Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Sanrio's Shocking Reveal: Hello Kitty Is NOT A Cat
Hello Kitty is not a cat. What? (Photo by Vera Yu and David Li via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
()
For years we've been led astray thinking that Sanrio's iconic Hello Kitty is a white, fluffy cat with a red bow clipped below her ear: Hello Kitty is, in fact, not a cat.
Christine R. Yano, an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii who is curating the upcoming Hello Kitty retrospective at the Japanese American National Museum in October, told the L.A. Times that she discovered this when the Sanrio folks corrected her after she described Hello Kitty as a cat in her written texts for the exhibit.
"I was corrected — very firmly," Yano said. "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."
Okay, well at least that explains why Hello Kitty had a pet cat—that was always a little confusing. Except for the fact it really doesn't: the pair look nearly identical except for the fact that Charmmy Kitty has a lace-trimmed, pink bowtie below her ear. After some investigating, we have noticed that Charmmy Kitty does walk on all fours and isn't wearing clothing unlike Hello Kitty who is dressed to the nines at all times. (It feels like the characters' creators are playing some cruel trick on us by making a little girl who looks like a cat have a pet cat. It's so confusing!)
Support for LAist comes from
You can see Charmmy Kitty acting like a real cat, taking naps under trees and chasing butterflies, in this Japanese video below:
This "Hello Kitty is not a cat" reveal has had our colleague, Jen Chung, over at Gothamist questioning everything now: "Next are they going to tell me that my Melody is NOT A BUNNY, that the Little Twin Stars are NOT TWINS, that Keroppi is NOT A FROG?"
Hello Kitty may not be a cat but she has a surprisingly specific backstory: she is British, her real name is Kitty White (no relation to Breaking Bad's Walter White), and she's the daughter of parents George and Mary White. She has a twin sister, is stuck in time as a third grader (even though she turns 40 this year), and lives outside of London. She has a horoscope sign, too: she's a Scorpio.
And fun little fact, if you've been wondering why Hello Kitty doesn't have a mouth, Sanrio explains it on their website: "Hello Kitty speaks from her heart. She’s Sanrio's ambassador to the world and isn't bound to any particular language."
Related:
World's First Ever Hello Kitty Convention Landing In Los Angeles
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist