A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year.
Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station.
Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung MRT
He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous.
With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan has gained huge popularity and was even visited by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the station in March 2021.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) also allowed Mikan to stand on his office desk.
Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
The Kaohsiung MRT said Mikan works only one day a month to meet with fans and enjoys a cozy life at the headquarters on other days, with an exclusive workspace overlooking the city and someone to look after him.
“Master Mikan’s selling point is being adorable,” it said.
From backpacks to stationery and jam, the Kaohsiung MRT has designed more than 120 different products featuring Mikan, which have been ardently collected by his fans and passengers.
Sales soared after a Mikan counter was launched at Zuoying Station in July last year, with annual revenue increasing 25 percent to more than NT$10 million from the previous year.
The Kaohsiung MRT also opened Instagram and Facebook accounts for Mikan, recording his life and encouraging people to treat stray animals with kindness.
So far, Mikan’s Instagram has 184,000 followers as of yesterday, 90 percent of whom are from Taiwan and 10 percent from overseas, with Hong Kong, the US and Japan being the top three countries.
The Kaohsiung MRT said it would take responsibility of caring for Mikan and ensuring his well-being, while developing the station master’s brand by advocating for stray animals’ welfare, marketing the city’s tourism and promoting international exchanges.
It would continue to develop new merchandise of Mikan, and take part in this year’s Creative Expo Taiwan to gain traction in the souvenir market and the creative industry, it said.
The Kaohsiung MRT on Friday last week said it signed a three-party agreement on tourism marketing and business cooperation with Japan’s Enoden Electric Railway and Keifuku Electric Railroad Co.
Under the agreement, Mikan’s cobranded products and promotional activities would be launched concurrently in Taiwan and Japan, with images of Mikan wearing the three railway companies’ uniforms, it said, adding that merchandise counters would also be set up at major stations along the two Japanese railway routes.
“Mikan diplomacy” is expected to promote the friendship between Taiwan and Japan, it added.
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