Manila, Philippines - "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."
This is the official statement of Sanrio Inc, the global lifestyle brand that owns icon 'Hello Kitty' which shocked the world today, August 29, 2014 over the unusual news.
Filipino netizens react on micro-blogging site Twitter and can't get over with a lie for about 40 years. 'Hello Kitty' currently dominates online conversations.
During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, a Hello Kitty trend expert and anthropologist Christine Yano said she was told sternly not to confuse Hello Kitty with a cat. While preparing a script about Hello Kitty for a big conference, Sanrio set Yano straight.
According to LA Times: When Yano was preparing her written texts for the exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum, she says she described Hello Kitty as a cat. "I was corrected — very firmly," she says. "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."
Yano also revealed that Hello Kitty's real name is "Kitty White," and she is British with a twin sister, according to a backstory Sanrio and the cartoon's creator, Yuko Shimizu, made about her. She's also a perpetual third-grader.
In addition, Yano further discussed the story of the beloved character:
"A lot of people don't know the story and a lot don't care. But it's interesting because Hello Kitty emerged in the 1970s, when the Japanese and Japanese women were into Britain. They loved the idea of Britain. It represented the quintessential idealized childhood, almost like a white picket fence. So the biography was created exactly for the tastes of that time."
Hello Kitty, the pop icon created to inspire happiness around the world, is kicking off a year of festivities to celebrate her 40th Anniversary. In honor of this occasion, Sanrio will present a world premiere Hello Kitty fan convention in partnership with Target, a first-of-its-kind museum exhibition, unique collaborations and limited edition commemorative products.
Hello Kitty will celebrate her anniversary throughout the year with her devoted fans and continue to spread the message of friendship through the global 'Share a Hug with Hello Kitty' campaign.
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| Hello Kitty is not a cat but a British girl |
This is the official statement of Sanrio Inc, the global lifestyle brand that owns icon 'Hello Kitty' which shocked the world today, August 29, 2014 over the unusual news.
Filipino netizens react on micro-blogging site Twitter and can't get over with a lie for about 40 years. 'Hello Kitty' currently dominates online conversations.
During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, a Hello Kitty trend expert and anthropologist Christine Yano said she was told sternly not to confuse Hello Kitty with a cat. While preparing a script about Hello Kitty for a big conference, Sanrio set Yano straight.
According to LA Times: When Yano was preparing her written texts for the exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum, she says she described Hello Kitty as a cat. "I was corrected — very firmly," she says. "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."
Yano also revealed that Hello Kitty's real name is "Kitty White," and she is British with a twin sister, according to a backstory Sanrio and the cartoon's creator, Yuko Shimizu, made about her. She's also a perpetual third-grader.
In addition, Yano further discussed the story of the beloved character:
"A lot of people don't know the story and a lot don't care. But it's interesting because Hello Kitty emerged in the 1970s, when the Japanese and Japanese women were into Britain. They loved the idea of Britain. It represented the quintessential idealized childhood, almost like a white picket fence. So the biography was created exactly for the tastes of that time."
Hello Kitty, the pop icon created to inspire happiness around the world, is kicking off a year of festivities to celebrate her 40th Anniversary. In honor of this occasion, Sanrio will present a world premiere Hello Kitty fan convention in partnership with Target, a first-of-its-kind museum exhibition, unique collaborations and limited edition commemorative products.
Hello Kitty will celebrate her anniversary throughout the year with her devoted fans and continue to spread the message of friendship through the global 'Share a Hug with Hello Kitty' campaign.
