Jill Harness
The Hello Kitty Hospital
by Jill Harness - October 1, 2009 - 1:00 PM

TAIWAN-HEALTH-HOSPITAL-KITTY

Hello Kitty may be a little bit of a trend in America, but in Asia, it’s a lifestyle. There have been Hello Kitty weddings and hotels before, but did you know kitty-obsessed mothers can even give birth in Taiwan’s Hello Kitty maternity hospital?

The three million dollar venture has been officially sanctioned by the character’s parent company. Each bed sheet is branded with Hello Kitty, as are the nurses uniforms. In the lobby, a giant Kitty statue waits to greet guests. Twice a year people in character costumes come around and entertain guests.

The makers of the hospital are hoping the character will help reduce the stress of labor and bring in clientele.

“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 that we can bring a smile to their faces, helping forget about discomfort and recover faster,” said Tsai Tsung-chi, the director of the hospital.

Do you know of any other theme hospitals? If you were put in charge of starting one, what would be your theme?

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Comments (14)

  1. So how many steps away are we from Hello Kitty the religion?

    posted by Tom in GA on 10-1-2009 at 1:48 pm

  2. http://www.kittyhell.com/2007/04/30/hello-kitty-religion/
    We are there Tom…

    posted by Melissa on 10-1-2009 at 2:20 pm

  3. Man they must really love Hello Kitty in Japan there nothing wrong with that But a hello kitty hospital how can anyone take that seriously.

    posted by Kari on 10-1-2009 at 2:24 pm

  4. I want a Crocodile Dundee hospital that treats crocodile attacks, snake and insect bites, and foreign accent syndrome.

    posted by Kate on 10-1-2009 at 3:24 pm

  5. Hello Kitty rocks!

    http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/hello-kitty.html

    posted by Hyacinth on 10-1-2009 at 3:26 pm

  6. The girl that does my son’s hair loves Hello Kitty and she’s almost 50!

    My late husband got me into Badtz Maru because his color is black (it’s okay for a dude to like black merchandise, hah) and I liked it for a while after he died but my son never got into anything Hello Kitty, except the larger than normal toy cars they sell in our local store, hah, so I don’t go anymore.

    posted by Sarah in CA on 10-1-2009 at 3:32 pm

  7. I gave birth to my first child 5 months ago and I have to say that the LAST thing I would want to see during labor is a staff of nurses and medical professionals in Hello Kitty gear! Just being around that much pink is enough to make me ill!

    But, whatever floats your boat…

    posted by Lori on 10-1-2009 at 4:44 pm

  8. It woudl be even cooler if it was a pediatric hospital.

    posted by Jess on 10-1-2009 at 6:40 pm

  9. Yeah… I still think that that epidural is going to make those women much happier than seeing a bunch of Hello Kitty images, no matter how cute they are!

    It would be cool if it was a pediatric hospital, as long as half was hello kitty and the other half was something boy-themed.

    posted by Nerak on 10-1-2009 at 6:55 pm

  10. If you give birth in one of these hospitals, do you think the HMO’s will spring for your child’s therapy bill?

    posted by Valkyrie on 10-2-2009 at 4:04 am

  11. I’m wondering if the poor guy from Hello Kitty Hell knows about this yet.

    posted by Seanette on 10-2-2009 at 4:28 am

  12. It’s not “quite” a theme hospital, but I transported a patient to the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center in Memphis and I remember seeing lots of black velvet Elvis paintings on the walls.

    posted by MJ on 10-2-2009 at 8:56 am

  13. Steampunk-themed hospital. Not that any of the machines would be antique, of course, just dressed up in the brass-plated, aged copper style. Nurses would wear Victorian era clothing (although looser fitting to ease motion, and no corsets or hoop skirts). Doctors would wear top hats and often gentlemanly moustaches. I think surgeons should cackle madly before they get to work, too. That would be awesome.

    posted by Laurel on 10-2-2009 at 4:25 pm

  14. these people are crazy!

    if i were to build up a themed one?!
    … i’d build up a canine-themed hospital. i’d team up snoopy, pluto, goofy, bruno, triumph, bolt, lassie, the eight-below dogs, and the 101 dalmatians —
    and built it right in front of that kitty hospital.

    posted by clover on 10-4-2009 at 7:21 pm

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