Fans in Denial After Creators Reveal Character is ‘A Little Girl’

The company behind the beloved Hello Kitty franchise has recently unveiled a surprising fact that left some fans confused and in denial during the character’s 50th anniversary.

Hello Kitty, created in 1974 by the Japanese entertainment company Sanrio, has long been believed to be a cat. However, during an appearance on the “Today” show, Jill Cook, Sanrio’s director of retail business development, clarified that “Hello Kitty is not a cat,” and instead, “she’s actually a little girl.”

Cook elaborated that Hello Kitty, who “weighs three apples” and is “five apples tall,” grew up in the London suburbs. She has a twin sister named Mimmy, and the family has a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty. According to Sanrio’s website, Hello Kitty enjoys hobbies such as “baking cookies and making new friends.”

Despite attempts to reach Sanrio for additional comments, USA TODAY has not yet received a response as of Friday.

This revelation has certainly shaken the fandom. Here’s a bit more about the background of Hello Kitty and the mixed reactions from fans upon learning that their favorite character is a little girl.

Yuko Shimizu, the Sanrio employee who originally designed Hello Kitty, discussed the genesis of the character in an interview with the BBC. She described her creation as “a white cat with a red bow in its hair,” drawing inspiration from a small white kitten she received as a birthday present during her childhood.

According to Sanrio, Hello Kitty’s real name is Kitty White, and she was born in England. The company confirmed that Kitty White is indeed an 8-year-old girl. Shimizu left Sanrio at the age of 27, just two years after creating Hello Kitty.

The recent disclosure has sparked quite a bit of debate among Hello Kitty enthusiasts. Many are struggling to accept Cook’s explanation.

One X user named Carmen stated, “Hello Kitty is a cat in my eyes.” Another user, atta (furnal equinox), questioned the London upbringing, saying, “Isn’t Hello Kitty Japanese?”

Emily Lazar expressed her confusion on X, asking for “answers” and wondering if Hello Kitty has been “Larping this whole time,” referring to the practice of live action role-playing.

In a follow-up post, Lazar responded to another user who firmly believed that Hello Kitty is “a girl cat,” saying, “Yeah for my own sanity and childhood I’m sticking to that lol.”

Another X user, Dazeinthegarden, drew an analogy to other animated characters: “Hello Kitty is absolutely a cat, with a pet cat. The same way Mickey has Pluto & Goofy still exist in the same universe.”

As fans grapple with this new understanding of the iconic character, it remains to be seen how the perceptions around Hello Kitty will evolve.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Hello Kitty is not a cat’: Fans in denial after creators reveal she’s ‘a little girl’

Source: USA TODAY