(Picture of Hello Kitty queue outside a McDonald's branch, 6th Jan 2000)

Fast-food chain says response to Kitty was unprecedented; it had expected to keep the situation under control.

Aside from giving details on how people can buy the last set of Hello Kitty dolls in its promotion, McDonald's also answered some questions which the media and members of the public have been asking.

This is what the fast-food chain said:

Why did it take so long for McDonald's to recognize that there was a problem?

The overwhelming response is unprecedented in McDonald's history worldwide. Last Thursday, even before opening for business, there were some 250,000 to 350,000 customers waiting in the queues.

Since the promotion started, public safety and meeting customer demand for Hello Kitty have always been our priorities. We were focused on measures to address these issues, and had no idea that the situation would continue to escalate.

All our efforts were focused on looking at how to improve crowd control, alleviate traffic congestion, and also how to speed up service times, such as increasing security, and limiting the number of toys sold.

Were there the same quantities for each of the six designs?

Yes, 400,000 of each Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel pair were produced for each of the six designs.

Are the stocks allocated to each store different?

Our stocks are distributed according to the restaurant's sales volume. On average, there were 2,000 pairs in each store.

How many charity option forms have been given out?

To date, customers have donated about 12,000 Extra Value Meals

Will customers still be able to have the option to donate their Extra Value Meals to charity with this new arrangement?

Yes

Now that you are re-ordering stocks of the Chinese Wedding Hello Kitty, why not re-order for the other designs too, since there was such a great demand for them?

The first five designs were sold on a first-come-first-serve basis, and it will not be appropriate for us to backtrack on this offer.

Why not conduct a lucky draw as some have suggested?

In view of the overwhelming response, McDonald's would like to ensure that everyone who whishes to have a Chinese Wedding Hello Kitty can get one. A lucky draw at this time is not appropriate.

Why not release the current stocks first, and, at the same time, take orders for later delivery?

To eliminate the long queues, it is important that we do away with any notion of a first-come-first-served arrangement.

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McDonald's Behind the Golden Arches Visit this site to learn about the current exhibition (till 31st March 2000) in Singapore.