Sanrio character gets herself in a pickle for this advertising campaign.

It may be hard to believe, but Japan’s beloved Hello Kitty is turning 50 this year. As the hardest working cat in show business, Hello Kitty isn’t taking time off to relax, though, instead increasing her workload by sprinkling stardust on a wide variety of brands to celebrate her milestone year, and in her latest venture with McDonald’s Japan, she shares inspirational words of wisdom to live by.

▼ “やろうよぜんぶ” (“yarou yo zenbu”) translates as “let’s do it all“.

Surprisingly, Hello Kitty’s appearance at the chain isn’t to advertise a special themed menu item or Happy Meal set — instead, she’s advertising a trio of Samurai Mac burgers , with a new commercial featuring another famous 50-year-old, Japanese actor Masato Sakai.

The ad, which will be broadcast on national television from 1 October, shows Hello Kitty dangling from a parachute entangled in a tree.

As Sakai frees her from the branches, it becomes apparent that skydiving has become Hello Kitty’s latest pursuit, and when Sakai asks her, “Aren’t you afraid of failure?” she responds by saying: “Failures are proof of challenges taken — they’re all treasures!”

▼ Wise words from the 50-year-old Kitty.

She then goes on to say, “Let’s do it all”, which ties in to the limited-time “Triple Thick” Samurai Mac burger that’s being released at McDonald’s from 2 October. Just as Hello Kitty takes on new challenges without fear, so too should customers when it comes to the extra-thick-patty burger, with the logic being that adults should enjoy life to the fullest, no matter what they do.

▼ Take a look at the cute commercial below.

So what exactly is Hello Kitty selling? Well, it’s the Triple Thick Beef Seared Soy Sauce Samurai Mac (780 yen [US$5.39]), which is making its fourth comeback this year following high demand for it in April, June and August. Sold from 5 p.m. every day, this burger contains three extra-thick patties to fill you up nicely at dinnertime, with a seared soy sauce-style sauce helping to enhance the flavour of the beef.

While the Triple Thick Samurai Mac is a limited-time special, McDonald’s has two other versions that are on the menu full-time — the Double Thick Beef Seared Soy Sauce Samurai Mac (580 yen) and the Thick Beef Bacon Tomato Seared Soy Sauce Samurai Mac (570 yen).

If we’re to follow Hello Kitty’s sage advice, we should take on the challenge of eating all the Samurai Mac burgers, although we’ll only have three short weeks to try the Triple Thick version, as it’s only on the menu until 22 October.

Those with smaller appetites need not despair, though, as McDonald’s is serving up Happy Meals with Hello Kitty toys during October. It’s certainly a whirlwind year for the Sanrio Character, who’s already teamed up with Crocs and even Japanese KitKats for her 50th birthday. Long may the celebrations continue!

Source, images: Press release
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