‘Whiskers and ears’: Hello Kitty is actually a girl, according to Sanrio

Hello Kitty is many things to many people, but it turns out, a cat is not one of them.

The lore of Sanrio's most well-known character drops every once in a while and the internet will have a field day with the information. Well, today is one of those days.

Hello Kitty is a real human girl—not a cat

The Japanese icon celebrated her 50th anniversary this week and Today celebrated with a segment exploring the ubiquitous figure’s impact.

During the piece, host Savannah Sellers chatted with Jill Cook, Director of Retail Business Development at Hello Kitty’s flagship company, Sanrio.

Sellers asked her once and for all: is Hello Kitty a cat?

“So Hello Kitty is not a cat, she’s actually a little girl,” declares Cook. “Born and raised in the suburbs of London, she has a mom and dad and her twin sister Mimmy who’s also her best friend.” 

“She weighs three apples and she’s five apples tall.” You know, like a human girl!

Hello Kitty is a girl lore on the internet

This is not new information of course (though the news about her being British hit this reader like an Amtrak), but to the public at large—and even to those who already know this fact—Hello Kitty as an entity remains baffling. Why does she have whiskers and cat ears that just come from her face?! She should be named Hello Girl (there I said it).

This topic was actually covered to amusing effect in a recent SNL sketch featuring Keke Palmer, which the Today segment actually references. 

The internet reacts to Hello Kitty not being a cat

Still, the internet has some thoughts and, additionally, a few broken brains.

I’ve always been more of a Keroppi guy anyway. (Don't even bother telling me what he is. Haven't we been through enough?)

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