«Hello Kitty — not a cat! What do we know about the famous character?»
20 july 2024 в 04:13
I mean that the people who thought that the kitten is a cat make up the majority.
But no! The beloved cartoon character, who is now celebrating her 50th anniversary — officially on November 1st — is definitely not an animal, but a little girl of the Homo genus.
Today, July 18th, Jill Koch, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Management at Sanrio, the flagship company of Hello Kitty, explained in six words that quickly shook us: «Hello Kitty is not a cat».
However, that was not enough, as she continued to reveal more about the character we thought we knew well: «In fact, she is a little girl, born and raised in the suburbs of London. She has a mom and dad, as well as a twin sister, Mimmy, who is also her best friend».
Her full name is also Kitty White. How is that possible?!
But maybe you already knew about this, because this is not the first time news about Hello Kitty has spread. In fact, the character made headlines back in 2014 when her 40th anniversary was celebrated, for the same reason.
At that time, anthropologist Christine R. Yano, author of the book «Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific», was «very firmly» corrected by Sanrio about the difference between a cat and a little girl while preparing for the Hello Kitty exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
«She is a cartoon character», - Yano explained to the Los Angeles Times. «She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She has never been depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She has her own pet cat, named Charmmy Kitty».
As for the character’s London roots, Yano explained: «Hello Kitty emerged in the 1970s when the Japanese and Japanese women were fascinated with Britain. They loved the idea of Britain. It represented an idealized childhood, almost like a white picket fence. So the biography was created to suit the tastes of that time».
The Japanese company Sanrio first created Hello Kitty in 1974. Within a year, her image, including her iconic red bow, was introduced to the public on a small children’s wallet, which was sold for less than a dollar.
Since then, her charmingly expressionless face has appeared on toys, clothing, and other products around the world, and her universal appeal has become the subject of doctoral dissertations
But no! The beloved cartoon character, who is now celebrating her 50th anniversary — officially on November 1st — is definitely not an animal, but a little girl of the Homo genus.
Today, July 18th, Jill Koch, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Management at Sanrio, the flagship company of Hello Kitty, explained in six words that quickly shook us: «Hello Kitty is not a cat».
However, that was not enough, as she continued to reveal more about the character we thought we knew well: «In fact, she is a little girl, born and raised in the suburbs of London. She has a mom and dad, as well as a twin sister, Mimmy, who is also her best friend».
Her full name is also Kitty White. How is that possible?!
But maybe you already knew about this, because this is not the first time news about Hello Kitty has spread. In fact, the character made headlines back in 2014 when her 40th anniversary was celebrated, for the same reason.
At that time, anthropologist Christine R. Yano, author of the book «Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific», was «very firmly» corrected by Sanrio about the difference between a cat and a little girl while preparing for the Hello Kitty exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
«She is a cartoon character», - Yano explained to the Los Angeles Times. «She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She has never been depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She has her own pet cat, named Charmmy Kitty».
As for the character’s London roots, Yano explained: «Hello Kitty emerged in the 1970s when the Japanese and Japanese women were fascinated with Britain. They loved the idea of Britain. It represented an idealized childhood, almost like a white picket fence. So the biography was created to suit the tastes of that time».
The Japanese company Sanrio first created Hello Kitty in 1974. Within a year, her image, including her iconic red bow, was introduced to the public on a small children’s wallet, which was sold for less than a dollar.
Since then, her charmingly expressionless face has appeared on toys, clothing, and other products around the world, and her universal appeal has become the subject of doctoral dissertations
© Artemenko Olga
