Hello Kitty plane

Hello Kitty plane makes maiden U.S. flight

That is one eye-catching plane livery. The new Hello Kitty Boeing 777 themed "Sanrio Family hand-in-hand" has Hello Kitty and 18 other Sanrio characters all holding hands.

Kawaii (meaning 'cute' in Japanese) at LAX

 Cute and adorable or simply odd? The first of EVA Air's long range Hello Kitty jets completed its maiden flight to Los Angeles last week, drawing a litter of curious Kitty enthusiasts.

Whatever your taste -- and judging by the comments below on this updated story, Kitty is more than quite palatable -- the flight marks something of a big step in brand extension for Sanrio's famed cat.

Hello Kitty and her mates are hugely popular the world over, nowhere more so than in Asia where Taiwanese airline EVA Air flies five Kitty-themed planes in a tie-up with Sanrio. This adds to Kitty being on everything from restaurants to toasters (where Kitty's face is burned into your bread) to beer pong tables. Naturally.

Sticking her on a metal tube and taking her to the United States and back is a braver move -- thrice-weekly flights from Taipei to Los Angeles began September 20. Europe is unlikely to be spared with a European schedule also reportedly on the cards.

Each current Hello Kitty plane has a theme and for the Taipei-LAX flight, the new design features 19 Sanrio characters, including My Melody (Hello Kitty's BFF), Little Twin Stars' Kiki and Lala as well as rival character Kuromi, the trouble-making bunny.

That kind of explains the plane's theme of "Sanrio Family hand-in-hand." According to a company statement, the new design tries to convey the message of "embracing the world and overcoming various cultural barriers."

The Hello Kitty planes flying to Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, China and Guam from Taiwan are A330s but for its States-side adventure the feline cat is aboard a new Boeing 777 aircraft, the world's largest twin-engined plane.