It was bound to happen. Combine Hongkongers' love for cute Japanese cartoons and kitsch mall promotions, and it's heaven for Hello Kitty fans with the approach of 2010 - the 50th anniversary for that conglomerate of cute, Sanrio.

An entire village of Sanrio icons and characters has been erected in Tsing Yi's Maritime Square mall for this holiday season. The Legendary 50 Sanrio Village, consisting of five different sets - the Cinnamoroll Cafe, the Hello Kitty Gift Shop, the Strawberry King Studio, the Sanrio Village Market and the Sanrio Village Post Office - has been up since mid-November and will be there for 50 days for people to take holiday pictures. It's not all just Hello Kitty, though; other Sanrio creations - like Strawberry King, My Melody, Kuromi and Badtz 'XO' Maru (the penguin on the left) - are all there on display and in costumes, too.

The MTR-owned retail space is also selling certain souvenirs, such as postcards, to raise money for the Community Chest over Christmas. No doubt some readers are really excited, but others are rolling their eyes.