Hello Kitty is a happy little girl as per ww.hello-kitty.sanriotown.com
Yup, little Ms. Kitty White is apparently just a cartoon girl who happen to have a snub nose, whiskers, and pointy ears, just like a cat. As a quote from Christine R. Yano, author of Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific,
"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." ¹As a character, Hello Kitty's appeal is universal. If you've noticed, she does not have a mouth. So why is that you ask? As per Yuko Yamaguchi, the current Hello Kitty designer, during an interview with Time Magazine:
"It's so that people who look at her can project their own feelings onto her face, because she has an expressionless face. Kitty looks happy when people are happy. She looks sad when they are sad. For this psychological reason, we thought she shouldn't be tied to any emotion - and that's why she doesn't have a mouth."And that's part of her charm and timelessness. I myself had a love affair with Hello Kitty. I've never been a fanatic and as I grew older, I lost much interest. Yet I cannot deny that Hello Kitty was a big part of the girly little me (and that little girl is screaming pink right now). With our favorite girl being front and center in social media these days, let me share 5 things Hello Kitty reminds me of:
1. Weekly trips to SanRio/Gift Gate - Before I turned 6 years old, we used to live in Caloocan. We're a quick tricycle ride away from Ever Gotesco Grand Central. At least once a week, my mom would bring my sister Paullette and me to the groceries. That means a visit to McDonald's play area and to our favorite knick knack store, Sanrio/Gift Gate. We don't always have the money to buy something for both of us so we learned to share and take turns.
2. School Girl Cuteness and Friends - My mom loves everything to match. In school, my hair tie, hanky, socks, bags, notebooks, pencils, and erasers, they all have to match. Every year, there will be one theme. It was hello kitty for my second or third grade. If I remember it right, my friends were a group of Sanrio fans, including My Melody, Little Twin Stars and KeroKeroKeroppi.
3. Avril Lavigne and my Rockstar Dreams - She recently released a single titled Hello Kitty. Skater Boy became my theme when I dated one. I am such a fan of this ageless beauty, I died when I couldn't watch her concerts. I still have a secret desire to be a cool rocker chic. Rockers can be awesomely out of tune, right?
4. My undeveloped talent for drawing - I used to love to draw. My sketch pads and grade school notebooks were full of Hello Kitty heads, copied from the stickers on my pencil case. Then I moved to other cartoons, even eye-less portraits (never learned to draw realistic eyes so either I left it blank or give it anime eyes). Life happened and I just realized I couldn't draw anymore.
5. McDonald's Happy Meal - mom said I loved Jollibee. But I remember McDonald's more. I collected lots of happy meal toys including, who else, Hello Kitty. Back in 2009, McDonald's released a collection to commemorate the 35th Birthday of Hello Kitty and her twin Mimi (did you know she has a twin?). I completed that but haven't seen it since we moved.
The 2009 collection. Picture grabbed from Google
This year, Hello Kitty is celebrating her 40th Birthday. Talk about midlife crisis huh. So even if she is just confused, having an identity crisis, or it's a hoax, Cat or Girl, she will always induce nostalgia to any conversation. And lots of happy memories. For sure, old and new fans, including Mila, will always enjoy her loveable cuteness for years to come.
Mila's first Hello Kitty doll. Sorry for poor pic quality.
Happy Birthday Hello Kitty! (screen grab from www.sanriotown.com)
¹Quote taken from The Wall Street Journal Blogs (www.blogs.wsj.com)
