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Sanrio fans in for treat as ‘Hello Kitty’ comes for free

DUBAI — Fans of world-renowned Sanrio character, Hello Kitty, are in for a treat as organisers of the Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) yesterday announced free entrance to the Hello Kitty Fantastical Adventures musical show. The event, that started yesterday, will be staged at the Modhesh Fun City in Dubai Airport Expo until July 21.

Addressing the media yesterday, Chief Executive Officer of DSS Saeed Al Nabouda announced the withdrawal of Dh35 entrance fee for the show. “We want everyone, especially the children, to have a chance to enjoy the Hello Kitty musical show. That’s why we have decided to present it for free to the public,” he said.

Caroline Tsang, deputy general manager of Hong Kong-based Sanrio Wave Co. Ltd., said the 80-minute musical show, featuring eight of Sanrio’s characters, is expected to appeal to all children regardless of culture, race and gender as it presents the general subjects of love and friendship.

Headquartered in Japan, Sanrio operates three properties in Dubai, the Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Ghurair City and the newly-opened Times Square. With its line of novelty items popularised by a list of animation characters led by Hello Kitty, Sanrio has been a popular trademark in Asia and some parts of North America for the past three decades.

Tsang said the company aims to also get a substantial share in the Middle East market.

“It’s hard to provide any figures with regard to our projection for the Middle East market but we are continuously undertaking an aggressive marketing campaign. We are not discounting any possibility of expanding our network and opening other shops in the Middle East or even beyond,” Tsang told Khaleej Times.