On the list of global icons of weirdly enduring cool, Hello Kitty ranks somewhere between James Bond and Snoop Dogg. In Taiwan, the mouthless product flogger now has its own train.
Captain Kitty —
On the list of global icons of weirdly enduring cool, Hello Kitty ranks somewhere between James Bond and Snoop Dogg. In Taiwan, the mouthless product flogger now has its own train.
Courtesy Taiwan Railways Administration
With its first enchanting round trip Monday between the cities of Taipei and Taitung, the Hello Kitty train made Taiwan 57% more adorable.
Inaugural ride —
With its first enchanting round trip Monday between the cities of Taipei and Taitung, the Hello Kitty train made Taiwan 57% more adorable.
Courtesy Taiwan Railways Administration
"Traces of the Hello Kitty train master can be found everywhere to create a sense that she's traveling with passengers together," says the Taiwan Railways Administration. We believe.
"Kitty company" —
"Traces of the Hello Kitty train master can be found everywhere to create a sense that she's traveling with passengers together," says the Taiwan Railways Administration. We believe.
Courtesy Taiwan Railways Administration
Starting April 21, the themed trains connecting Taipei and Taitung will run periodically on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Though highly captivating, real-world Kitty -- here effortlessly upstaging everyday staffers at the train's inauguration -- will not appear on regular trips.
Weekend regular —
Starting April 21, the themed trains connecting Taipei and Taitung will run periodically on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Though highly captivating, real-world Kitty -- here effortlessly upstaging everyday staffers at the train's inauguration -- will not appear on regular trips.
Courtesy Taiwan Railways Administration
On the train's fanciful version of Taipei City, Kitty and Co. enjoy bubble tea and steamed dumplings.
Kitty in Taipei City —
On the train's fanciful version of Taipei City, Kitty and Co. enjoy bubble tea and steamed dumplings.
Courtesy Taiwan Railways Administration
The train's Europe car includes depictions of ultimate Kitty-selfie backdrops.
Kitty in France —
The train's Europe car includes depictions of ultimate Kitty-selfie backdrops.
Courtesy Taiwan Railways Administration
With eight cars in total, the high-speed train has 376 passenger seats, each adorned with a headrest cover featuring the train master. (Which, frankly, could be a little cuter if you ask us.)
Taroko Express rebranded —
With eight cars in total, the high-speed train has 376 passenger seats, each adorned with a headrest cover featuring the train master. (Which, frankly, could be a little cuter if you ask us.)
Courtesy Taiwan Railways Administration
Train tickets would too small for these paw-sized stamps, available in the first and last cars.
Hello, collectibles! —
Train tickets would too small for these paw-sized stamps, available in the first and last cars.
Courtesy Taiwan Railways Administration
Hello Kitty-themed train launches in Taiwan

Story highlights

Hello Kitty-themed express train made first round trip between Taipei and Taitung

TRA, Eva Air and Sanrio Taiwan collaborated on train to promote tourism

Regular trips will start running on April 21 from Fridays to Sundays

Adorable icon's cool rating apparently nowhere near exhausted

CNN  — 

The world’s most nimble spokeskitty has struck again. This time in Taiwan.

That’s where a high-speed train painted in the colors of Hello Kitty made its maiden round trip in March 2016 between the cities of Taipei and Taitung.

About 200 fans of the mouthless icon – which, OK, technically means it’s not a “spokes” anything – won tickets to grin deliriously during the four-hour trip between the island’s north and southeast. Or so we presume that was the prevailing mood on a train that bombards the senses with adorable Kitty cult messaging.

Painted over the train’s exterior, the famed cat-not-cat also dominates the interior, appearing on walls, headrest covers, serving carts, meal boxes and, we imagine, an array of clothing items worn by giddy riders.

On the Hello Kitty train, finicky fans can enjoy Japanese-style fried porkchops instead of the usual boxed meal.
On the Hello Kitty train, finicky fans can enjoy Japanese-style fried porkchops instead of the usual boxed meal.
Courtesy Taiwan Railways Administration

So giddy that passengers actually stole more than 300 of the headrest covers following the inaugural ride, according to a report in the Taipei Times.

The train – a collaboration between the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), Eva Air and Sanrio Taiwan – is designed to attract international visitors.

“The design concept behind this train is ‘Travel around the world with Hello Kitty,’” a TRA representative told CNN, making cutesy and globalism the way forward for the 129-year-old government agency.

Weekend regular

The train’s eight cars are painted to reflect different travel scenes: Taipei, Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, North and South America, and the North and South Poles. The final car shows the counties of Hualien and Taitung on Taiwan’s eastern coast.

Japanese cartoon company Sanrio designed a special Kitty character, clad in a captain’s hat and uniform, to serve as train master.

Related article World's first Hello Kitty dim sum restaurant

The 376-seat train will run again between Taipei and Taitung on March 25, and between Taipei and Hualien on March 27, to mark the 90th anniversary of the Hualien-Taitung line’s opening.

Starting April 21, 2016, it’s scheduled to run between Taipei’s Shulin Station and Taitung’s Zhiben Station periodically on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Global Kitty domination

Japanese firm Sanrio launched Hello Kitty in 1974, placing every pre-adolescent girl’s favorite anthropomorphic mascot somewhere between James Bond, Willie Nelson, Jackie Chan and Kate Moss on the list of global icons that somehow never stop being cool.

More than four decades later, analysts estimate the mute-yet-beloved creature accounts for roughly 75% of Sanrio’s $142 million annual operating profit, and rakes in most of the $600 million in company revenue each year.

Attracting Kitty-philes around the world and especially in Asia, the Hello Kitty image has been licensed to appear on everything from dumplings to toasters to beer pong tables to airplanes. And, no doubt coming soon, something else we haven’t even thought of yet.