海角大神

Japan-born Hello Kitty celebrates her 40th聽anniversary this year, but some of the biggest celebrations for the cartoon-like feline figurine are happening in Tokyo鈥檚 former colony Taiwan, where fascination with the icon baffles even her inventor Sanrio.听

Taiwanese girls and adult women unabashedly buy pencils, clothing, blankets, and theme meals bearing the white button-nosed cat with an extra-large head and no defined facial expression. Some fly on six Hello Kitty-festooned aircraft run by Taiwan鈥檚 EVA Airways, stay in a hotel with 10 Hello Kitty guest rooms 鈥� cat images from bathrooms to pillowcases 鈥� and dine in the capital city鈥檚 Hello Kitty-themed restaurants (reservations a must).听

Women in central Taiwan can give birth at a 30-bed maternity hospital decorated with the signature cats, a means of soothing moods during labor.

Sanrio doesn鈥檛 disclose revenue for Taiwan, where its own stores also pack in shoppers. The company is still exploring reasons for the cat鈥檚 unique popularity on the island that Japan colonized for 50 years until the end of World War II in 1945.

鈥淪he has no particular expression, so she can accompany all kinds of moods, whether happy or sad, that鈥檚 one thing people say,鈥� says Sanrio鈥檚 Taiwan publicist Claire Huang. 鈥淎nother is that during periods of economic volatility, Hello Kitty can make people feel warm and comfortable.鈥�

Taiwanese like Japanese cultural products in general, which they consider high quality and familiar because of television cartoons from the same market. Hello Kitty isn鈥檛 a cartoon character, but her look matches that of some Japanese TV icons. And compared to other former Japanese colonies in Asia, Taiwan has a warm relationship with its former occupier.听

鈥淭aiwanese people like Japanese products more than other countries because Japan has a special relation with Taiwan,鈥� says George Hou, associate media studies professor at I-Shou University in Taiwan. 鈥淐ute characters can make people feel good, even though we have to face the difficulties every day in our real life. Cute comes from Japanese culture.鈥�

Sanrio鈥檚 aggressive commercialization of Hello Kitty draws Taiwanese fans from youth. Taipei office worker Alice Chen, in her 40s, proudly says she has bought theme blankets, notebooks, and purses since childhood and keeps going at it. 鈥淪he won鈥檛 get any older,鈥� Ms. Chen says, explaining the cat鈥檚 appeal.

Forty-year anniversary events have predictably flooded Taiwan. A November fun run in Taipei brought out 10,000 people for chances to hug giant Hello Kitty puppets and grab cat-themed prizes. Last month Sanrio started marshalling Hello Kitty puppets to greet passengers on a cable car above Taipei鈥檚 zoo. 聽

About 80,000 people turned out over one long weekend, Sanrio鈥檚 publicist says, and the feline cable car celebs have been unable to keep up with demand since then.