Hello Kitty fans around the world rejoice! Hello Kitty Online (HKO), the official massively multi-player online game (MMOG) featuring Hello Kitty, has officially launched in North America and Europe.  To celebrate, Sanrio Digital is offering a collectible Premium Edition Retail SKU available at retailers across the U.S. and Canada.  Fans both young and old can share their love of Hello Kitty, either through the free downloadable client or the Premium Edition retail version.

The collectible Hello Kitty Online Premium Edition comes in a specially designed pink and black box that includes:

• $15 in Sanrio Cash Points to equip your character with premium items

• Choice of one out of four exclusive and cute virtual pets to be your faithful companion on your adventures

• Hello Kitty Online game client on DVD

• Full-color Hello Kitty Online game manual (82 pages)

• Hello Kitty Online collector’s postcards to share with friends...or to keep!

Hello Kitty Online is set in a magical world featuring Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters. Players travel to exciting places such as London, Tokyo and Paris. Along the way they will meet their favorite Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, Keroppi, My Melody, Cinnamoroll and many others. Hello Kitty Online is the first MMOG to integrate true social networking services in the form of blogs, video sharing and Hello Kitty email provided by SanrioTown. The innovative online game boasts a captivating storyline, a myriad of quests, farms, housing, pets, guilds, thousands of options to customize player avatars, and much more.  With today’s commercial release of Hello Kitty Online the game service now offers an item mall where players have an option to purchase a variety of in-game virtual items to enhance their game experience. The item mall also offers players the ability to use a variety of online payment methods for their purchases. Additionally, Hello Kitty Online branded prepaid game cards will soon launch at key retailers.

Retail distribution of the Hello Kitty Online Premium Edition SKU will be managed by Zoo Entertainment across North America. Zoo Entertainment also manages publishing and distribution of Sanrio Digital’s Nintendo DS and Wii titles.