VIDEO: Hello Kitty designer reveals the truth about her identity
It seems like the cutest cat in the world is not all she seems...
In 1974, a 24-year-old Japanese illustrator did not know that their little cartoon drawing would go on to become a billion-Dollar brand.
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Now Hello Kitty is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and it's all thanks to Yuko Shimizu, who created the cartoon while she was working for the company Sanrio.
At the time, they were only producing rubber sandals with strawberry designs and they wanted to design a new best-selling product.
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According to her interview with the BBC, the company hired Yuko and other illustrators to come up with new designs with a kawaii (meaning cute) theme.
Yuko created the design of a white cat with a red bow in its hair and asked her assistant for her opinion:
I had a young, female assistant and I showed her both the front and side profiles, and asked which she thought was cute. She said she thought the side profile was the cutest.
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Hello Kitty first started appearing on small purses along with a few other characters.
It quickly became a best-selling product and now, it's one of the most recognisable cartoons in the world.
While many people might not ever consider asking the questions, there has been some doubt over whether or not Hello Kitty is actually a cat?
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According to her creator, she is not a cat.
When I was a child, I got a small white kitten from my father for a birthday present. I was thrilled and the memory stayed with me, so, I decided to create a character from the little kitten.
Sanrio has since elaborated on the backstory saying that Hello Kitty is an eight-year-old girl.
She was born and raised in England, and her real name is Kitty White. She even has her own little white cat called Charmmy Kitty.
After this news was made public, many people have shared how completely shocked they are and some are struggling to deal with the revelation:
@arka.000 #hellokitty if not cat, why cat shaped? @Daniel Cheang @HITZ ♬ Can You Hear The Music - Ludwig Göransson
You can listen to Yuki Shimizu's full interview with the BBC here.
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Main image courtesy of iStock/dhoffmanimages