Convenience stores cash in on cuteness

The most expensive item was a boar from the 7-Eleven Disney collection that was priced at NT$100.

The Taipei Times could find only one Hello Kitty cynic, a self-described gangster called Xiao Ge (小哥) who owns a coffee shop in Ximending, Taipei.

"The whole thing is boring. When I get a Hello Kitty I take it but when I get home I just throw it away," he said. "No, I don't have a girlfriend."