One of the most revered pop culture icons of all time is Sanrio's Hello Kitty. The original concept for Hello Kitty was first designed all the way back in 1974, and her popularity has only snowballed since that point. Yuko Shimizu, her creator and a Japanese illustrator, brought the adorable feline to life, but there are some misconceptions surrounding Sanrio's most iconic character.

Although, on the surface, Hello Kitty appears identical to a cat, with pointed ears, whiskers, and a button nose, both anthropologist Christine P. Yano and the Sanrio company itself have definitively declared that, "Hello Kitty is not a cat." Despite her catlike appearance, Kitty is a third-grade girl, who does have a pet cat, which was news that left the world in disbelief.

Not a Cat at All, Hello Kitty is Actually a Human Girl

Although She Herself Is Not a Cat, Hello Kitty Does Own a Pet Feline Named Charmmy Kitty

Yano described the world-renowned character as "a perpetual third-grader," and noted that she is meant to represent the joys of childhood, shown through her love for apple pie, her close bonds with her sister, Mimmy, and her parents, George and Mary, and her adoration for hobbies like reading, playing, and tea parties. Hello Kitty lives a flawless, carefree childhood that never ends, and Yano, who has focused her career on delving deep into Hello Kitty's history, explains that is the character's point. Kitty's upbringing was based in Britain, which was idolized by Japan when she was created.

In the 1970s, Britain and British culture were all the rage in Japan, with many viewing Britain as the home of the "quintessential idealized childhood." These beliefs shaped Hello Kitty's character; she lives in England, outside of London. This gave people in Japan, primarily women, who were drawn to the adorable design, a figure to ire. Since Hello Kitty's childhood is such a pivotal part of what she represents, this makes the announcement that she is not a cat understandable. A cat character could never encapsulate the human childhood experience in quite the same way as a human one could.

Hello Kitty's Real Name is Kitty White, Not Hello Kitty

Her Original Creator, Yuko Shimizu, Definitively Stated That Her Character is Not a Cat

Other aspects of British culture, like her affinity for tea, are central to her personality, and even more surprisingly, her real name is actually Kitty White, not Hello Kitty. A lot of these backstory details, like her Scorpio star sign and the names of her family , were revealed long after Hello Kitty's initial creation, because she was first produced for a Sanrio contest. Illustrator Yuko Shimizu was tasked with inventing a character who embodied the Japanese word "kawaii," which translates to "cute" in English. The character's look is definitely uncomplicated, but undeniably adorable.

Hello Kitty is actually the 10th highest-grossing media franchise in the world.

Hello Kitty's lack of a mouth, catlike features, and colorful details like her overalls and bow made her fairly easy to draw and impossible to forget. What was once just an entry for a competition grew into Sanrio's most popular character of all time, amassing over $30 billion since Kitty White's inception. Whether it was the fact she summarized all the fondest experiences of childhood or her simplified but lovable appearance, Kitty White was, and still is, Sanrio's biggest hit ever. When asked her inspiration, Kitty's creator, Yuko, cited a memorable moment in her own childhood.

Hello Kitty Was Inspired by a Real Pet Cat, But Morphed Into a Human Girl

Illustrator Yuko Based the Character on a Pet, but Sanrio Has Confirmed the Character Is Indeed Human

When Yuko was a child, she was gifted a white kitten, and the cherished pet inadvertently provided the first blueprint for Kitty White years down the road. Catlike aspects are undoubtedly present in illustrations of Hello Kitty, most notably, her ears, her whiskers, and the shape of her head and face. Although a cat may have motivated Yuko's idea for Hello Kitty, the official Sanrio company has released the character's backstory since then, stating with confidence that their most beloved character is an eight-year-old girl from London named Kitty White.

Yuko stepped away from Sanrio in 1976, shortly after Hello Kitty's invention, to get married and focus on her newly-growing family, but the illustrator's winning idea would spark a legacy for the famous feline that has continued well into the present day. When walking into any store worldwide, it is not uncommon to see Hello Kitty's likeness plastered across everything from lunchboxes to t-shirts, often alongside other famous Sanrio personalities like My Melody and Pompompurin. Surprisingly, most of these friends of Hello Kitty are non-human animal characters, ranging from dogs to rabbits.

Kitty White Has Profound Significance in Asian American Communities

Described as “An Identity Marker,” These Communities Connect With and Take Pride in Kitty’s Legacy

Anthropologist Yano noted several humanlike characteristics Kitty White possesses, like walking on two legs, wearing clothing, and moving like a person rather than a cat. Additionally, Kitty has her very own pet cat, Charmmy Kitty, who looks much more like a real-life feline. Charmmy Kitty is a white, fluffy animal, described as a Persian cat, who wears a pink and white hair bow and a silver collar with a key-shaped charm dangling at the front. In some ways, Charmmy looks astonishingly similar to her owner, with the same long whiskers, yellow button nose, and signature hair bow.

At the end of the day, although it may come as a surprise, the official consensus, according to Sanrio, is that Kitty White is human. Whether people view her as a human or a feline, Kitty's cultural significance is extremely important, especially in Asian American communities. Yano describes Kitty White as "an identity marker" for Asian Americans for the past few decades. The anthropologist has even been working on an exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum that serves as an homage to the famous feline and her legacy, sharing the true story of the catlike, but human, Hello Kitty.

Source: LA Times, BBC