Our entire childhood was a lie: Hello Kitty is NOT a cat! Bubble bursts again ahead of icon's golden anniversary

The furry icon from most of our childhoods will soon celebrate its golden anniversary this year. Although the endearing cartoon character created by Sanrio in 1974 will officially enjoy bombastic festivities on November 1 for its 50th birthday, the charismatic enigma is trending already due to a recent proclamation that bursts all of our childhood bubbles.

Despite her characteristically identifiable name, Hello “Kitty,” she is, in fact, NOT a kitty after all. Yuko Shimizu’s creation shot to pop culture fame in the 1970s. Yet another shocking revelation asserts that despite her initial introduction in Japan, the cartoon character, who goes by the full name Kitty White, is not even of Japanese descent. The global sensation has occupied a lot of our minds, basically all our lives, all thanks to its ubiquitous presence in the media and other mundane everyday spaces such as notebooks, clothing or even stationery items, lunch boxes and whatnot.

Hello Kitty's history revisited

The American cartoon space finally said Hello to the character in 1987 with her debut in “Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theatre” on CBS. Since then, her appeal has been pandering to children and adults alike. However, she first appeared on a Japanese coin purse in 1974.

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Even though the bombshell revelation may sound like a life-altering fact, it’s no news. Ten years ago, the supposed controversial take left audiences startled when anthropologist Christine R Yano announced at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles that Hello Kitty is actually a little girl. Sanrio soon confirmed the revelation, which is still contested by fans who can’t come to terms with the character’s feline appearance with whiskers and cat ears while associating it with the image of a young girl.

“She’s a cartoon character,” the author of “Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across The Pacific” told the Los Angeles Times. “She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She’s never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature.”

On the contrary, she highlighted that Hello Kitty instead had a pet cat of her own - Charmmy Kitty. The Sanrio cartoon even has a boyfriend - Dear Daniel (Daniel Starr).

As for the character’s London roots, Yano explained: “Hello Kitty emerged in the 1970s, when the Japanese and Japanese women were into Britain. They loved the idea of Britain. It represented the quintessential idealized childhood, almost like a white picket fence. So, the biography was created exactly for the tastes of that time.”

Jill Cook, the director of retail business development at Sanrio, reiterated the “Goodbye Kitty” confession. “She’s actually a little girl born and raised in the suburbs of London,” Cook explained her illustrious and seemingly perennial relevance in pop culture on July 18, 2024. “She has a mom and dad and a twin sister, Mimmy – who is also her best friend.”

Sanrio.com also foregrounds the crystal clear message: "Hello Kitty was born in the suburbs of London. She lives with her parents and her twin sister Mimmy who is her best friend. Her hobbies include baking cookies and making new friends. As she always says, 'you can never have too many friends!'”

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Reminder: Hello Kitty is NOT a “Kitty”

Similar to the outrage voices a decade ago, fans again expressed their confused state of mind on social media as Cook refreshed their memories to a years-old known fact.

“So she had whiskers, ears, and is named ‘Kitty’ but is actually a human? Someone commented on Today’s TikTok clip.

Another fan emphasised how their entire childhood has been a lie. “Hello Kitty has been my favourite since childhood. I’m almost 40 and this is the first time I’m hearing this.”

Whether Hello Kitty’s true identity turns out to be shocking news, its universal adoration remains an unwavering fact. “Her core message is friendship, kindness, and inclusivity,” Cook added during her Today appearance. She also spotlighted that the beloved character has transcended borders, languages, and cultures with its enduring stance because of how “understandable” her “core message” is.

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