Hello Kitty is a Cat, Right? Wrong, Says Her Creator

[x EvilErmine x]

Nope, dude...that's a cat. This all just like that Gif/Jif buisness a while back. Yes we know you created it but you are wrong, Hello Kitty is a anthropomorphism of a cat and it's pronounce Gif.

Spoiler

[HEADING=1]Deal with it[/HEADING]

 

[croc3629]

Anybody with Hello Kitty lore knowledge help me out here.

Does Kitty White exist in a world where humans can be born with animal characteristics, such as cat ears, fur and whiskers?

Because outside of that, I can understand this only as a way to emphasize the idea that Kitty is to be thought of as a person and nothing else. Is that an issue? Because Mickey Mouse seems to do alright as a person. Even has his own castle.

Are they afraid people would have the idea that Kitty would be drinking milk out of a saucer instead of a glass? That she'd take cat food out of a bowl instead of sitting down to enjoy a nice steak dinner?

I'm more confused as to the necessity of this statement than anything else.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's a cat! XD

I don't remember Krilin been a cat.

Ah the space duck...what a majestic creature.

 

[EeveeElectro]

The Nike logo isn't a tick, but rather a lopsided smile. Firefox is a person in a fursuit. The crocs logo is really a green gorilla.

What about Badtz-Maru? Keroppi? My Melody? U*SA*HA*NA? Are they people too?
Silly Sanrio. I don't know if this a marketing ploy but it's silly.

 

[NoX 9]

So.. Is her mom a cat? Or her dad? Are both her parents human, and was there a bit of an awkward moment at birth when the kid turns out to have fur, cat-ears and whiskers?

So Sonic the Hedgehog isn't really a hedgehog?

Seems not! Just some blue dude that runs about at incredible speeds, wearing nothing but sneakers... Creepy.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

A girl with whiskers and a tail? I wonder if her mum was human and her dad was a cat? That would account for it.

 

[Extragorey]

My world has been shattered. Next, Disney is going to come out and tell us Mickey isn't a mouse.

This. Seriously, why the title "Hello Kitty" then? By the same logic, Mickey Mouse is indeed not a mouse. And Donald Duck isn't a duck. Hobbes isn't a tiger. Sonic the Hedgehog isn't a hedgehog. And...
Why does it feel like the world was suddenly tipped upside down?

 

[ryukage_sama]

So the creator and the company differ on how they want to present their characters. I think its reasonable to assert that Kitty is not some animal, but a person, though not human either. It's the distinction that makes the speaking alien races in sci-fi full characters and not simply creatures. I can rationally accept that Kitty isn't a cat, but is like a cat. I don't see why so many people object to the creator's assertion that she isn't the animal that we keep as pets and train to poop in boxes.

 

[PunkRex]

First off, no, she's a freaking cat.

Second, she lives in London! Bollox, where's the anthro-staffys that lives next door and torment the neighborhood with their domestic disputes, shitty music and excessive amounts of puppies.

 

[keniakittykat]

I know why this statement was made. And no, it has nothing to do with that exhibit, not really.
People, meet 'Musti'.

This is Musti. A white cat from Belgium, Flanders to be exact. Created by Ray Goossens in 1945. It's spanned an entire franchise spanning decades, making his first tv appearance in 1968. (Hello kitty wouldn't exist until 1974) There are also children's books, games, and a ton of merchandise.

He's a pretty big deal in Belgium and the Netherlands to a lesser extent.
The problem here, though, is that recently many people have started to see the uncanny resemblance between our Musti and the Japanese kitty Howaito.

The people holding the Musti licence doesn't seem to care all that much, but since the Japanese company Sanrio caught wind of the Musti character (most likely because Kitty IS just a Japanese gender-swap) and seem to be scared to get their pants sues off.

With this 'it's not a cat' excuse, they're kind of in the clear on the whole copyright issue, seeing how kitty is not even a cat. (Big companies can bullshit their way out of everything.)

 

[Skeleon]

So, is she supposed to be wearing a costume or some kind of horribly affected mutant?
As for Mickey Mouse... well, I always thought it was strange that Goofy (an anthropomorphic dog) owns Pluto (a dog). They even have the same type of nose/face structure! Is Pluto actually a human being dressing as a dog and living in some sort of sadomasochistic gay relationship with his master Goofy?

 

[Evonisia]

But wouldn't that make Howard the Duck not a Duck?

/Mindblown.

 

[AdamG3691]

... how are people confused about it?

she is a cat, a sapient, anthropomorphic cat in the same way mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse. not a regular, non-anthropomorphic cat.

 

[Someone Depressing]

Kafka Robert Crumb Furries up in this shit.

Is her creator high? Is she actually a lovecraftian monster that shall sing the ode which will end humanity? Or is she a dancer?

I don't get it. Is there a joke? I think my very existence is unraveling. Somebody help me.

...Oh, wait, she's an anthropomorphic cat.

Will she still end the world?

 

[KDR_11k]

I believe he's simply stating that he views the character more as a "person" than an "animal".

While its probably not the best comparison, similar logic is used by the furry community with regards to how they view anthropomorphized animals / humanoids with non-human features. Its not about specifically categorizing something as it is having a more respectful attitude to a type of character that is more than just a simple animal. Referring to hello kitty as "a cat" can indeed be interpreted as someone saying "she's not a person".

I mean this all crazy semantics surrounding fictional mumbo jumbo but eh its very common for creators to be very attached to their creations - real or not to the point of taking issue with these kinds of things.

Although if we ever do come across aliens and they happen to basically be furries well then, this all becomes borderline racism haha.

May even be a translation issue, words don't map 1:1 from one language to another, especially when they're as disparate as Japanese and English.

 

[Panda Pandemic]

Sounds like a bit of misunderstanding but still amusing as hell to read this thread. I shouldn't be laughing this much at work

Ceci n'est pas un chat

 

[Ch1z1ta]

Though 'logically' she's not a cat... if you name somebody who looks similar to a cat, "Kitty", you're pretty much influencing pop-cultural belief to consider that she's a fucking cat.

 

[Nowhere Man]

I know why this statement was made. And no, it has nothing to do with that exhibit, not really.
People, meet 'Musti'.

This is Musti. A white cat from Belgium, Flanders to be exact. Created by Ray Goossens in 1945. It's spanned an entire franchise spanning decades, making his first tv appearance in 1968. (Hello kitty wouldn't exist until 1974) There are also children's books, games, and a ton of merchandise.

He's a pretty big deal in Belgium and the Netherlands to a lesser extent.
The problem here, though, is that recently many people have started to see the uncanny resemblance between our Musti and the Japanese kitty Howaito.

The people holding the Musti licence doesn't seem to care all that much, but since the Japanese company Sanrio caught wind of the Musti character (most likely because Kitty IS just a Japanese gender-swap) and seem to be scared to get their pants sues off.

With this 'it's not a cat' excuse, they're kind of in the clear on the whole copyright issue, seeing how kitty is not even a cat. (Big companies can bullshit their way out of everything.)

Holy shit. We need to play cupid and get these two out on a date.

Oh wait, she's not a cat

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Someone used the wrong hair in a polyjuice potion, I see.

Oh god, I even hear the post in Hermione's voice... the condescension oozes...

 

[Ieyke]

Hello Kitty IS a cat....
Whoever said what this article is quoting is a moron.