meant that they had a high resale value. Based on their estimate, the complete line of the stuffed toys could have fetched as much as S$980 at the time.<ref>Wee, Lea. Lee, Lynn. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20000116-1.2.63.2 “Hello, what’s fuss all about?”]. ''The Straits Times''. January 16 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>

Dayana Rizal: /* Details of promotion */

2019-07-11T07:54:07Z

Details of promotion

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:54, 11 July 2019
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	==Details of promotion==		==Details of promotion==
	[[File:McDonald's Hello Kitty article.jpg\|thumb\|''A newspaper clipping summing up the popularity of the Hello Kitty Wedding sets in Singapore~~. Photo from S M Ong~~.'']]		[[File:McDonald's Hello Kitty article.jpg\|thumb\|''A newspaper clipping summing up the popularity of the Hello Kitty Wedding sets in Singapore.'']]
	McDonald’s opened its first outlet in Singapore at Liat Towers in 1979. The franchise quickly expanded to 113 outlets islandwide by 2000. In a newspaper report, the marketing director of McDonald's explained that the Hello Kitty promotion had been launched in order to express gratitude towards customers for their patronage over the years.<ref>John, Alan. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20000119-1.2.60.3 “Hello Kitty? Then, goodbye, golden arches”]. ''The Straits Times.'' January 19, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		McDonald’s opened its first outlet in Singapore at Liat Towers in 1979. The franchise quickly expanded to 113 outlets islandwide by 2000. In a newspaper report, the marketing director of McDonald's explained that the Hello Kitty promotion had been launched in order to express gratitude towards customers for their patronage over the years.<ref>John, Alan. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20000119-1.2.60.3 “Hello Kitty? Then, goodbye, golden arches”]. ''The Straits Times.'' January 19, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>

Dayana Rizal: /* Details of promotion */

2019-07-11T07:53:13Z

Details of promotion

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:53, 11 July 2019
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	\|The sale of the Chinese wedding set used a voucher system in an effort to combat the queues.		\|The sale of the Chinese wedding set used a voucher system in an effort to combat the queues.
	\|}		\|}
	In an interview with The Straits Times published on 2 February 2000, McDonald’s clarified that 400,000 stuffed toys were produced and that on average, each store in Singapore had 2,000 ~~sets~~ in stock.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20000202-1.2.36.7 “McDonald’s explains its moves”]. ''The Straits Times.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		In an interview with The Straits Times published on 2 February 2000, McDonald’s clarified that 400,000 stuffed toys of each set were produced and that on average, each store in Singapore had 2,000 in stock.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20000202-1.2.36.7 “McDonald’s explains its moves”]. ''The Straits Times.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>

	==Public reception==		==Public reception==

Dayana Rizal: /* Details of promotion */

2019-07-11T07:51:19Z

Details of promotion

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:51, 11 July 2019
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	In order to buy a Wedding Design Hello Kitty set, patrons had to purchase an Extra Value Meal. Patrons had to pay an extra S$4.50 for each Hello Kitty set they purchased. Initially, there was no limit on the number of Hello Kitty sets a patron is able to purchase in one transaction.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19991230-1.2.12 “Buy for charity’s kitty”]. ''The New Paper.'' December 30, 1999. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref> Each set was released weekly on Thursdays. The sets were released in the following order ~~and were sold out in the number of days stated below~~:<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/newpaper20000202-1.1.12 “Hello! Now you don’t have to queue for Kitty dolls”]. ''The New Paper.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		In order to buy a Wedding Design Hello Kitty set, patrons had to purchase an Extra Value Meal. Patrons had to pay an extra S$4.50 for each Hello Kitty set they purchased. Initially, there was no limit on the number of Hello Kitty sets a patron is able to purchase in one transaction.<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19991230-1.2.12 “Buy for charity’s kitty”]. ''The New Paper.'' December 30, 1999. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref> Each set was released weekly on Thursdays. The sets were released in the following order:<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/newpaper20000202-1.1.12 “Hello! Now you don’t have to queue for Kitty dolls”]. ''The New Paper.'' February 2, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>
	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	!Release date		!Release date

Dayana Rizal at 07:49, 11 July 2019

2019-07-11T07:49:53Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:49, 11 July 2019
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	[[File:Hello Kitty Chinese Wedding set.jpg\|thumb\|''The Dear Daniel and Hello Kitty Chinese Wedding set that was the last pair to be released. Photo from Yahoo! Auctions.'']]		[[File:Hello Kitty Chinese Wedding set.jpg\|thumb\|''The Dear Daniel and Hello Kitty Chinese Wedding set that was the last pair to be released. Photo from Yahoo! Auctions.'']]
	On 1 January 2000, McDonald’s launched a 40-day Wedding Design Hello Kitty stuffed toy promotion. The set featured Hello Kitty and her boyfriend, Dear Daniel, in various ethnic wedding costumes. The popularity of the Hello Kitty stuffed toys generated some problems ranging from traffic jams to disorderly behaviour.<ref>Chong, Chee Kin. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20000114-1.2.7.4 “Seven hurt in rush for Hello Kitty Toys”]. ''The Straits Times.'' January 14, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>		On 1 January 2000, McDonald’s launched a 40-day Wedding Design Hello Kitty stuffed toy promotion. The stuffed toy set featured Hello Kitty and her boyfriend, Dear Daniel, in various ethnic wedding costumes. The popularity of the Hello Kitty stuffed toys generated some problems ranging from traffic jams to disorderly behaviour.<ref>Chong, Chee Kin. [http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes20000114-1.2.7.4 “Seven hurt in rush for Hello Kitty Toys”]. ''The Straits Times.'' January 14, 2000. Accessed on 29 January 2019. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.</ref>

	==Details of promotion==		==Details of promotion==