Sanrio’s kaiju crossover gives one cute character two extra heads, plus gives one character often overlooked in Japan some time in the spotlight.

Godzilla and Hello Kitty are on the highest tier of international stardom for Japanese pop culture icons. Long before the current global otaku and kawaii culture booms, the kaiju king and Sanrio queen were winning the hearts of fans far beyond their home country

So it’s understandable that McDonald’s America would be very happy to have either of them as a promotional partner. The burger chain is going one step farther, though, and instead of just Godzilla Happy Meals or Hello Kitty Happy Meals, they’re going to be offering Happy Meals with Godzilla and Hello Kitty together!

Arriving later this month are the brand-new Hello Kitty and Friends x Godzilla Happy Meals, which McDonald’s is billing as “cute meets kaiju.” The toys will consist of eight different team-ups between a Sanrio character and a giant monster, with the pairings being:
● Hello Kitty x Godzilla
● Kuromi x Mechagodzilla
● My Melody x Mothra
● Pompompurin x Gigan
● Cinnamoroll x Destoroyah
● Badtz-Maru x Rodan
● Kero Kero Keroppi x King Ghidorah
● Chococat x Space Godzilla

There seems to be some fun logic between some of those team-ups, such as the gentle and considerate My Melody being paired with motherly Mothra, the always-assertive Kuromi with hubris-born Mechagodzilla, and the repeating aspect of Kero Kero Keroppi’s name dovetailing with the three-headed anatomy of King Ghidorah. Chococat’s inclusion in the lineup might seem like a surprise, but while the character often gets lost in the Sanrio swarm in Japan, he placed third among U.S. voters in this year’s Sanrio Character Poll, so his apparently sizable fandom in the States likely played a role in getting him a spot in the collaboration.

McDonald’s says that these characters will be “cosplaying right into our hearts,” implying that these are meant to be kigurumi/one-piece costumes of kaiju that the Sanrio characters are wearing. However, Keroppi Ghidorah having three heads suggests the possibility that the Sanrio characters are fusing with their partner kaiju, and this video of Kitty Godzilla approaching a defenseless Happy Meal freighter has an unmistakably sinister tone to it that makes one wonder if she’s becoming influenced by the kaiju’s destructive tendencies.

▼ Will shipping companies need to summon Archfiend Hello Kitty to protect their cargo from this new threat?

The Hello Kitty and Friends x Godzilla Happy Meals are scheduled to go on sale at U.S. McDonald’s locations on August 18, with no word yet as to whether they’ll be available in Japan.

Source, top image: Twitter/@McDonalds
Insert images: Instagram/mcdonalds
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