Credit: TV Tokyo
People Are Only Just Realizing That Hello Kitty Isn’t Actually A Cat
People have been left freaked out after learning that Hello Kitty isn’t actually a cat.
For years, people casually filed Hello Kitty away in their brains as ‘that cute little white cat with the bow.’
It seemed obvious – she has whiskers, pointy ears, and the word kitty right there in her name.
She’s been a global icon since the 1970s, created by Sanrio, and for decades, no one really questioned what she was. Why would they?
Then the internet did what the internet does best: it rediscovered an old character – and suddenly, timelines filled with disbelief, and childhoods were ‘ruined.’
How could something everyone thought they understood turn out to be… not that?
Just like that, a simple, bow-wearing icon has sparked one of the internet’s favorite pop-culture identity crises.
History of Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty, whose real name is Kitty White, is an iconic character that has been around since the 1970s.
She was created by Yuko Shimizu, with her current design being by Yuko Yamaguchi.
Hello Kitty is owned by the Japanese company Sanrio, and over the years, tons of merchandise have been produced.
The fictional character particularly rose in popularity in the 1990s, amid the huge interest in kawaii culture.
Sanrio’s senior director, Dave Marchi, reportedly said that the character garnered more than $8 billion in the retail business for 2013, as reported by CNN.
Over the years, animated TV and films, video games, comics, books, and even theme parks have been based on the character.
You’d think with such a huge fandom, everyone would know everything there is to know about Hello Kitty; however, you’d be wrong.
A skit has claimed that Hello Kitty is not a cat or even an animal – and she’s not the only character’s species you may be surprised by.
Goofy isn’t a dog, and Stuart Little isn’t a mouse
Disney fans were horrified when voice actor Bill Farmer confirmed Goofy is not a dog, despite decades of popular belief.
While Pluto is clearly a dog, Goofy has human-like features, walking upright, wearing clothes, and talking.
Farmer has explained that Goofy belongs to the ‘canine family’ as wolves do, jokingly calling him ‘Canis Goofus.’
Disney archivist Dave Smith clarifies Goofy was created as a human character with dog-like characteristics.
Understandably, this revelation has shocked fans on social media, with many claiming their ‘childhood is ruined.’
Meanwhile, Stuart Little fans have been left speechless after discovering he’s not actually a mouse.
In E.B. White’s original 1926 novel, Stuart is a two-inch tall human boy who just happens to look like a mouse ‘in every way,’ and he’s the biological son of Mr. and Mrs. Little, not adopted.
The 1999 film, co-written by M. Night Shyamalan, changed this unsettling premise, making Stuart an anthropomorphic mouse who gets adopted instead.
This discovery has led to fans calling the book’s original concept ‘creepy’ and ‘disturbing.’
Internet in disbelief over Hello Kitty
On an episode of Saturday Night Live, the truth about the character was revealed.
The skit follows a Hello Kitty store manager who is training new employees.
“If you open to page five of your employee handbooks, you’ll see a list of facts about Hello Kitty,” the manager says.
“As you can see, she loves to bake cookies, she goes to school, and she’s not a cat, she’s a human little girl.”
In response, one employee questions: “No… why did you say Hello Kitty was a human little girl?”
At the time the sketch aired, many people presumed the claim was just a part of the jokes – but it’s actually true.
Now, people are taking to social media and reacting to the news that the iconic character isn’t a cat after all.
“Ruined my whole childhood,” one person said.
Another added: “I do not see, I do not believe it.”
A third wrote: “Just learned Hello Kitty isn’t a cat. Life is just one big joke now, huh?”
Setting the record straight
Christine R. Yano, an anthropologist at the University of Hawaii, settled the matter.
When visiting an exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum, she addressed the rumor that Hello Kitty isn’t a cat.
Yano told Los Angeles Times: “That’s one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show.
“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. She’s never depicted on all fours.
“She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it’s called Charmmy Kitty.”
To make things even more confusing, Yano claims Hello Kitty ‘lives in London’ and not Japan, as everyone presumes.
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