Hello Kitty mania has hit again.

Fast food chain McDonald's, overwhelmed by orders on its website, had to stop selling its Hello Kitty dolls within just 80 minutes.

Orders for the Hello Kitty Bubbly World Collector's Set, which includes six dolls, as well as meal vouchers and a certificate to commemorate Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary, opened this morning at 11 am.

Each buyer is allowed to order to up to three such sets, which cost $80 each.

The site was suspended at about 1220 pm.

"To ease traffic we are temporarily suspending new orders. We will resume sales as soon as possible," a message on the website said.

The Straits Times understands that the website should be restored later today.

But customers unhappy with the slow traffic on the website have flooded McDonald's Facebook page with their complaints. Some, like user Daphne Lee, also said that they did not receive confirmation of their payment.

The iconic mouthless Japanese feline has been the cause of quarrels before.

Last June, for instance, the claws came out over McDonald's black Singing Bone Hello Kitty soft toy, with long queues and even scuffles breaking out at some outlets islandwide.

Elsewhere, online sellers have taken advantage of the high demand to sell the dolls at exorbitant prices, with one bid on eBay going as high as $126,000.