So it turns out Hello Kitty is not a cat (nope, we can't believe it either)
Yep, you read the headline correctly — Hello Kitty manufacturer, Sanrio, has made very clear that the beloved Japanese cartoon character has never been a cat, and we are feline (get it?) extremely confused.
The famous character has been around since the 70s, and with her simplistic but adorable design has become a staple in Japan's kawaii culture. But not everything is as it seems, as our favourite cartoon kitty is in fact, not a cat. Fancy making your own character? Check out our top tips for character design.
Despite being called 'Kitty', it turns out that the famous cartoon is actually a little girl
and in fact, she isn't even Japanese. According to the Sanrio website, Kitty White (full name) is a British school girl who "was born in the suburbs of London."
The revelation came to light back in 2014, when Christine R. Yano (Anthropologist from the University of Hawaii) was preparing information for a Hello Kitty exhibit. Yano told the LA Times that the manufacturers contacted her to say “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.”
It might be the cat-like ears and the whiskers throwing us off but we can't unsee the feline figure. According to good old Wikipedia, Hello Kitty is a 'gajinka' — which roughly translates to describe a form of anthropomorphism. The term refers to when non-human creatures or objects are re-imagined as humans, similar to when we saw this artists' realistic re-designs of his favourite cartoon characters.
We aren't the only ones feeling utterly bemused by the entire thing. This staggering revelation has completely stumped the internet too, so Twitter users have taken to the platform to express their confusion about the cartoon.
I have just learned that Hello Kitty! is not actually a cat and this revelation is threatening to upend my entire day. pic.twitter.com/owkxBVEt9WSeptember 1, 2021
See more
i need of compilation vid of ppl's reactions the moment they find out hello kitty is not a cat.August 14, 2021
See more
the fact that hello kitty is not a cat bUT A THIRD GRADE LITTLE GIRL WILL FOREVER HAUNT ME pic.twitter.com/7Kfyv6s1oaAugust 6, 2021
See more
Cat or girl, the cartoon is still pretty adorable and an influential character in the kawaii (the Japanese culture of cuteness) movement. It might take a while to get used to Hello Kitty being an actual human, but for an even bigger shock, check out this totally horrifying image of what Toad looks like without his hat.
Read More:
[ad_2]
Source link
M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
« Nov | ||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- July 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- July 2018
- May 2018
- November 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- March 2016
- February 2016
- November 2015
- October 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- January 2015
- September 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- June 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- November 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- November 0201