Is Hello Kitty a cat, a human, or worse, a cat-human?

Hello Kitty has been around for a few decades, and there’s no stopping her from dominating the world. The cute character with the red bow was created in 1974 by a Sanrio employee, and her first appearance was on a coin purse sold in Japan the following year. From then on, her popularity skyrocketed and she became famous worldwide.

This year marks Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary, and some facts — unknown to many — are coming to light, of which one has shocked fans and left them in denial. Why? Because it rests on Hello Kitty’s true identity.

What kind of animal is Hello Kitty?

Based on her appearance and name, many people assume that she is a cat. However, fans were surprised to know that she isn’t one. In fact, she isn’t any type of animal; she’s a little girl. The information was shared by Jill Cook, a Sanrio executive who appeared on the Today show to talk about Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary. This isn’t the first time this information has been shared, however.

Back in 2014, a Hello Kitty exhibit was held at the Japanese American National Museum for the character’s 40th anniversary, and Christine R. Yano, an anthropologist who studied Hello Kitty for years, served as the curator. She wrote texts and her spiel for the exhibit, but Sanrio wanted a change made. The company told Yano, who described the character as a cat, that Hello Kitty was a little girl.

“Hello Kitty is not a cat. She’s a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat.”

Yano further stated that Hello Kitty has never been shown on all fours, and she behaves just like a two-legged character. Furthermore, Hello Kitty has a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty.

Fans’ reactions to Hello Kitty being a little girl

Fans took to social media after learning that new fact. Some said they were lied to their whole lives, while others were in denial. Many users pointed out that Hello Kitty has whiskers, and others reasoned that she can both be a little girl and a cat — a little girl cat. One user said it’s like saying Disney’s Goofy isn’t a dog, but Pluto is.

While many were surprised to know about it, others weren’t quite so. One user said that hardcore Hello Kitty fans have known this information for years.

Saying Hello Kitty isn’t a cat is going too far

Cook’s statement on Today gained a huge reaction, and the same happened in 2014 when Yano talked about how Sanrio corrected her. Back then, Kotaku writer Brian Ashcraft reached out to Sanrio to get the information straight from the source. A Sanrio spokesperson told the website, “Hello Kitty was done in the motif of a cat,” further stating that while she was the personification of a cat, she was a little girl, but it wasn’t specifically said that she was human. 

The spokesperson used the Japanese term “gijinka,” which translates to personification or anthropomorphization. Ashcraft then asked whether saying “Hello Kitty is not a cat” was going too far, to which the spokesperson answered yes. Alternatively, she also can’t be described as human. So, there you have it. Hello Kitty is a little girl with the personification of a cat.