Hello Kitty, a fictional character believed to be a cat for 50 years, was in fact an actual little girl. The creators have revealed about the character on it’s 50th anniversary.
Sanrio – which created the character in 1947 – became a worldwide phenomenon.
Jill Koch, Sanrio’s senior vice president of marketing and brand management on, clarified on Thursday that, “Hello Kitty is not a cat”, and “she’s actually a little girl.”
Koch describes Hello Kitty as someone who “weighs three apples” and “Measures five apples tall.” She grew up with her twin sister Mimmy, her parents, and their pet Charmmy Kitty in London suburbs.Sanrio.com says that Kitty loves making new friends and baking cookies.
Yuko Shimizu also went into some detail about Kitty’s background. In an interview with the Parami News she explained that she based her design on ‘a white cat with a red bow in its hair’, inspired by events from her childhood. “My father gave me a small white kitten as my birthday present when I was still very young,” Shimizu said.
Sanrio confirmed to Parami News that Hello kitty’s real name is Kitty White and she was born in England. The company stated that the said character is indeed an eight year old girl.
Shimizu left Sanrio two years after drawing Hello kitty; but fans still hold onto preconceived notions which persist despite sustained confusion.
