For decades, Hello Kitty has charmed the world with her adorable appearance and merchandise empire. But a persistent question often arises amidst the bows and whiskers: Is Hello Kitty A Cat Or Human? If you’ve ever found yourself pondering this, you’re not alone. Let’s delve into the official answer and explore the intriguing story behind this iconic character’s identity.
The confusion began when a statement suggesting Hello Kitty wasn’t a cat surfaced, causing widespread internet debate. Christine R. Yano, a curator for a Hello Kitty exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum, mentioned being “corrected” by Sanrio, Hello Kitty’s creator, when she described the character as a cat. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Yano quoted Sanrio as stating, “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 declaration sent ripples across the internet, leaving many fans questioning everything they thought they knew about the beloved character.
Hello Kitty Merchandise
However, before childhoods were collectively declared a lie, Kotaku stepped in to seek direct clarification from Sanrio in Tokyo. In a straightforward inquiry, Kotaku‘s Brian Ashcraft asked point-blank if Hello Kitty is indeed a cat. The response from the Sanrio spokesperson definitively stated: “Hello Kitty was done in the motif of a cat. It’s going too far to say that Hello Kitty is not a cat. Hello Kitty is a personification of a cat.” The key term here is “personification,” or “anthropomorphization,” indicating that Hello Kitty is designed to resemble and embody a cat, while also exhibiting human-like qualities and behaviors.
This concept of anthropomorphism is central to understanding Hello Kitty and many other beloved characters. Think of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy – they are all animals who walk, talk, and engage in human activities. Just like Mickey remains a mouse despite driving cars and having a pet dog, Hello Kitty, despite baking cookies, going to school, and even adorning the side of an EVA Air 777 airplane, remains fundamentally a cat. She is a feline character given human-like traits and placed in human-like settings, making her relatable and endearing to audiences worldwide.
Therefore, the official word directly from Sanrio confirms it: Hello Kitty is indeed a cat. The initial confusion arose from a specific context regarding her character design and personification, but at her core, Hello Kitty’s motif and identity are firmly rooted in the feline world. Now that this critical question is settled, perhaps we can move on to pondering other mysteries, like how Hello Kitty manages to navigate the world so charmingly without a mouth!
