The current beta preview for Hello Kitty Online has been extended until 11 p.m. EST on Sunday, so you still have some time left if you'd like to check it out. Also, Sanrio Digital is hosting an in-game event for a great real world cause, so that's good incentive to sign in and play. The Helping Hearts event will start at 9 p.m. EST tonight, and players will craft virtual items that Sanrio Digital will convert into actual clothing for an orphanage.

Hello Kitty Online players will have to use teamwork and organizational skills to collect resources and craft specific virtual shirts and bags. At the end of the event, items crafted and submitted by players will be counted and Sanrio Digital will donate a corresponding number of real, limited edition Hello Kitty shirts and bags to an orphanage.

To join the beta or the event, sign up to SanrioTown and download the client from the Hello Kitty Online Web site. You can read the full press release below.

Hong Kong – February 19, 2009: Sanrio Digital (www.sanriodigital.com ) today announced an extension of the current beta preview of Hello Kitty Online (www.hellokittyonline.com ), the official massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) of the Hello Kitty universe. Hello Kitty Online will remain open to the public until 23:00 (11 PM) EST on Sunday, February 22, 2009. The current Valentine Day-themed event has been phased into a charity event named “Helping Hearts”, in which players will craft virtual items that Sanrio Digital will convert to real world clothing donations to an orphanage.

“Helping Hearts” starts at 21:00 (9 PM) EST on February 19, 2009. Hello Kitty Online players will have to use teamwork and organizational skills to collect resources and craft specific virtual shirts and bags. At the end of the event, items crafted and submitted by players will be counted and Sanrio Digital will donate a corresponding number of real, limited edition Hello Kitty shirts and bags to an orphanage. The three guilds with the highest donation values will be declared winners and will be featured on the Hello Kitty Online game site. To join this event or play the Hello Kitty Online beta preview, simply sign up to SanrioTown (www.sanriotown.com ) and download and install the game client from www.hellokittyonline.com. Log in to the game using your SanrioTown username and password.

“Helping Hearts” continues Hello Kitty Online’s efforts to recruit players for socially responsible causes. In the previous charity event, called “Food For Friends”, beta players were asked to craft virtual food items that Sanrio Digital then tallied and converted into a cash donation to charity. Thus, participants in “Food For Friends” effectively raised about USD 12,000 in charity donations to UNICEF (www.unicef.org ) and the Asian Youth Orchestra (www.asianyouthorchestra.com ).

“Helping Hearts” begins at 21:00 (9 PM) EST on February 19 and ends at 23:00 (11 PM) EST on February 22, 2009. Hello Kitty Online will be closed after that time to continue work on the game. Contest results and further details will be provided on www.hellokittyonline.com.