Island Swept By Snoopy Mania

PHUKET: Hong Kong tourists were packing more than T-shirts and cashew nuts into their suitcases last month as they snatched up hundreds of Snoopy dolls from the island’s two McDonald’s restaurants. Faced with long queues and limited selections back home, collectors of the Happy Meal prize items helped clean out the stock at the burger emporium’s Phuket Town and Patong locations. The month-long promotion, which ended two days ago, offered customers miniature-sized Snoopy dolls dressed in the costumes of 28 countries. To qualify for the free gift, all one had to do was purchase a children’s meal. Completing the set has become an obsession for many Hong Kong residents, many of whom reportedly stood in long lines at McDonald’s outlets in the former British colony. Savvy collectors quickly turned to overseas markets, including Thailand, to satisfy their hunger when supplies ran low. Kriengsak Sirisaovaparkkul, manager of the golden arches on Patong’s Thaweewong Road, said the popular Peanuts character was a fast mover and that only five of the 28 selections remained during the final days of the promotion. A representative of the McDonald’s next to the Robinsons shopping mall in Phuket Town said Hong Kong and Taiwanese patrons were taking a pass on Happy Meals and opting instead to purchase individual figurines for 39 baht apiece. She added that seven foreign tourists came into the restaurant on a recent Sunday night and purchased the entire 28-piece set. She said it was the most successful Happy Meal promotion the restaurant had run in recent memory. Only three of the 28 selections remained at the outlet when the campaign drew to a close.