No indeed. She may look like a kitty, be cute like a kitty, and even have the word "kitty" in her name, but Sanrio's beloved and iconic character is, in fact, a girl! This picture suggests as much, but don't take Walt's word for it. Believe instead Christine R. Yano, an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii (and currently a visiting professor at Harvard) who has spent years studying the phenomenon that is Hello Kitty.
Culture: High & Low quotes Ms Yano to the effect that Sanrio would adamantly refute any claims that the character is feline. Ms Yano once made the mistake of referring to Hello Kitty as a cat while preparing texts for an exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum. "I was corrected — very firmly," she says. "That's one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show. 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."
And what does Sanrio itself have to say? They told Kotaku "It's going too far to say that Hello Kitty is not a cat." A Sanrio spokesthingy added, "Hello Kitty is a personification of a cat," using the word "gijinka" which means "anthropomorphization." ["Gijinka" is a lot easier to spell, eh. Ed.]
As his final exhibit, Walt submits the official Hello Kitty profile.
"Hello Kitty is a cheerful and happy little girl with a heart of gold. She lives in London with her mama (Mary White), papa (George White), and her twin sister Mimmy. Hello Kitty loves to bake and she can make really delicious cookies. She learned her baking talents from her mama, who makes scrumptious apple pies that are enjoyed by the whole family.
"Hello Kitty's hobbies include traveling, listening to music, reading, eating cookies and mama's apple pies, and making new friends. One of her most popular mottoes is 'You can never have too many friends.'"
So true. Walt is proud to be one of Hello Kitty's friends. Aren't you?
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