This is hilarious -Hello Kitty is not a cat, but a girl?

[georgina]

So, according to the company that has the Hello Kitty brand, she's not a cat. People are very upset about this. I think it's funny, I certainly think of her as a cat. The comments in the article are great.

“Hello Kitty is not a cat,” Jill Koch, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Management at Sanrio, told the Today show Thursday ahead of the brand’s 50th anniversary celebrations. “She’s actually a little girl born and raised in the suburbs of London. She has a mom and dad and a twin sister Mimmy — who is also her best friend.

“I can’t believe I’m being gaslit into thinking that’s not a cat. It’s a cat and it’s been a cat all my childhood,” a person wrote on X. On the same thread, someone else wrote, “That’s like saying Peppa Pig is not a pig but a girl.”

https://wapo.st/3LwCoQI

Looks like they stuck the link inside a pya\\aywall, was supposed to be a free share. I'll look for another one.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1405144/hello-kitty-is-not-a-cat-and-were-not-ok

 

[dcassetta]

Kitty White has always been a little girl. She lives in London with her family. Her boyfriend’s name is Dear Daniel, she also has a pet cat whose name is Charmmy.

I’ve been a fan of Hello Kitty for almost 50 years!

 

[disneychrista]

Little girls don’t have boyfriends. Nor do they have whiskers and pointy ears on the top of their heads. Hello Kitty is a humanoid cat.

Just like goofy is a humanoid dog. And Pluto is a dog dog.

 

[porschegrl]

I learned she was a girl years ago. I think my reaction was like, ok, if you say so. Certainly not, OMG, this is so wrong, I'm being gaslit!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Isn't Hello Kitty a cartoon? Maybe we can call it a corporate logo? Def not a little girl or a kitten.

 

[dcassetta]

Little girls don’t have boyfriends. Nor do they have whiskers and pointy ears on the top of their heads. Hello Kitty is a humanoid cat.

Just like goofy is a humanoid dog. And Pluto is a dog dog.

Of course she is anthropomorphic.
If Mickey and Minnie can be boyfriend/girlfriend for decades, so can Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel.

Isn't Hello Kitty a cartoon? Maybe we can call it a corporate logo? Def not a little girl or a kitten.

Not originally. Hello Kitty, and the characters that followed her, began with things like pencils, erasers, stationery, and eventually plushes. Cartoons came later.

As a side note, Sanrio has owned the rights to Peanuts for many years.

 

[georgina]

I learned she was a girl years ago. I think my reaction was like, ok, if you say so. Certainly not, OMG, this is so wrong, I'm being gaslit!

That's what I found so funny, the comments and angst.

Of course she is anthropomorphic.
If Mickey and Minnie can be boyfriend/girlfriend for decades, so can Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel.

But Mickey and Minnie are definitely mice! I think the majority of people will still think of Hello Kitty as a cat, with that face.

 

[disneychrista]

Of course she is anthropomorphic.
If Mickey and Minnie can be boyfriend/girlfriend for decades, so can Hello Kitty and Dear Daniel.

But M & M are not children. They are adult humanoid mice. If hello kitty is a little girl then is is very wrong imo for them to give her a boyfriend. Daniel should just be her boy friend.

 

[dcassetta]

But M & M are not children. They are adult humanoid mice. If hello kitty is a little girl then is is very wrong imo for them to give her a boyfriend. Daniel should just be her boy friend.

I am sorry to have raised such a touchy issue. It was not my intent.

 

[disneychrista]

I am sorry to have raised such a touchy issue. It was not my intent.

Not your fault. It is the fault of Sanrio for giving her a back story that was inappropriate for what they are saying in a young girl.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

I'm guessing the PR person was either misquoted or didn't explain it well. Here is a better explanation from 10 years ago when this came up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Kitty

In 2014 an anthropologist was told by Sanrio that Kitty White was not simply a cat (i.e. "depicted on all fours"), describing her as a little English girl called Kitty White, from outside London.[10] Following reports that interpreted this to mean she was human, a Sanrio PR representative said that the organization had "never said she was a human", explaining anthropomorphization by comparing the character to Mickey Mouse: "No one would mistake the Disney character for a human–but at the same time he's not quite a mouse. Just like Hello Kitty isn't a human, she's not quite a cat either."[48] Sanrio stated further, "Hello Kitty was done in the motif of a cat. It's going too far to say that Hello Kitty is not a cat."[11]

 

[dizneegirl]

Oh, please. Little girls have "boyfriends" and little boys have "girlfriends" - doesn't mean they're doing boyfriend/girlfriend stuff.

 

[HopperFan]

I am dressed and prepared ...



I find Hello Kitty to be one of the most obnoxious "animation" pop culture things ... ever. Was never allowed in the house ~ along with Brittney Spears and a few others. The obsession seems to be far and beyond any other fictional character. It is a flat cat ...

 

[georgina]

I'm guessing the PR person was either misquoted or didn't explain it well. Here is a better explanation from 10 years ago when this came up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Kitty

Definitely not misquoted. It was her speaking on the Today Show. They keep saying she is a little girl. I think it is dumb to call her a girl, especially if that's not what they mean. They seem to want to compare her to Mickey, but no one says Mickey Mouse is a boy (or man?)

https://www.today.com/video/learn-t...ahead-of-icon-s-50th-anniversary-215158853534

I've not watched any Hello Kitty animation referenced above, but as an image she's fine with me. I had my picture taken at Universal Studios once with Hello Kitty, She was just standing outside her store and there was no one around.

 

[BrianL]

Oh, please. Little girls have "boyfriends" and little boys have "girlfriends" - doesn't mean they're doing boyfriend/girlfriend stuff.

Exactly. I had a "girlfriend" when I was four years old. My sister officiated at our "wedding" at the end of the driveway. It was all just pretend play and very innocent.

 

[Kennywood]

So, is she a girl who identifies as a cat, or a cat who identifies as a girl? LOL

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Just like goofy is a humanoid dog. And Pluto is a dog dog.

That's right! Pluto is a dog dog, that stands over 5' tall, walks on 2 legs, and signs autographs..... woof woof

 

[disneychrista]

That's right! Pluto is a dog dog, that stands over 5' tall, walks on 2 legs, and signs autographs..... woof woof

At the parks, yes. But in the cartoons, he walks on all fours, barks and is Mickey's pet. While Goofy, also a dog, talks and acts like a human.

 

[disneychrista]

So, is she a girl who identifies as a cat, or a cat who identifies as a girl? LOL

Definitely a cat that identifies as a girl.

 

[dez1978]

I'd like to say this is the dumbest thing I've read today, but it isn't. Def a close call tho