Hello Kitty is not a cat (Yes, we are shocked too!)

Hello Kitty has been around since 1974 and since then, the character has exploded all over everything. She’s on bags, notebooks, clothes, and everything else. And over the years, it’s been pretty clear (or at least I thought it was) that Hello Kitty is a cat. Apparently, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

So what is Hello Kitty if not a cat? Hello Kitty is a child dressed up as a cat. If you are staring at your screen in horror, you are responding the same way I did when I found out about this about a week ago. Was my childhood a lie?! I guess so! What’s next? Is Pusheen actually a cat?

And this isn’t even the first time this news has come out. NPR and Time Magazine reported on this shocking fact in 2014. Then other blogs found it in 2021. I have no idea how I’m just finding out about this now, but I know I’m not the only one who is questioning reality now that they know that Hello Kitty is in fact a small girl and not a cute AF animal.

I’m not a huge Hello Kitty fan. I don’t own any of the merch, but because it’s so hard to escape her in just about any store, learning this fact is a bit Earth-shattering.

Hello Kitty is actually a small girl dressed like a cat

I now have to decide whether I want to take this fact to heart and think of Hello Kitty as a kid or if I’m just going to ignore this and continue thinking of her as an animal.

Considering how long she’s been popular, there is an argument that could be made that the story of Hello Kitty and who or what she is belongs to the public. So, if most people think she’s a cat, does it matter what the original story is?

Or am I just one of a small few who thought she was a cat and the rest of the world has known she was a girl since the very beginning? There is a lot to ponder.

For more updates on all pet news, make sure to stay tuned to Dog O’Day!