Hello Kitty Is Apparently Not a Cat and We Can't Deal With It

Over the past 50 years, Hello Kitty has been a popular cartoon character for children and adults alike, featured on clothes, shoes, and even tattoos.

Hello Kitty's stamp in pop culture came from the adorableness of the character, whom everyone believed was a cat. However, it was all a lie! Read on.

Is Hello Kitty a cat?

In July 2024, before Hello Kitty's official 50th anniversary in November, the character's team set the record straight about what she actually is. Turns out, the popular character — created in Japan in 1974 by Yuko Yamaguchi and the brand's flagship company, Sanrio— isn't a cat and apparently never was. Wild!

“Hello Kitty is not a cat,” Jill Cook, the Director of Retail Business Development at Sanrio, told Today on July 18.

What is Hello Kitty if not a cat?

So, apparently, not only did Hello Kitty's most loyal followers not know she's not a feline, (despite having "Kitty" in her name), somehow, the world also missed that Hello Kitty is just a girl through and through.

"She’s actually a little girl born and raised in the suburbs of London," Cook further explained to Today . "She has a mom and dad and a twin sister Mimmy — who is also her best friend.”

Cook said that Kitty enjoys doing normal children's things like "baking cookies" and "making new friends." And fans have likely noticed she has a cat herself named Charmmy Kitty, further proving she's more human than a cat. When she's not making new friends or caring for Charmmy, Hello Kitty also spends time with her boyfriend, Dear Daniel. The girl is busy, OK??

While Hello Kitty's team is adamant she's not a cat and never was, fans of hers were understandably shocked and felt their entire childhood was a lie. Who's gonna tell them about the Rugrats conspiracy theory?