Hello Kitty-themed maternity hospital opens in Taiwan

The Hello Kitty motif appears on every aspect of the Hau Sheng hospital in Yuanlin in central Taiwan including blankets, cots and nurses' uniforms.

The character is a friendly white cat, with her head bigger than her body, small button eyes and nose but no mouth.

Patients are welcomed to the hospital by a statue of Hello Kitty dressed in a doctor's uniform before travelling in a pink elevator to a pink examination room with Hello Kitty posters on the wall.

The hospital's director Tsai Tsung-chi opened the £2m building after obtaining authorisation from Hello Kitty's Japanese parent company Sanrio.

Tsung-chi said: "I wish that everyone who comes here, mothers who suffer while giving birth and children who suffer from an illness, can get medical care while seeing these kitties and bring a smile to their faces, helping forget about discomfort and recover faster."

Chen Shing-chiu, one of the first mothers to give birth in the hospital, said: "Unlike traditional hospitals that are mostly white, I feel this one is pretty good. I like Hello Kitty very much myself."

The Hello Kitty brand celebrated its 34th birthday this year and also graced the cover of Japanese Vogue earlier in the year.