In 40 years of existence, we have believed that Hello Kitty is a cat, which "kitty" presumably came from the word "kitten." But Sanrio has cleared this: Hello Kitty is a little girl, not a cat.
In her biography, Sanrio describes Hello Kitty as "a cheerful and happy little girl with a heart of gold."
This issue has been a hot topic as her 40th anniversary nears.
To prove that indeed she's a human, the biography also tells that Hello Kitty has her own pet!
"Hello Kitty has a pet cat named Charmmy Kitty and a pet hamster named Sugar," says the account.
University of Hawaii anthropologist Christine R. Yano, author of "Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific," said Hello Kitty lives in England, not in Japan, where her maker Sanrio is based.
Yano also described Hello Kitty as a cat. But Sanrio did not agree with her description, making the company set the record straight. Hello Kitty is a forever third-grader girl.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Yano was firmly corrected by Sanrio.
"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. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it's called Charmmy Kitty," said Yano.
Aside from traveling, listening to music, reading, eating cookies and apple pies, and making new friends, Hello Kitty can also bake delightful cookies, which she learned from her mother.
Do you think Hello Kitty is not a cat? Sound off below!
