PENANG: The Year of the Rat is at hand and souvenir shops are being 'overrun' by rats, fake ones of course.

At Penang's famous Kek Lok Si Temple, stalls at both sides of the pathway have begun displaying festive-designed rat figurines of all colours, shapes and sizes.

For instance, there are the white rats with gold coins and the shining golden rats.

Kek Lok Si secretary Rev Seck Xien Kwan said the temple's souvenir shops would introduce and sell new decorative items every year.

"People like to see new items on display. The popular ones are small animal figurines that people find cute," he said.

This year's favourite would definitely be the little rat figurines, which Rev Seck said, would be hot items with Chinese New Year approaching. And at the temple's souvenir shops, the cute rats were just waiting to be picked up.

"Some people like things that are new. If the things are new and attractive, they must have them.

"The buying pattern these days encourages more creatively and artistically designed items to be introduced to the market," Rev Seck said, adding that some customers might buy the 'prosperity rats' for good fortune and career advancement.
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Other rat figurines bearing Chinese New Year messages and the Chinese character fu (prosperity) were the other 'usual items' on the shelves.

"These will only be popular during Chinese New Year. But our clay rats and rat fridge magnets that do not have festive designs will be popular all year round," Rev Seck added.